News and Views

  • ‘Yet again the UK social sector has been locked out of finance that could transform our work’

    OPINION: The £28bn National Wealth Fund’s new strategy firmly closed the door on social enterprises and charities, says Social Investment Business’s Jack Wakefield. The social economy should have equal access to public finance.

  • ‘Impact economy’ contributes 15% to UK GDP – new estimate

    New Philanthropy Capital claims it's made the first estimate of the scale of the UK’s impact economy, bringing together impact-led businesses, charities, political parties and others, while omitting co-operatives and employee-led businesses.

  • England’s blended finance wholesaler receives glowing review, but social investment ecosystem remains fragile

    Quadrennial review praises Access for its success in providing wider access to social investment but highlights challenges as mobilising new sources of funding beyond dormant assets proves increasingly urgent.

  • Davos 2026: Beyond Greenland, tariffs and Trump – the impact-focused discussions

    Prosperity within planetary boundaries, nature-based solutions, the blue economy and development finance were also on the agenda at this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Here's all you need to know from Davos 2026.

A man sits next to a wheelchair in a mountainous background

Finding catalytic capital: Asia’s big challenge

In the wake of foreign aid cuts, and in its drive to become a world leader in impact investing, Asia needs to find its own sources of catalytic capital to attract more private investment to impact. Where will it come from, and how do we get there, were key questions at the AVPN conference 2025.