The Impact World this Week: 4 June 2026

Global: More than half of major financial institutions do not have climate transition plans – World Benchmarking Alliance

More than half of 400 major financial institutions (including banks, insurance companies, asset managers and asset owners) listed by the World Benchmarking Alliance do not have plans for a transition towards a low-carbon economy, according to its latest Financial System Climate Assessment. Only a third (146) have transition plans that cover their investments, where their biggest impact lies, as well as their own operations. This proportion tends to be higher in Europe and Central Asia (60%) than in East Asia and North America (42% and 18%, respectively). But transition plans too often lack credibility, according to the research, as only 47 out of 400 financial institutions include short-term targets, for example. Only two companies (ING and Zürcher Kantonalbank) currently have clear commitments to phase out fossil fuels investments entirely. 

Global: Better Society Capital, Nuveen and IDB Invest feature in the BlueMark impact reporting leaderboard

Impact verification firm BlueMark has revealed the impact investors with best-in-class impact measurement practices, in the latest Making the Mark report. The list is created from out of the 307 investors that have worked with BlueMark to verify their impact. They include Better Society Capital, IDB Invest, LeapFrog Investments, British International Investment and Nuveen Private Equity Impact among a total of 22. The report also highlights funds with industry-leading impact reporting, including Open Road Impact, AgDevCo and the Future of Work Fund. The Making the Mark report, now in its seventh edition, also includes insights from BlueMark IQ, a market intelligence platform launched last year and used by more than 400 impact funds. It shows that nearly half of funds’ commitments are directed to climate-related impact themes, in particular adaptation, which accounts for 10% of commitments. Most funds invest in private equity, in particular growth and venture capital. 

Global: Renowned economist Mariana Mazzucato outlines principles of 'common good economics' in new book

An outcomes-oriented economics where the ‘how’ matters as much as the ‘what’: that is Mariana Mazzucato’s description of her concept of ‘Common Good Economics’, and you can find out more in her new book out today, The Common Good Economy. For too long, she argues, ‘doing good’ in economics has been about correcting market or government failures – a mindset that would always lead to “too little too late, patching things up”, she says. The underlying economics of it should change, she adds: instead of talking about wealth re-distribution to correct inequalities, we should look at ‘predistribution’ in the wealth creation process, so that those inequalities don’t take shape in the first place.

• Read more: ‘Blended finance has fallen short’ – UN briefing by Mariana Mazzucato

Nepal: British International Investment partners with Laxmi Sunrise Bank to unlock US$25m investment in MSMEs

British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, and commercial bank Laxmi Sunrise Bank have signed a US$25m credit facility agreement, through which Laxmi Sunrise Bank will invest into MSMEs and women-led enterprises in Nepal. According to World Bank Data, while MSMEs contribute 22% of GDP in Nepal, only 16% can currently access mainstream finance. Laxmi Sunrise Bank has also benefitted from support through Invest for Impact Nepal, BII’s technical assistance programme in the country, to develop its approaches to investment in MSMEs and women-led enterprises.

• Read more: British International Investment launches £300m platform for renewables in India, as UK calls for ‘fundamental reset’ in approach to development

Wales: 2026 Social Business Wales Awards open for applications

Entries for the Social Business Wales Awards, celebrating the country’s most impactful and innovative social enterprises, are open until 20 July 2026. Organised by Cwmpas, which supports social enterprises and co-operatives in Wales, the awards offer eight different categories this year, including the Social Enterprise Innovation Award, One to Watch, Women’s Champion Award and the coveted Social Enterprise of the Year accolade. Apply here. 

Movers and Shakers

• Pins Brown is the new  business and enterprise lead at the Doughnut Economics Action Lab. Brown has a 25-year career across both NGOs and large corporations, including the Body Shop and Natura &Co, where she was a director of human rights. She succeeds Erinch Sahan.

In case you missed it

UK: Prince William commits £1bn estate to having a positive impact on the world

Prince William says the Duchy of Cornwall “shouldn’t just exist to own land. It should first and foremost exist to have a positive impact on the world”. This is according to the Duchy’s CEO Will Bax as reported in The Times. The estate of more than 52,000 hectares has been bestowed on every heir to the throne since the 14th century and provides Prince William with a private income of more than £20m a year from its profits. One-fifth of the duchy will be sold off in the next decade so that the prince can consolidate his holdings in the areas where he feels he can make the biggest social and environmental impact. 

Asia: IIX’s Women's Livelihood Bond 7 reaches US$92m

Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) has announced the issuance of the second tranche of its Women’s Livelihood Bond 7, bringing total issuance across both tranches to US$92m. The capital will be deployed across clean energy, sustainable agriculture, healthcare and financial inclusion in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, with a focus on women and underserved communities.