Dealflow | November 13, 2019

“Kangaroo bond” helps Australians export financial inclusion

Jessica Pothering
ImpactAlpha Editor

Jessica Pothering

ImpactAlpha, November 13 – Australia’s impact investors have backed 10 domestic social impact bonds, along with private-equity funds for healthcare, affordable housing, jobs and indigenous communities. To tap Australian investors for impact initiatives outside their home turf, fixed-income specialist FIIG Securities rolled out a “kangaroo bond” with VisionFund International, a subsidiary of Christian relief organization World Vision.

The bond, FIIG’s first impact offering, allows foreign companies and organizations to raise debt from Australian investors in Australian dollars.

The partners raised A$20 million ($13.8 million) to expand VisionFund’s microfinance services, which has a current loan portfolio of $426 million, with one million borrowers in 28 countries.

An earlier version of this article misstated that the funds had not yet been fully raised and cited World Vision as the bond issuer. The issuer is World Vision’s subsidiary, VisionFund International.