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As trade wars heat up, climate investors look to back homegrown ‘challenger technologies.’ Products essential to the energy transition swing between scarcity and oversupply. To protect the fledgling domestic supply chain for electric vehicles, solar panels and other key clean energy inputs, the Biden administration this week slapped hefty tariffs on cheap Chinese imports. Supplies of other key materials, such as cobalt, lithium and graphite remain unstable, scarce or problematic to produce. Material-intensive cleantech “relies on the free trade environment that has prevailed since the end of the Cold War,” write Anil Achyuta and Tina Tosukhowong of climate tech VC firm TDK Ventures in a guest post on ImpactAlpha. “Unfortunately, the global economy is trending in the opposite direction.” The increased tariffs on many Chinese-made clean energy products makes even starker the impact of trade disruptions on the roll-out of climate technologies. The deglobalization trend has TDK looking for “challenger technologies” and overlooked pathways that are not as reliant on global supply chains – and not yet dominated by incumbent global producers.
Accion raises $152.5 million to upgrade emerging market financial institutions. Before the fintech boom, microfinance, rural finance, and small business finance agencies were the key channels of financial inclusion for hundreds of millions of un- and underbanked businesses and households worldwide. Accion’s Digital Transformation Fund is helping such institutions reach more customers with tech updates for underwriting, loan disbursement and management. “Fintechs have done a fantastic job reaching scale in urban areas, but reaching rural and digitally illiterate customers is a much tougher job,” Accion’s Njord Andrewes told ImpactAlpha. “Traditional microfinance banks are well positioned there.” The nonprofit impact investor has raised $152.5 million for the fund, which will make equity investments in up to a dozen companies in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Backers include Mastercard, IDB Invest, the International Finance Corp., and the development finance institutions of the UK, Netherlands, Austria and Sweden.
💧 Hydrological impact. The US bipartisan infrastructure law earmarked a much-needed $55 billion for water quality and access projects. Continued investment at those levels could shrink the water funding gap – projected to swell to $2 trillion by 2043 – by $125 billion in the next two decades. (US Water Alliance)
👋 The Call: A guide to investing in livelihoods and access for emerging market households. On our next Agents of Impact Call, IFC’s Wagner Albuquerque de Almeida, BII’s Martina Castro, FMO’s Juan Dada, Elevar Equity’s Amie Patel and Citi Social Finance’s Borja Garcia Fernandez will offer practical guidance for investments in emerging markets that boost incomes, improve livelihoods and expand access to essential goods and services, Wednesday, May 22 at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm London. RSVP today.
In New Orleans, the city’s housing finance agency has become a “green bank” to underwrite community solar, water treatment projects, and resilience hubs. …
Private equity fund managers looking for value-creation opportunities are increasingly finding their way to impact themes like climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture, employee engagement …
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Impact investors have for years debated the need for embedded structures to incentivize impact outcomes for impact fund managers. …
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 15 – The $4 trillion muni market is so big that small movements in the pricing of bonds can mean shifts of …
ImpactAlpha, November 17 – That women are more adversely affected by climate change is well established (in impact and development circles at any …
This week’s Agents of Impact Call continued a tradition started nearly a decade ago by Fran Seegull of the US Impact Investing Alliance …
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 29 – It’s the age-old struggle: labor vs capital, workers vs. owners. But what happens when employees get a stake in the …
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – A growing ecosystem of Native-led entrepreneurs, lenders, financial intermediaries and nonprofits are driving Indian Country’s emerging economy. “It’s kind …
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 22 – Even as some politicians ramp up anti-ESG rhetoric, asset owners and allocators are signaling an appetite for investment strategies …
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 31 – The search for a universal metric to guide investments in racial justice and equitable wealth-building was…aspirational. “We are still a …
ImpactAlpha. Feb. 24 – “A labor market where workers have more opportunities and have more power and have more leverage is a good …
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 9 – The fatal beating by police of Tyre Nichols in Memphis last month exposed risks to the city’s finances that have …
Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: The divergent vibes at Mission Investors Exchange and …
Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: The rebound in blended finance; how Big Tech …
When one door closes, another one opens. For Zarû Systems’ Loren Taylor, that second door may open onto a self-contained modular vertical farm …
🎧 This Week in Impact. Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: federal funds to …
The era of cake-ism (as in having it and eating it, too) has come to an inglorious end. “I think we’re in an …
