Impact investment is an increasingly popular and promising trend and refers to investments, made into companies, organizations and funds, with the intention to generate measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return.
The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) just published its latest report, Impact investing trends: Evidence of a growing industry, “the very first GIIN report speaking specifically to trends in the [impact investment] market over time”. The data presented in the report offer convincing evidence that the impact investing industry is growing, both in terms of size and maturation.
Powerful potential
Amit Bouri, CEO at the network, positions the survey powerfully: “The market for impact investing is no longer nascent, but it is also far from being fully formed or matured. (…) By looking closely at data from the past few years of impact investing, we can better direct the industry’s trajectory so that this powerful practice can reach its full potential—and faster.”
“Impact investing’s time has come. We can now build a stronger future for the world” – Amit Bouri, CEO at the Global Impact Investing Network
The report captures data from 62 impact investors around the world that have completed an annual impact investor survey each of the past three years (2014–2016), answering questions regarding their activities, plans, and general perceptions of broader market trends and topics.
Compelling evidence
The key findings of the survey are compelling: respondents have demonstrated strong growth; respondents have maintained a steady pace of activity; there is solid proof that the industry continues to progress across various indicators of market growth; and, respondents report broad overall satisfaction with their impact and financial performance, as compared to their expectations.
Amit Bouri emphasizes a sense of urgency for us to gain insight into impact investment trends specifically: “We have come a long way in building this market, but we have further to go, as the amount of available impact investment capital does not yet come close to matching the scope of the pressing social and environmental problems we face today.”
Building a stronger future
“Impact investing’s time has come,” he concludes, “Many investors around the world have led the way and have laid a strong foundation for this movement. With this strong foundation, we now have the opportunity to build an even stronger future for impact investing and, thus, a stronger future for the world.”
Read more
To read the full report, Impact Investing Trends: Evidence of a growing industry, go here.
The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the scale and effectiveness of impact investing. The GIIN aims to build critical infrastructure and support activities, education, and research that help accelerate the development of a coherent impact investing industry. For more information, see here.
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