Our impact investing franchise keeps growing, and with it the team’s conviction and dedication. Through the case studies and data in their annual report they give us a glimpse of their eventful year.
Since the Bank launched its impact franchise in 2018, the assets under management have grown from 42 to 500 million dollars and the team from two to ten people. And with its three strategies – Biodiversity Restoration, Positive Impact Global Equity, and Positive Impact Emerging Equity – as well as the strong backing of the Impact Advisory Board and the Biodiversity Committee, the team plans to stay on its growth trajectory.
As part of their engagement efforts last year, the Impact team attended COP16, the sixteenth UN convention on biological diversity, held in Cali, Colombia in October, where the roundtable provided an excellent opportunity to engage with a range of stakeholders. Engagement also means bilateral interactions with their investee companies to clear up specific matters such as their links with certain sectors, or their remuneration policies. Field trips provide a wealth of additional insights too, like the team’s visit to Brazil to deepen their understanding of nature-related risks and opportunities.
Despite ‘ESG backlash’, the commercial case for striving for resilience in the face of a changing environment remains strong. Through their engagement, our Impact team see their investee companies’ commitment.
They see, for example, the ingenious ways in which various forms of artificial intelligence – the new game-changer – are being used to make businesses ready for the changed economies in which they are going to operate. New solutions keep appearing, in spite of negative narratives, to address needs and improve practices in a broad range of sectors, including healthcare, construction, and farming.
This is evidence that sustainable investing has solid foundations, say the team. Their job, they assert, ‘is to find substance behind the optics, to back companies that are genuinely aligning financial and sustainability outcomes, and to help clients navigate a path to resilient value’. And they believe that impact investing is now entering a long-term trend of resilience, a new beginning.
Find out more in our Impact Report 2024, which you can access here:
The opinions expressed herein are correct as at 11 June 2025 and are subject to change without notice. Any forecast, projection or target, where provided, is indicative only and is not guaranteed in any way.
