On Thursday, December 4, National Australia Bank launched a climate bond to raise at least AUS$150 million for renewable energy. It is already subscribed at AUS$300 million. The bond is the first example of an Australian bank initiating a green bond on the domestic market. The bond is certified by the 2011 International Climate Bonds Standards, which assists investors in directing finance towards positive climate outcomes. The bond will invest
The dust might have begun to settle after the G20 meeting in Brisbane, but we’re still buzzing about the possibilities of social innovation to help shape the kind of Australia, and world, we want to see. At its heart, the G20 meeting was about coordinating international policy to achieve greater economic growth and stability. The G20 Innovation Hub, hosted in the lead-up to the G20 Leaders Summit in November 2014,
In a new report released today, the US Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment conducted research between May and August 2014 and have documented the growth of responsible investment and impact investment as compared to the same period two years ago. The growth is a staggering 76% with assets growing from $3.74 trillion at the beginning of 2012 to $6.57 trillion at the start of 2014. The report states that
The following article was published in Pro Bono Australia on November 19, 2014. Last weekend, the G20 brought together world leaders from government (the G20), business (the B20), and community (C20). The groups worked on broad goals ranging from increasing trade, to infrastructure development, and reducing corporate tax evasion. At the most basic level, the meetings were focused on expanding economic, political, and social progress. With this in mind, Social
The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Deloittes, has just released a report to help institutional investors craft an integrated strategy for impact investing that fits with investor interest. Whilst impact investing has moved to mainstream awareness over the last 12 months, very few investors understand how to integrate it with their day to day activity. The report provides a framework that is both practical and forward thinking and is