Dear NAB friends, Welcome to the last 2022 edition of our newsletter. I would like to start by expressing my gratitude toward our members, partners, all of the pioneers of the Dutch impact investing sector, and of course the team and the Board. You ARE the NAB! Then allow me to draw your attention to a recent FT interview of Mariana Mazzucato: "Unleash the state on the climate crisis". Or how we need public sector leadership and political courage to shift away from the current economic model that has led us to a poly-crisis and move to an inclusive, circular, impact economy. It echoes well what we are trying to do at the Dutch NAB: engaging with the public sector. ‘The state should be co-creating markets, not just fixing markets’ and crowd-in private sector investment. This was also the main conclusion of our SDGI event with VBDO in November, together with the need to radically increase the pace of our shift towards impact investing. Some investors are already leading the way in sustainable finance. At the COP on Biodiversity they launched Nature Action 100, an engagement initiative focused on driving more ambition and action from companies to reduce nature and biodiversity loss by 2030. And it's good fiduciary management considering that more than half of the world’s GDP is moderately or highly reliant on nature’s services, and that tens of billions of dollars in assets are estimated to be at risk of stranding over the next 5-10 years if companies continue to produce deforestation-linked commodities. On this topic, resharing a Christmas video by our UK friends from Make My Money Matter! But limiting and avoiding the damage is simply not enough: we have to consider contributing to solutions and that's at the heart of impact investing! On behalf of the NAB team and Board, I wish you a wonderful festive season with your loved ones and an impactful new year! Together, let's ENGAGE, INSPIRE and CATALYSE for more impact in 2023. - Laure Wessemius-Chibrac, Managing Director |
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The NAB community is expanding and we welcomed three new members: DOEN Participaties, Invest International, and StartGreen Capital. DOEN Participaties aims to achieve positive impact on society by supporting forerunners who are committed to a green, socially inclusive and creative society. Invest International invests in Dutch solutions for global challenges by prioritising innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership. StartGreen Capital is one of the largest impact fund managers in the Netherlands investing in sustainable progress more specifically in sustainable energy, equal opportunities, and circular economy. Welcome to our latest members on our joint journey towards increasing the scale and efficiency of impact investing in the Netherlands! |
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In the last two months, the working group on "Capital Requirements in impact investing" has made further progress with its research. The initial version of the report is ready. It is now being reviewed first by the working group and then by specialists within and outside the NAB community for feedback. The report includes an analysis of the risk drivers in the regulation (here Solvency II), the data analysis of NAB members' track record in private debt in emerging markets as well as an extensive discussion. |
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A GUIDE ABOUT THE IMPACT INVESTING COMMUNITY IN THE NETHERLANDS |
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As NAB we often get contacted by funds, entrepreneurs and all types of organisations with requests for information about our community. Who is investing in energetic transition in the Netherlands? Who can support women entrepreneurs in India? Who can I connect with if I want to talk about SDG 6? We always do our best to answer and orientate the questions to the right members, but we don’t want to be missing out on anyone and with our growing community our resources are stretching thin...! As a solution, we have compiled an inventory of the NAB community members based on public information that we found either on their website or in their 2021 annual (impact) report. Think about this as a ‘Yellow Pages' or 'Who's who' of impact investing in the Dutch NAB community! This is a public document, freely available on our website and socials. |
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NAB FALL MEMBERS' MEETING |
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The NAB Fall Members' Meeting took place on the 15th of November at the Fokker Terminal in The Hague during the ImpactFest event. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the members who took part in the meeting. The meeting started with an update from each organisation about their main impacts in 2022, and was followed by a presentation from the NAB on its 2022 achievements. Last but certainly not least, the members got the opportunity to give their input on the 2023 NAB priorities for the community. This was again a great opportunity for the community to deepen the conversation on how to best contribute to positive social and environmental impact, to connect, and to meet representatives of the NAB’s latest new members. |
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LOOKING BACK ON RECENT NAB EVENTS |
