Development finance institutions and private investors have together allocated more than $12 billion in direct impact investment transactions in south-east Asia since 2007. Private investors contributed $904 million while development finance institutions supplied $11.3 billion, according to the latest report by the Global Impact Investing Network, a non-profit group. “Historically, most capital for impact investing in the region has originated from investors in North America or Western Europe,” said Abhilash Mudaliar, director of research. “A particularly promising trend is the growing participation of local investors – led by wealthy families and high net-worth individuals. We expect this trend to expand rapidly across all investor segments in the coming years.” Impact investment seeks to achieve a positive social and environmental outcome in addition to generating a financial return. In south-east Asia, impact investments have included the provision of micro-finance and the funding of solar power. “The Asia Pacific region has been the fastest growing impact investing market worldwide over the past five years,” said Mudaliar. “This report shows why that’s not surprising. The countries across the region offer dynamic business environments with increasing entrepreneurial and investment activity focused on ensuring inclusive and sustainable economic development.” ©2018 funds global asia