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.
Terhi Koipijärvi: Strategic thinking over administration
What is most important in Board work? How to draw the line between operational and strategic thinking? How to avoid getting bogged down in administration? What is it like to serve on the Board of the largest forestry company in East Africa? “Thank you for your faith in me, what an intriguing company!”, replied I […]
Read moreJanuary 30, 2023
We got a deal from Montreal COP15 – then what?
I had the privilege to attend Montreal COP 15 as a member of the Finnish delegation. The trip was an enlightening experience, and all my respect goes to the negotiators who have been pushing for the agreement for years in preparation, and finally, in the final stages for weeks with very little sleep – and […]
Read moreDecember 20, 2022
We need ambitious targets for nature and biodiversity
In the middle of Finnish winter, birds are swarming around the feeding place in my garden but many species that were frequent visitors 20 years ago are not around. To be honest, I’m not a winter –person and I’m dreaming of my childhood springs, how blooming apple trees spread their scent in the garden, and […]
Read moreDecember 12, 2022
CFO insight into Q3: Towards the end of the year
The third quarter of the year was marked by finalisation of Finnfund’s first Sustainability Bond Framework, launched at the beginning of October and followed by an issuance of a EUR 75 million sustainability bond. In addition, Finnfund’s investments continued to grow also in the third quarter of 2022, reaching a portfolio value of 707 million euros, […]
Read moreNovember 30, 2022
Supporting alignment with the Paris Agreement through investing in carbon removals
Sustainable nature-based solutions provide a ready, proven and economically feasible solution for carbon removal, writes Marko Berglund, our Senior Impact Adviser. The growing need for carbon removals The IPCC says it loud and clear: limiting warming to 1.5°C or 2°C will require rapid, deep and immediate cuts in emissions in all sectors of the economy. […]
Read moreNovember 25, 2022
Sampsa Auvinen: Crisis is reshaping the global plywood market
Can this be true? A modern factory producing high-quality FSC-certified plywood in Ghana? When I showed European buyers at the Dubai Woodshow exhibition in March pictures of the factory in Ghana, many found them hard to believe. Preconceptions are hard to break. I myself believe that this is just the beginning. The war in Ukraine […]
Read moreOctober 19, 2022
CFO insight into Q2: Keeping up the speed
The second quarter of 2022 continued to be a good one for Finnfund. Finnfund continued growing in the second quarter of 2022, reaching a portfolio value of 684 million euros, which is an increase of 26 million euros (+4%) from the year end 2021. 13 new investment decisions were made during the first two quarters, […]
Read moreSeptember 7, 2022
A tale of surveillance – investor’s role in dealing with data confidentiality
For me, Address Unknown is one of those books that everyone should read, over and over. It is one of those books that resonate when I think about cybersecurity, user data confidentiality, telecom sector and democracy. Despite the fact that the book was written in 1938, the basic idea is still, unfortunately, very topical today. […]
Read moreJune 27, 2022
From Myanmar to Finland – a quarterly review
In early March, I hopped on a long flight to Helsinki from Yangon in Myanmar, where I have been residing and working for the past six years. I was excited to embark on an adventure and a new challenge ahead of me: I had wrapped up my existing job in Yangon, accepted a job offer […]
Read moreJune 22, 2022
CFO insight into Q1: An active start for 2022
The first quarter of the year was marked by the Russia’s war in Ukraine as well as the continuous fight against the COVID-19 crisis and challenges in many markets. Despite the challenging situation, Finnfund had an active start of the year: In Q1, Finnfund made six new investment decisions, with a combined value of 78 […]
Read moreJune 7, 2022