Economy
Cameron: ‘social investment can be a great force for social change on the planet’
The government is meeting with business leaders on Thursday to discuss social impact investment. Less than two weeks before the UK hosts the G8 summit, it’s hoped that the conference will help push the investment strategy to a global audience.
The meeting, attended by David Cameron, will explore the potential of social impact investment, which aims to generate positive effects on communities and the environment while also providing financial returns.
The prime minister said, “I want to use our G8 presidency to push this agenda forward. We will work with other G8 nations to grow the social investment market and increase investment, allowing the best social innovations to spread and help tackle our shared social and economic challenges.”
In a speech delivered at the conference, Cameron added, “Social investment can be a great force for social change on the planet. It can help us to build bigger and stronger societies.
“That power is in our hands. And together we will use it to build a better future for ourselves, for our children and for generations to come.”
The conference will also look at possibility of social impact investment on an international stage, as in the developing world, it could help improve the social, environmental and economic situations of the more disadvantaged countries.
The final session of the meeting will focus on advice to investors who wish to enter the market, which according to organisers has grown significantly across the G8 countries in recent years. There will also be a trade fair to outline development of the UK’s social investment market.
To mark the conference, social finance firm Investing for Good has announced the launch of a new social bond issuance platform that it says will simplify the process of raising investment for charities and social organisations, by accessing capital in an efficient manner and addressing investment shortages.
Geoff Burnand, CEO of Investing for Good, said, “This platform brings the evolution of the social investment market another step forward towards our vision to connect money to social value.”
Further reading:
‘Good Investor’ guide launched for socially-motivated investors
Impact investment to grow by $1bn in 2013
Charity Bank and Exemplas to team up for £10m social investment scheme