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We had an eventful fall with inspiring, knowledge-inducing discussions organised thematically. Two were sector focused, on financial inclusion and AgTech; one was focused on the region Latin America; and two sessions approached strategic ecosystem building: the SDGI event organised jointly with VBDO and part 3 of the GSG Summit explored the New Frontiers of the Impact Revolution. Introduction exchange with CGAP's new CEO The exchange with CGAP's new CEO, Sophie Sirtaine led to a fruitful and interactive discussion on the new strategy of CGAP, from the importance of inclusive sustainable financing to digitising payments and developing datasets. Advancing the SDGI agenda At the occasion of bringing the legacy of the SDGI Initiative under the NAB, our joint event with VBDO discussed 'Advancing the Dutch SDGI Agenda: leveraging on existing initiatives and public-private sector co-operation'. VBDO first presented their latest report “Impact investments in illiquid markets” surveying 44 Dutch pension funds. Then a panel reflected on what the signatories of the SDGI initiative have achieved half-way through to 2030 and what still needs to be done. We made progress but are nowhere near achieving the SDGs by 2030! Mobilising capital towards AgTech solutions to feed Low- and Middle-Income Countries The war in Ukraine and the many climate disasters we have recently witnessed have exacerbated the already existing food crisis. Tech solutions can be part of the answer to achieve the goal of net zero by 2050 and feed the 800 million people that are chronically undernourished. We thank Cliff Prior, GSG’s CEO, for opening the panel with an insightful keynote. And the panellists - Doen Participaties, GSMA ClimateTech, Invest International and Mbuyu Capital - for sharing their views on how to accelerate investments in AgTech to feed Low- and Middle-Income Countries, and for engaging in a dialogue with the AgTech providers from the audience. Impact for Breakfast: Latin America We had the pleasure to join forces with Latinimpacto, EVPA and the Dutch chapter of Impact for Breakfast. The event started with a presentation of market intelligence about the region and was followed by one-on-one connections between Dutch participants and the visiting Latin American delegation. We got a lot of positive feedback on offering practical information on a specific theme as well as facilitating meaningful connections related to the topic. In 2023, we are planning to host more thematic events: please contact us if you have more suggestions or needs. |
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The NAB Board welcomes a new member, Bjorn Vennema, co-founder and MD of Social Finance NL. Bjorn brings a wealth of skills in outcome funds and social impact bonds, as well as a deep experience with the public sector. The team welcomes our new Communications intern, Horla Natsagdorj: she will be taking care of everything related to communications from emails to events and socials. Welcome Horla and Bjorn! |
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Looking for some interesting material to browse during the holidays? We have some great suggestions for every taste! |
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The Center for Sustainable Finance & Private Wealth and The ImPact interviewed eight families on how they walk the talk of impact investing. This report will help you enable the change you want to see. The authors describe it like a cookbook for impact investing: "Like with the best recipes, ingredients might be simple, yet getting it right needs time and practice." | | |
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Impact-investor.com newsletter, one of the NAB strategic partners, published their Impact Investing Guide 2023. Together with many other European NABs, we contributed to the edition and shared our views on the progress made and future challenges. A must-read edition with many topics from ecosystem building to various thematic investments, key industry figures to market leaders viewpoints! | | |
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Any impact fund, or fund incorporating impact, should have a clear thesis about what it is trying to achieve and how. The Impact Investing Institute (UK NAB) has developed a Learning Lab, including a module that looks at how to build an investment thesis and how to develop strategies to implement it.
It also looks at some of the criteria and indicators that might be built into that thesis in order to test the strategy and how to build and manage impact portfolios. | | |
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A useful guide providing a benchmark of 10 African Funds of Funds (including the DGGF Seed Capital and Business development facility and the FMO Ventures) and guidance how to structure one. It can help unlock local capital and address the SME finance gap in emerging and developing economies. | | |
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A welcome resource for banks and investors: a user-friendly tool made in cooperation with the ILO to implement a just transition. Transitioning to a low-carbon economy needs to go hand in hand with equitably addressing socio-economic risks and opportunities. | | |
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Finally an interesting publication by Hein Schreuder, formally responsible of corporate strategy at DSM. He reflected on his journey seeking answers to the questions (a) what the role is of business in society? (b) which responsibility the business firm has? (c) how a corporation may account for the way it has discharged this responsibility? |
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Business can be a force for good. "Companies like DSM that are able to achieve this exemplify that it is possible to combine #DoingWell with #DoingGood. It is my expectation that this will increasingly become the new societal norm(al)." You can download the academic publication HERE |
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We are grateful for the support of our members! |
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