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Waiting Game: Where is All the Investment in Solar-Powered Productive Use Appliances?
The solar industry has helped over 360 million people in off-grid communities gain access to basic electricity – and the sector is moving beyond just lighting. Many companies now offer household appliances and, increasingly, “productive-use” appliances that support income-generating activities. However, investment in companies deploying these technologies remains minimal. Leslie Labruto at Acumen and Jeff Stottlemyer at CLASP explore the problem, and some potential solutions.
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- Energy
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‘It’s Not About Subsidies’ – And Five Other Myths About Blended Finance
The excitement around blended finance is growing – but so are the misconceptions about it. Bjoern Struewer at Roots of Impact highlights five myths about the approach, and argues that investors and public funders should admit – and embrace – one inconvenient truth: By providing catalytic capital to mobilize commercial investment, blended finance is subsidizing private investors' returns.
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- Investing
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Press Release: ABC Fund Makes First Investment, Backing Cocoa Cooperative in Côte D’Ivoire
This investment will support over 2,700 cocoa farmers and is the first of a series of investments into cocoa cooperatives that together will help 10,000 cocoa farmers gain greater market access and secured revenue.
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- Press Release
- Categories
- Agriculture, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Blended Finance Report Finds Steady Growth but Not Enough to Fill SDG Financing Gap
Convergence currently estimates that upwards of $140 billion in aggregate financing has been mobilized by blended finance to date, with at least 50 transactions launched annually across a diverse set of regions and sectors.
- Tags
- blended finance
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Press Release: The Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tunisia agree to invest in BLOC Smart Africa
BLOC Smart Africa, the blended finance impact fund dedicated to financing innovative African tech startups, was conceived and developed by Bamboo Capital Partners. Declaration of intention signed during Afric’Up Summit taking place in Tunis to promote African technology startups, innovation and entrepreneurship.
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- Press Release
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
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- blended finance
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Press Release: Initiative for Blended Finance Launches to Make Sustainable Development More Effective
University of Zurich unites with leading research, knowledge and practice partners to provide excellent, practice-driven research & education for a more powerful collaboration between public & philanthropic funders and private investors.
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- Europe & Eurasia
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Press Release: Grant Awarded to Establish Aceli Africa, a Data-Driven Financing Facility to Unlock Capital for Agricultural SMEs
According to the World Bank, agricultural growth in Africa is significantly more effective at reducing poverty than growth in other economic sectors. Agricultural SMEs, including farmer cooperatives and food processors, improve livelihoods by aggregating and linking smallholder farmers to markets and generating employment for low-skill workers, particularly women and youth.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- blended finance
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‘Financial Innovation’ is no Frankenstein: How Impact Investors and Inclusive Finance Innovators Are Redefining the Term
For many, the words "financial innovation" spark memories of the banking malfeasance that led to the 2008 financial crisis. But as Paul Hailey at responsAbility Investments sees it, financial innovation has come a long way since then. He argues that innovative new investment products don't have to be "a monster lurching towards the village," and explores how they can enable both financial inclusion and investor returns.