We are living through a period of major political and economic uncertainty. While Brexit and new global forces reshape our economy, the rise of new technologies could set our financial system on the path to greater fairness, responsibility and democracy – or the reverse. Do we...
On 31 March, the UN Environment Programme Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Finance System came to the completion of its mandate. The Inquiry, launched in 2014, aimed to advance options to align the financial system with sustainable development, and spurred the development of...
Will AI help people understand their financial options or increase bias and exclusion? How can automated advice take account of people’s social and environmental motivations? And how can AI reflect changing values over time and between generations? The Finance Innovation Lab has released a new briefing...
The Green Finance Taskforce has published its report to UK Government, with 30 recommendations aiming to unlock private finance to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. The recommendations are grouped around ten overarching themes, including: Creating a unified brand for green finance in the UK Launching a...
Earlier this year, the European Commission's High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance published its final recommendations, including a call for Europe to create a robust classification system for 'green' or 'sustainable' investments. Now it's reported that EU finance ministers have accepted the need for a classification system, according...
A new report Developing a Global Financial Centre for Social Impact Investment, commissioned by the City of London Corporation and produced by PwC, explores what methods leading financial centres in this field - such as London, might undertake to sustain such global growth. The research...
Social Enterprise UK, the membership body for UK social enterprises, have recapped last week's Queen's Speech, highlighting considerations relevant for social enterprises. Amongst other things, the speech outlined the Charity (Protection and Social Investment bill), aiming to better facilitate social investment for interested charities. Check out the full list here....
Big Society Capital, the UK social investment bank, has published a report "Better Finance, Better Society" to set out their strategic priorities for the social finance section leading in to, and beyond the 2015 general election. The report identifies four policy priorities, the first of which is empowering individuals to...
What's next for tech and financial inclusion? The Next Billion, a website focused on development through enterprise, has provided a handy guide to some of technology and policy that they see as key for financial inclusion in 2015, including increasing competition in the e-payments space and greater emphasis...