30 posts found.
Selected Category: Sustainability
Finnfund first development financier to report carbon net-negative investment portfolio
Finnish development financier and impact investor Finnfund today released data showing that its total investment portfolio has a net negative carbon balance. The figures for 2019 indicate that Finnfund’s investments removed 134,679 tCO2e more than they emitted. In 2019, Finnfund’s investment portfolio was EUR 617 million. “I am extremely proud that we have been able to […]
Read moreMay 4, 2021
Finnfund assesses the implementation and results of its tax policy
In early 2018, Finnfund introduced a tax policy to support responsible tax practices in its projects. Now, Finnfund has reviewed the implementation, results and potential development needs of that policy. How has Finnfund’s tax policy been implemented in practice? What kind of results have we achieved because of this policy? Finnfund’s tax policy is founded […]
Read moreMarch 4, 2021
Managing environmental and social risks is a key part of impact investing
There is a lot of buzz about sustainable finance, responsible investment, sustainable investment, ESG investing, impact investing and environmental and social impacts of investments. All this is diverse terminology aimed at communicating the positive changes and developments an investment can have. Depending on the perspective, slightly different things are meant by the different terms. As […]
Read moreFebruary 25, 2021
The fascinating (and long) journey of our human rights approach
Building a human rights due diligence approach for a development financier like Finnfund is a long and fascinating journey. It’s not only about building systems and developing processes but about building people and changing the thinking. It has also been a journey for me. This blog is not about me, but given that I have […]
Read moreJanuary 22, 2021
Ticking boxes or setting goals? Gender lens investing is a dialogue
Finnfund has since April 2019 invested over 121 million euros in companies that promote women’s empowerment in developing countries. I stopped to think what we have achieved in the past two years: We have joined two gender finance communities, implemented gender equality issues into our investment process through our gender statement and participated in defining […]
Read moreNovember 11, 2020
Oh sustainability, how I hate (and love) you!
Oh sustainability, how I hate you! But only on the days when I look at the world and feel despondent and think that we should be accomplishing so much more. We should achieve better and more visible results to improve the state of the environment. And don’t get me started on social responsibility and equality. […]
Read moreOctober 22, 2020
Can big data analytics help us to make better investment decisions?
Big data analytics can and should support investors´ environmental and social analysis. These analytics can increase both the efficiency and the quality of analysis because they allow mass data gathering to highlight key risks, while human capacity is directed into analysis of most material risks to people and the environment and the actions needed. In […]
Read moreAugust 13, 2020
Reviewing environmental and social issues remotely – can you use all your senses in a Teams meeting?
A bit more than a week ago our colleague Hanna described the realities of carrying out a financial due diligence process while travel is restricted. She pointed out that the need for investments has not disappeared – on the contrary, financing is needed now more than ever in our target countries. While other investors may hesitate, development finance institutions have a responsibility to keep financing viable companies and help […]
Read moreJune 16, 2020
Finnfund made a record number of investment commitments in 2019
In 2019, Finnfund made a record 29 investment decisions with a total value of 237 million euros. Our investment assets grew by 13% to 557 million euros. The investments focused on high-impact projects in low income countries, particularly in Africa, which is fully in line with Finnfund’s strategic goals. At the same time, we were […]
Read moreMay 7, 2020
Finnfund’s new Sustainability Policy finalized and approved
Finnfund’s new Sustainability Policy has been finalized and approved by Finnfund’s key decision making bodies, including Finnfund’s management, Board of Directors and Supervisory Board. The Sustainability Policy now applies to all new investments approved from March 2020 onwards. We’d like to thank all stakeholders involved in the revision process. The new overarching Sustainability Policy was […]
Read moreMarch 12, 2020