ImpactAlpha, Oct. 23 – Faith-based investing is not only on the rise, it’s on the cutting edge. Indonesian Islamic microfinance cooperative BMT Bina Ummah raised $50,000 (710 million rupiah) through a micro sukuk, or sharia-compliant bond, on a public blockchain on Blossom Finance’s “SmartSukuk” platform. Unlike traditional debt instruments, sukuks are tradeable like stocks. Proponents say linking such Islamic
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ImpactAlpha, October 1 – Trillions of dollars are needed each year to achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Billions are currently being invested. “Rather than a lack of capital, what is missing is a robust and efficient mechanism for identifying and enabling projects,” argues blockchain software firm ConsenSys and the World Wildlife Federation. The duo created Impactio, an SDG deal
Greetings, Agents of Impact! Co-creating in Amsterdam. It’s not easy to take the temperature of a diverse community, but we have the feeling that Agents of Impact urgently want to get it done. We’re in Amsterdam this week at the Global Impact Investing Network’s investor forum, where Agents of Impact will be moving forward on
ImpactAlpha, August 21 – Credit systems in mature markets are imperfect. In many developing economies they don’t exist at all, keeping billions of people from participating in the formal financial system. Much like with off-grid energy and mobile phones, low-income countries have the opportunity to leapfrog decades-old credit systems originally built for brick and mortar banks.
Greetings, Agents of Impact! Featured: ImpactAlpha Original Female fund managers make the case for ‘gender alpha’ in emerging markets. One way to seize the global growth opportunity in women’s equality: Back female fund managers with financial chops and deep understanding of underestimated entrepreneurs and underserved consumers. Female founders receive only 7% of emerging market private
Greetings, Agents of Impact! Featured: ImpactAlpha Original Ejido Verde is financing indigenous Mexicans to plant trees – and to plant a stake in the middle class. Decade-old Ejido Verde is one part pine-resin supplier, one part mass-reforestation project and one part community lender (ejidos are Mexico’s century-old form of communal land ownership). The company is
ImpactAlpha, March 27 – Bangalore-based New Street Technologies partners with banks to facilitate loans to small businesses through a blockchain-based lending platform. It has raised $2 million, led by impact investor Unitus Ventures. One of the most commonly cited reasons that banks don’t lend to small businesses is the cost of due diligence and servicing