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.
Ahead of Impact Week in Malmö, Leslie Johnston talks about how the impact community needs to work with ‘unlikely allies’ if it is to tackle today’s existential challenges – and why impact investors need to listen to the voices of social innovators on the ground.
INTERVIEW: Social enterprises too often slip into ‘charity talk’, so how can they be taken seriously as an economic force by the UK government? The chair of Social Enterprise UK discusses his meetings with Keir Starmer, his impatience for change in social investment – and racism.
INTERVIEW: Trailblazing family office co-founder – and former child actor – Liesel Pritzker Simmons on why more impact investors should wade into the “muddy” world of politics – and why there’s one topic no one wants to talk about.
Social Enterprise World Forum was founded in Scotland. Now, the country’s government is backing a delegation to head to Taiwan to promote its social enterprise ecosystem to the world.
European social enterprises might have a stronger ally than expected in Brussels, but they need to be pragmatic, acknowledge changing priorities and build their narrative accordingly. Euclid Network’s Toby Gazeley reports from European Social Economy Week in Spain.
Much-awaited directive banning businesses from making false green claims hits a wall after EU executive signals it will withdraw its proposal for a Green Claims Directive days before final negotiations following right-wing pressure.
Our demand for more and more clothes is bad news for the planet. New, nature-derived materials promise a lighter footprint – but can they convince price-conscious shoppers, investors and retailers to take a leap into the unknown?
Business and finance came together to back the blue economy at the UN Ocean Conference last week – but with the US conspicuously absent, their commitments may be in vain.
This week: discover the ‘first professor for the impact economy’, survey reveals young changemakers risk online backlash and financial struggles, global universities ranked according to positive impact – and much more.
Momentum grows among companies and investors to back a sustainable “blue economy” – while governments turn to the private sector to mobilise capital towards the most underfunded SDG at international gathering in Nice last week.
This week: Church of England prepares for controversy over reparations fund; catalytic EU funding creates three Eastern European impact funds; Hey Girls’ Celia Hodson’s next move; DEI nosedive; a new funders platform for Asia, and more.
Sir Ronald Cohen, the impact investing pioneer, is pre-launching an artificial intelligence avatar which discusses his ideas and reflections. We put it to the test.
