Thursday, June 13th 2013

Impact investing in Europe: How mature is the industry?

For a couple years now, impact investing has emerged as a trendy topic within the philanthropic world. Studies from JP Morgan and the Monitor Institute documented this emerging industry and enthusiastically predicted that invested capital for social benefit could reach $500 billion to $1 trillion by 2020. Blending financial and social returns, this new class of assets has sometimes been presented as a revolution which could change the face of philanthropy as we know it. This enthusiastic outlook has since been tempered by first-hand observations, at least in Europe. In its second annual survey, the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) shows that most organizations in the field invested less than €2.5m last year. Deal flow remains limited as many investors struggle to find investees with the right profile. While impact investing remains extremely promising, the scale and pace of its growth are still under debate. How mature is this industry in Europe today? What can we realistically expect in the coming years?

With :

• Henry Gonzalez, Head of Research, ResponsAbility Social Investments.

• Anna-Marie Harling, Senior Research Associate, European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA)

Resources :

• Henry Gonzalez's intervention

• Anna-Marie Harling's intervention