The expanding universe of public-equity water investments

Broad universe... The universe for public equity water investments is broad, more than 250 companies with a combined market cap of around $1 trillion, according to PAX.

The cities... investing in water infrastructure.

Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation lends $2M for microfinance in Jordan

Focus on women… The microfinance institution lends with a focus on agriculture and women’s groups.
Three-quarters of people in Jordan… are unbanked, says FINCA Jordan CEO Makhmud Saidakhmatov.

Calvert Impact backs $1 billion BlueOrchard microfinance fund

BlueOrchard... was founded by the UN in 2001 as one of the world’s first commercial managers of microfinance debt investments.
The firm says... 60% of its investees’ clients are women, one-quarter offer green loans for clean water and energy.
Calvert’s 2004 investment in BlueOrchard... matured in 2011.

Partners Group starts $1 billion fund for SDG investing

More than half... of Partners Group’s $74 billion in assets under management come from pension funds.
Partners Group reports... that its portfolio already includes $4 billion in investments that contribute to SDGs.
PG LIFE... will focus on the same goals, and will be split 75% equity and 25% debt, DealStreetAsia reports.

Institutional investors come for the risk reduction, stay for the impact (podcast)

Pension and sovereign funds... are showing strong and growing interest in impact themes of climate risk, resources risk and social risk.
The play... They're "looking for strategies that take advantage of sustainability-oriented themes or threats, and allow them to play that strategy.” –– Dave Chen, the head of Equilibrium Capital

SoftBank backs Saudi Arabia’s ambitious solar effort

Big bucks… The initiative will cost $200 billion including the panels, battery storage, and a solar panel manufacturing facility.
Japan’s SoftBank... is backing the first, $5 billion, 7.2-gigawatt phase of the project.
Green jobs… Job creation also plays a role in Saudi Arabia’s solar, and broader Vision 2030, plans.

Carbon Lighthouse raises $27 million to improve building efficiency

San Francisco-based Carbon Lighthouse works with building owners to make energy, lighting and HVAC equipment “smarter” with monitors and sensors. Buildings are an important target for energy efficiency improvements because they account for 30% of global carbon emissions and up to 70% of energy use in cities. Carbon Lighthouse has worked on energy efficiency solutions for 500