Tag Archives: Impact Investing

AAA says Sage survey shows growing interest in Social Enterprises

December 24, 2012 staronepr Leave a comment

AAA claims that the recent results of the Sage Nonprofit Insights grant management survey in the US shows that partnering with social enterprises can benefit non profit organisations.

Boston, MA, USA, December 24, 2012 — Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) claims that the recent results of the Sage Nonprofit Insights grant management survey in the US shows that partnering with social enterprises can benefit non profit organisations.

The survey found that 17 per cent of the US and Canadian nonprofits questioned were either currently partnering social enterprises or were planning to soon, while 32 per cent were not aware either way. Among those that are partnered with social enterprises, 90 per cent said that the partnership has been ‘very’ to ‘somewhat’ successful.

Although this is a positive sign for impact investment, there is still a problem with a lack of awareness about involvement in impact investing. Some 32 per cent of respondents had no idea if their organisation had sought to take part in impact investing.

Sage Nonprofit Solutions’ general manager and senior vice president, Krista Endsley, explained how social enterprises are starting to become more involved with the non profit sector in general. “The proliferation of social enterprise programs is moving many organizations into what is called a hybrid model of operation, where both a non profit and for-profit entity coexist in order to accomplish a social or environmental mission,” she said.

The researchers also found that 48 per cent said their organisation had sought the information they need to take part in a partnership with a social enterprise in the future.

AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, said that the results of the survey showed that impact investing and social enterprise in general was being taken increasingly seriously. “Investing in ethical projects, such as community projects, education or environmentally-beneficial projects, like sustainable plantations, not only brings peace of mind to investors, but they also see healthy returns.”

AAA supports a range of alternative investment projects, such as the forestry investment scheme run by Greenwood Management in Brazil. The company operates sustainable plantations of teak and eucalyptus that can deliver healthy returns to investors over the medium to long-term.

About Alternative Asset Analysis:
The remit of Alternative Asset Analysis is to analyse and provide news on the global performance of a wide range of alternative asset classes including, but not restricted to, commodities, real estate, forestry, foreign exchange, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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New Research into Impact investing endorsed by AAA

December 8, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

AAA has welcomed news that pension funds in the UK are increasing their exposure to impact investments.

Boston, MA, December 08, 2012 – Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) has welcomed news that pension funds in the UK are increasing their exposure to impact investments.

Research carried out by social investment intermediary Social Finance, found that 48 per cent of the 47 pension funds it surveyed were planning to invest in socially and environmentally sound asset classes, such as microfinance, green energy and social housing over the coming 1 to 2 years.

At the moment, only 23 per cent of the pension funds, with assets under management totalling some $230 billion, hold such investments. AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson spoke on behalf of the alternative investment advocacy group: “We welcome the news that pension funds in the UK are starting to realise the benefits of social investment.”

“Here in the US, institutional investors and individuals alike are all starting to increase their exposure to both alternative investments and impact investments and we wholeheartedly welcome this transition to a more responsible approach to investments.”

AAA also claims that alternative, ethical investments are a great way to diversify an investment portfolio against risk.

Social Finance’s David Hutchison, stated, “Impact investment is a visible asset with clear cash flow, stability and low correlation to other asset classes.”

AAA said it agreed with this, adding that other alternatives, such as forestry and timberland investment through firms like Greenwood Management, which operated sustainable plantation projects in countries like Brazil and Canada – also carry very low correlation with other economic trends. Mr Johnson said, “This means when other asset classes are losing value due to wider economic factors, these alternatives are staying strong.”

Mr Hutchison added that the next step in encouraging impact investing is setting up diversified, larger funds, to ensure people can get involved without putting up hundreds of thousands of dollars in initial investment. This will allow more individuals to get involved with this ethical side of investment.

Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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Impact Investing attracting more Fans, claims AAA

November 23, 2012 staronepr Leave a comment

Leading fixed income impact investment management firm, Community Capital Management (CCM), has announced that it has invested $4 million on behalf of GIVE (AdvisorShares Global Echo ETF), in a move welcomed by AAA.

Boston, MA, USA, November 23, 2012 — Leading fixed income impact investment management firm, Community Capital Management (CCM), has announced that it has invested $4 million on behalf of GIVE (AdvisorShares Global Echo ETF), in a move welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).

AAA, an alternative investment advocacy group, claims that the investment from GIVE further helps to promote the benefits of impact investing to all kinds of investors who want to see returns while helping vulnerable communities. GIVE was established in May and intends to deliver long-term returns through responsible, sustainable investments.

Various projects have benefited from the investment so far. “It’s great to be able to learn about where this cash is going – the more people know about the benefits of impact investing, the more popular it will become,” stated Anthony Johnson, AAA’s analysis partner.

One of the investments made by CCM on GIFT’s behalf took the form of funding for a 400,000 square foot retail/residential development in Maryland. The project will focus on attracting cyclists and pedestrians and will create 235 new apartments, as well as 60,000 square feet of retail space.

Another project funded by GIFT is the Hidden Creek Apartment in Crescent City, California, which will create low income housing. The homes will incorporate eco-friendly and energy efficient features.

CCM’s senior portfolio manager, Barbara VanScoy, said that they too were very happy that more people are growing interested in impact investing. She said, “We are thrilled that the field of impact investing is expanding with new products like GIVE and that we can be a part of it.”

AAA supports a range of ethical, sustainable and environmentally responsible asset classes. Mr Johnson explained, “We have noticed that, in the wake of the financial crisis, more and more investors are keen to put their cash into philanthropic projects or at least ensure their investments won’t be having a negative impact on anyone.”