Host Brian Walsh dives into ImpactAlpha’s top stories, with commentary from editor David Bank. Up this week: Tracking the players building the US’s …
ImpactAlpha podcasts are back! We’re pleased to share our revamped interview show, Agents of Impact, hosted by David Bank and Sherrell Dorsey, founder …
Impact(ed) is part of the ImpactAlpha Podcast Network, a set of shows hosted and produced by leading voices in impact and sustainable investing, …
On This Week in Impact, Brian Walsh dives into some of ImpactAlpha’s top stories, with commentary from editor David Bank. This week: the …
Venture capital invested nearly $500 billion in 2022. By investing into startups seeking transformational scale, successful venture-backed companies have the potential to change …
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 29 – “Net zero is not going to get us anywhere,” Ariane Mahler of Veridien Global Investors told David Bank of ImpactAlpha …
The fight against climate change relies on global supply chains. Clean energy technologies are exceptionally materials-intensive, the supply of which relies on the …
The global challenges of poverty and income inequality can often seem insurmountable. But investors and companies can help to tackle these critical issues, …
Like the 1.5°C goal for climate, responsible tech needs a clear North Star to guide investments and innovations. To build an ecosystem of …
U.S. impact investors, we have a problem. In truth, there are several, and they all center around just how challenging it is to …
Achieving net-zero emissions requires transitioning from a fossil-fueled economy to one energized through metals and materials. Nearly $2 trillion in investment in mining …
In the dynamic economic environment of the Asia-Pacific region, a significant investment opportunity is emerging: institutional investors’ capacity to champion gender equality through …
This article is part of a partnership between ImpactAlpha and Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) to present new ideas and perspectives in impact investing. …
This series of guest posts is part of a partnership between ImpactAlpha and Mission Investors Exchange to present new ideas and perspectives in …
Editor’s note: This article is part of a partnership between ImpactAlpha and Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) to present new ideas and perspectives in …
Latin America is witnessing a transformative trend in family office philanthropy: the shift towards impact investing. Traditionally, philanthropy in the region has been …
Rural economic development is a complex issue, including in Colombia. Rural regions are often culturally diverse areas, but have limited access to quality …
This article is part of a partnership between ImpactAlpha and Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) to present new ideas and perspectives in impact investing. …
“We’re a narrative-change studio in a town that is in a time of flux,” director Ava DuVernay told Ford Foundation’s Roy Swan at …
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is seeding green projects in primarily low-income communities by sending $27 billion through a network of nonprofit lenders. …
The winner of a contest to sharpen the impact lens of students through deal sourcing and diligence was a team from London Business …
ImpactAlpha, January 26 – Ines Schiller got the idea for seaweed tampons while training in South Africa to be a marine environment guide. …
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 23 – Bold leaders. Taking action. Driving impact. That’s the tagline we’ve used for the dozens of Agents of Impact we profiled …
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished …
Sustainable development? “More of the same.” Forest carbon credits? “Outside-imposed extraction.” Impact investing? “Are we really going far enough? Or are we just …
ImpactAlpha, September 8 — In 15 years in impact investing, Christopher Bentley noticed “a lot of for-profit companies focused on the criminal justice …
ImpactAlpha, August 18 – Monica Brand Engel’s advice to impact investors is this: Imperfect execution is ok. “Authentic impact is about accepting imperfection …
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 11 – Samuel Yeboah isn’t discouraged by the economic storm battering his home country of Ghana and many other emerging economies. “As …
Many investors look at promising new climate solutions and say, ‘Great, come back to me when you have traction.’ Azolla Ventures is more …
ImpactAlpha, June 30 – The first thing that Katherine Stodulka does when you meet her is suggest you meet someone else. Then she’ll …
As trade wars heat up, climate investors look to back homegrown ‘challenger technologies.’ Products essential to the energy transition swing between scarcity and oversupply. To protect the fledgling domestic supply chain for electric vehicles, solar panels and other key clean energy inputs, the Biden administration this week slapped hefty tariffs on cheap Chinese imports. Supplies of other key materials, such as cobalt, lithium and graphite remain unstable, scarce or problematic to produce. Material-intensive cleantech “relies on the free trade environment that has prevailed since the end of the Cold War,” write Anil Achyuta and Tina Tosukhowong of climate tech VC firm TDK Ventures in a guest post on ImpactAlpha. “Unfortunately, the global economy is trending in the opposite direction.” The increased tariffs on many Chinese-made clean energy products makes even starker the impact of trade disruptions on the roll-out of climate technologies. The deglobalization trend has TDK looking for “challenger technologies” and overlooked pathways that are not as reliant on global supply chains – and not yet dominated by incumbent global producers.
