Finnfund blog
Finnfund blog consists of articles by our experts and guest stars on various themes around development finance, developing countries and sustainable investing aiming to find solutions to global challenges.
Support to smallholder tree farming relieves the pressure on natural forests in Africa
On my last two trips to Eastern Africa before the travel restrictions I felt my throat choking and a grip in my stomach when looking at the scenery below from the airplane. It was not because of the turbulence but the anxiety about the shrinking, degraded forest patches and the smoke coming from the fires […]
Read moreMay 20, 2020
A virtual due diligence? Is that even possible?
I have not done the math, but I am quite sure that my team of investment analysts do most of the traveling at Finnfund. In essence, we help investment managers in deal preparation and execution by developing financial projections, conducting market analyses, and gathering vital information on customers, industries, and operating environments. A crucial part […]
Read moreMay 18, 2020
Sustainable cities need clean air – and investments to make it a reality
Sustainable development goal 11 aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. It is not a matter of small scale, as more than half the world’s population lives in cities. By 2030, it is projected that 6 out of 10 people will be urban dwellers. One of the main problems in cities, is the […]
Read moreMay 8, 2020
Woodland or forest?
Monoculture and plantation are terms that often are used when it comes to planting commercial forests. Indeed, planted forests are typically such of one or more species whose main purpose is to efficiently produce the raw material needed by the forest industry. Criticism towards planted forests is often related to issues of poor biodiversity, water […]
Read moreMarch 20, 2020
It pays to invest in women
It makes me extremely happy to see gender investing gaining momentum as impact investing and development finance community is committing more funds to UNSDG#5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Gender lens investing clearly is the next big thing in impact investing. Investors are mobilising finance for businesses which promote gender equality […]
Read moreMarch 6, 2020
Coronavirus underscores the need to invest in resilience
More than 90,000 confirmed cases. A little more than 3,000 people dead and 50,000 people recovered. Thousands of cases in Europe, hundreds of infected in the U.S. And how many in Africa? The statistics says 26, out of which 17 in Algeria. But should we be worried? It is realistic to expect more cases in […]
Read moreChanging development finance market space
JP Morgan announced in January 2020 that it is establishing a new Development Finance Institution. A new operator providing finance to underserved markets is welcome. More financial and human capital are needed to develop and deliver solutions for growing populations, increasing consumption, depleting natural resources and negative effects of climate change. Estimates of the annual […]
Read moreFebruary 17, 2020
El Salvador solar power project produces much more than just megawatts
Part of my job as Finnfund’s Environmental and Social Adviser is to monitor our investments over their entire life cycle. I observe the client’s compliance of critical environmental and social matters and make sure that agreed corrective actions have been implemented. That is why I recently visited our solar power investment in El Salvador. The […]
Read moreDecember 17, 2019
SDG 13: the number one priority of Asia Biogas
Climate Action – Sustainable Development Goal 13 – is the number one priority of Asia Biogas, a partner of Finnfund in Southeast Asia. For us, it is the most important goal because failure to take radical climate action will make it impossible to achieve or sustain progress on the other 16 Goals. In the tropical […]
Read moreNovember 1, 2019
Access to electricity – at any cost?
Sustainable Development Goal 7 aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. Some progress has been made but Sub-Saharan Africa remains a challenge. International Energy Agency recently published data showing that, for the first time in modern history, the global population without access to electricity is below 1 […]
Read moreAugust 21, 2019