INTERVIEW: The Conservative MP – and former charity boss – is among the cheerleaders in Westminster for social enterprise and social investment. Is the rest of Boris Johnson's government ready to listen? We caught up with Danny Kruger to find out.
Impact investors have a long way to go to get impact management right. They need to get better at it, or risk meeting the same fate as ESG investing – being branded as a scam – and fail in their mission to save people and planet.
PLUS: LeapFrog reaches 5% of low-income population; philanthropists back maternal and child healthcare fund in Asia; BlueOrchard launches financial inclusion fund; and more.
Social investment counts for just 1.4% of all UK business lending. So how can we get mainstream banks to play a much bigger role in the social economy? By changing the incentives – and therefore the culture – of banking, says the Big Issue Invest CEO.
New research on value of UK impact bonds, estimating ten-fold return for government, delights Boris Johnson. But some say it's not clear if financing structure itself is what’s creating the value – nor how many proposed contracts are in the ‘graveyard’.
Listening to feedback and making tangible changes in response isn't easy, says UnLtd's David Bartram – but Big Society Capital's recent proposals will not drive the transformation needed to support purpose-led ventures.
Social Enterprise UK and Big Society Capital are among nine organisations promoting the Community Enterprise Growth Plan, a “once-in-a-decade opportunity” to accelerate growth of social enterprise in underserved communities.
PLUS: Willicroft targets new markets with €2m raise; UK’s CDFI lending jumps by a third in one year; appetite for impact investing rises; Lendahand crowdfunding platform shifts gear; and much more.
At the ChangeNOW conference, an economist captivates the room, impact investors sort of disagree, and organisers say it's time to leave Milton Friedman in his grave. Laura Joffre reports back from Paris. Plus: this week's top stories.