After decades on the margins of finance and philanthropy, impact investing is finally moving into the mainstream, with most major asset-management firms having launched impact-investment funds and strategies. But without stronger standards, greater diversity of players, and a wider focus, a promising shift could become corporate whitewash.
NEW YORK – There is a growing consensus that capitalism needs to be reimagined. The influential Business Roundtable in the United States recently issued an appeal for corporate CEOs to think about their impact on all stakeholders, not just their financial shareholders. Equally, we have no hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals unless private capital is mobilized to complement public funding. Many believe that so-called impact investing can be part of the answer.
NEW YORK – There is a growing consensus that capitalism needs to be reimagined. The influential Business Roundtable in the United States recently issued an appeal for corporate CEOs to think about their impact on all stakeholders, not just their financial shareholders. Equally, we have no hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals unless private capital is mobilized to complement public funding. Many believe that so-called impact investing can be part of the answer.