Accion raises $152.5 million to upgrade emerging market financial institutions. Before the fintech boom, microfinance, rural finance, and small business finance agencies were the key channels of financial inclusion for hundreds of millions of un- and underbanked businesses and households worldwide. Accion’s Digital Transformation Fund is helping such institutions reach more customers with tech updates for underwriting, loan disbursement and management. “Fintechs have done a fantastic job reaching scale in urban areas, but reaching rural and digitally illiterate customers is a much tougher job,” Accion’s Njord Andrewes told ImpactAlpha. “Traditional microfinance banks are well positioned there.” The nonprofit impact investor has raised $152.5 million for the fund, which will make equity investments in up to a dozen companies in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Backers include Mastercard, IDB Invest, the International Finance Corp., and the development finance institutions of the UK, Netherlands, Austria and Sweden.
💧 Hydrological impact. The US bipartisan infrastructure law earmarked a much-needed $55 billion for water quality and access projects. Continued investment at those levels could shrink the water funding gap – projected to swell to $2 trillion by 2043 – by $125 billion in the next two decades. (US Water Alliance)
👋 The Call: A guide to investing in livelihoods and access for emerging market households. On our next Agents of Impact Call, IFC’s Wagner Albuquerque de Almeida, BII’s Martina Castro, FMO’s Juan Dada, Elevar Equity’s Amie Patel and Citi Social Finance’s Borja Garcia Fernandez will offer practical guidance for investments in emerging markets that boost incomes, improve livelihoods and expand access to essential goods and services, Wednesday, May 22 at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm London. RSVP today.
In New Orleans, the city’s housing finance agency has become a “green bank” to underwrite community solar, water treatment projects, and resilience hubs. …
Private equity fund managers looking for value-creation opportunities are increasingly finding their way to impact themes like climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture, employee engagement …
ImpactAlpha, January 19 – Impact investors have for years debated the need for embedded structures to incentivize impact outcomes for impact fund managers. …
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 15 – The $4 trillion muni market is so big that small movements in the pricing of bonds can mean shifts of …
ImpactAlpha, November 17 – That women are more adversely affected by climate change is well established (in impact and development circles at any …
This week’s Agents of Impact Call continued a tradition started nearly a decade ago by Fran Seegull of the US Impact Investing Alliance …
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 29 – It’s the age-old struggle: labor vs capital, workers vs. owners. But what happens when employees get a stake in the …
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – A growing ecosystem of Native-led entrepreneurs, lenders, financial intermediaries and nonprofits are driving Indian Country’s emerging economy. “It’s kind …
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 22 – Even as some politicians ramp up anti-ESG rhetoric, asset owners and allocators are signaling an appetite for investment strategies …
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 31 – The search for a universal metric to guide investments in racial justice and equitable wealth-building was…aspirational. “We are still a …
ImpactAlpha. Feb. 24 – “A labor market where workers have more opportunities and have more power and have more leverage is a good …
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 9 – The fatal beating by police of Tyre Nichols in Memphis last month exposed risks to the city’s finances that have …
Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: The divergent vibes at Mission Investors Exchange and …
Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: The rebound in blended finance; how Big Tech …
When one door closes, another one opens. For Zarû Systems’ Loren Taylor, that second door may open onto a self-contained modular vertical farm …
🎧 This Week in Impact. Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: federal funds to …
The era of cake-ism (as in having it and eating it, too) has come to an inglorious end. “I think we’re in an …
Host Brian Walsh dives into ImpactAlpha’s top stories, with commentary from editor David Bank. Up this week: Tracking the players building the US’s …
