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.
Changing 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
Planting seedlings is only the first stage of growing a forest
The UN Climate Panel IPCC publishes tomorrow its highly anticipated report on the impacts of land use on the climate. Based on the panel’s previous reports, it should come as no surprise if the panel demands more efficient forest conservation and increment of forest area in this new report. These demands are nothing new, but […]
Read moreAugust 7, 2019
Looking for synergies behind microfinance and impact investment
Greetings from London and AFSIC! The annual event focuses on matching investors to investment opportunities in Africa. I was honoured to be invited to the panel discussion around impact investment and microfinance. I was also proud to represent the DFI’s point of view in general as we at Finnfund value our microfinance investments from impact […]
Read moreMay 23, 2019
Stronger focus on investing in fragile environments
Did you know that it is estimated that more than half of the world’s poor will be living in fragile states by 2030? That is why fragile states are at the core of development financiers’ (DFIs) mission to alleviate poverty. It is an important goal for us to provide sustainable, good jobs particularly for young […]
Read moreApril 15, 2019
Development investors and forest company executives huddle in snow-covered Finnish forest
As we today mark the International Day of Forests, there is plenty to be concerned about. Deforestation is still advancing at an alarming rate, particularly in parts of Africa and Latin America. Natural forests cannot carry much longer the pressure from growing unsustainable use of timber. But there is also hope: Time may be right for […]
Read moreMarch 7, 2019
Goodbye to the indigenous forests of Africa
Unless there is a drastic change in our actions, it is highly likely that in a few years we will be saying goodbye to the indigenous forests in many African countries. That is why there is a demand for sustainably managed planted forests and Finnish forest management skills, writes Ilkka Norjamäki, Forester and Investment Manager […]
Read moreMarch 31, 2018