ImpactAlpha podcasts are back! We’re pleased to share our revamped interview show, Agents of Impact, hosted by David Bank and Sherrell Dorsey, founder …
Impact(ed) is part of the ImpactAlpha Podcast Network, a set of shows hosted and produced by leading voices in impact and sustainable investing, …
On This Week in Impact, Brian Walsh dives into some of ImpactAlpha’s top stories, with commentary from editor David Bank. This week: the …
Venture capital invested nearly $500 billion in 2022. By investing into startups seeking transformational scale, successful venture-backed companies have the potential to change …
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 29 – “Net zero is not going to get us anywhere,” Ariane Mahler of Veridien Global Investors told David Bank of ImpactAlpha …
The fight against climate change relies on global supply chains. Clean energy technologies are exceptionally materials-intensive, the supply of which relies on the …
The global challenges of poverty and income inequality can often seem insurmountable. But investors and companies can help to tackle these critical issues, …
Like the 1.5°C goal for climate, responsible tech needs a clear North Star to guide investments and innovations. To build an ecosystem of …
U.S. impact investors, we have a problem. In truth, there are several, and they all center around just how challenging it is to …
Achieving net-zero emissions requires transitioning from a fossil-fueled economy to one energized through metals and materials. Nearly $2 trillion in investment in mining …
In the dynamic economic environment of the Asia-Pacific region, a significant investment opportunity is emerging: institutional investors’ capacity to champion gender equality through …
This article is part of a partnership between ImpactAlpha and Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) to present new ideas and perspectives in impact investing. …
This series of guest posts is part of a partnership between ImpactAlpha and Mission Investors Exchange to present new ideas and perspectives in …
Editor’s note: This article is part of a partnership between ImpactAlpha and Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) to present new ideas and perspectives in …
Latin America is witnessing a transformative trend in family office philanthropy: the shift towards impact investing. Traditionally, philanthropy in the region has been …
Rural economic development is a complex issue, including in Colombia. Rural regions are often culturally diverse areas, but have limited access to quality …
This article is part of a partnership between ImpactAlpha and Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) to present new ideas and perspectives in impact investing. …
“We’re a narrative-change studio in a town that is in a time of flux,” director Ava DuVernay told Ford Foundation’s Roy Swan at …
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is seeding green projects in primarily low-income communities by sending $27 billion through a network of nonprofit lenders. …
The winner of a contest to sharpen the impact lens of students through deal sourcing and diligence was a team from London Business …
ImpactAlpha, January 26 – Ines Schiller got the idea for seaweed tampons while training in South Africa to be a marine environment guide. …
ImpactAlpha, Dec. 23 – Bold leaders. Taking action. Driving impact. That’s the tagline we’ve used for the dozens of Agents of Impact we profiled …
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished …
Sustainable development? “More of the same.” Forest carbon credits? “Outside-imposed extraction.” Impact investing? “Are we really going far enough? Or are we just …
ImpactAlpha, September 8 — In 15 years in impact investing, Christopher Bentley noticed “a lot of for-profit companies focused on the criminal justice …
ImpactAlpha, August 18 – Monica Brand Engel’s advice to impact investors is this: Imperfect execution is ok. “Authentic impact is about accepting imperfection …
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 11 – Samuel Yeboah isn’t discouraged by the economic storm battering his home country of Ghana and many other emerging economies. “As …
Many investors look at promising new climate solutions and say, ‘Great, come back to me when you have traction.’ Azolla Ventures is more …
ImpactAlpha, June 30 – The first thing that Katherine Stodulka does when you meet her is suggest you meet someone else. Then she’ll …
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