AAA supports sustainable forestry projects like those run by Greenwood Management and others in Brazil.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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AAA welcomes Allianz move towards Alternative Investments

November 23, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

The news that Europe’s largest insurer is increasing its investment in alternatives has been welcomed by AAA.

Boston, MA, November 23, 2012 – The news that Europe’s largest insurer is increasing its investment in alternatives has been welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).

Allianz claims that its traditional investments are delivering very low yields at the moment, and it is hoping that doubling its exposure to alternatives will help to offset the effects of this.

Currently, Allianz’s investment portfolio totals some $400.8 billion, which, according to AAA, are invested almost entirely in fixed income securities, which have suffered as a result of the financial crisis, with yields falling significantly. “This has happened to a large number of traditional asset classes since the economic crisis,” explained Anthony Johnson, AAA’s analysis partner.

He added, “It’s no longer just individuals that are looking to invest more in alternatives, but institutional investors are also increasing their exposure to alternatives to try to reduce the risk in their portfolios.”

Maximilian Zimmerer, a board member at Allianz spoke to the Financial Times about the issue. He said that Allianz will continue to invest in private equity but will also aim to increase its exposure to infrastructure and real estate property loans, for example.

The move from investing in real estate directly, to investing in property loans is the result of some predictions from Allianz that this area will see the most growth in the coming years. An article on the investment strategy from Invezz.com, explained, ‘A lengthy period of low returns has affected insurers’ ability to generate profits on their conventional investment portfolios while meeting promises to owners of products such as life assurance policies, which often guarantee fixed returns.’

AAA is an alternatives investment advocacy group that supports ethical and non-traditional asset classes, such as forestry and impact investing. “Investing in sustainable plantations though firms like Greenwood Management can produce better returns that most traditional investment,” claimed Mr Johnson.

Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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AAA backs Rockerfeller Foundation Endorsement of Impact investing

November 14, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

A spokesperson from the Rockerfeller Foundation, Margot Brandenburg, has endorsed impact investing extremely eloquently in an article in the Huffington Post this week, claims alternative investment advocacy group AAA.

Boston, MA, November 14, 2012 – A spokesperson from the Rockerfeller Foundation, Margot Brandenburg, has endorsed impact investing extremely eloquently in an article in the Huffington Post this week, claims alternative investment advocacy group Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).

Speaking following a convention about impact investing in Sao Paulo earlier this month, Ms Brandenburg stated that investing in socially and environmentally responsible projects is continuing to attract attention and interest. This interest is coming from philanthropists and entrepreneurs, but also increasingly from regular investors and even institutional investors who may not have even have considered alternative investments a few years back, claims AAA.

In her Huffington Post article, Ms Brandenburg explains that this interest is stemming from a growing feeling that ‘business as usual’ is simply not sustainable and often not ethical. “This has been brought into the public consciousness since the economic crisis began and we all realized that there were some fundamental problems with the way the business world, and particularly the financial world, was operating,” explained AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson.

AAA supports the sentiment that impact investors have the opportunity to help millions of people around the world and contribute to local economies by helping people to set up businesses and work themselves out of poverty. “These are long term solutions that can generate returns for investors in the West while helping those in developing nations to create a future for themselves and their communities,” added Mr Johnson.

AAA supports ethical alternative investment projects that help communities and environmental causes. An example is the plantations run by Greenwood Management in Brazil, which offer foreign investors the chance to buy up a section of sustainable plantation forest. The timber grown in the forest is sold when it is mature and new seedlings are being planted all the time. “This form of managed forestry is a great alternative to using native forests in countries like Brazil where the ecology is so valuable in the fight against climate change,” added Mr Johnson.

Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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AAA Welcomes Oxfam’s First Foray into Impact Investing

October 11, 2012 staronepr Leave a comment

UK-based charitable organization, Oxfam, is moving into the world of social investment with a loan worth some £1 million to a Mongolian business that specialises in machinery leasing. The move has been welcomed by AAA as further indication that social impact investment can benefit communities all over the world.

Boston, MA, USA, October 11, 2012 — UK-based charitable organization, Oxfam, is moving into the world of social investment with a loan worth some £1 million to a Mongolian business that specialises in machinery leasing. The move has been welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis as further indication that social impact investment can benefit communities all over the world.

The loan is being offered through Oxfam’s Small Enterprise Impact Investing Fund, which it has set up with Swiss microfinance specialist Symbiotics and the City of London Corporation.

The response to the news of the loan has been interesting and has prompted investment experts to take the growth of impact investing seriously. As more and more charities move into the commercial sector by funding social projects and businesses that can benefit wide sections of society in developing countries, they are highlighting this type of investment.

Impact investing is growing in popularity among regular investors who are looking to make healthy returns over the medium to long term, while doing their bit to help vulnerable communities or reduce climate change.

AAA advocates many types of alternative investment, but focuses its support on ethical projects like those backed by impact investing. “Helping people to work their way out of poverty and to create jobs and opportunities for large number of people within a community is an extremely productive use of an investor’s wealth,” claimed Anthony Johnson, AAA’s analyst partner. AAA claims that a growing number of investors are now looking for ethical choices when deciding where to invest their cash, after being left with a bad taste in their mouths after the banking crisis.

Barbara Stocking of Oxfam told the Financial Times that it hoped its decision to invest in a socially responsible project will encourage other investors to do the same. “We are determined to prove to the investment industry that its scale and influence means it could play a significant role in eradicating poverty.”

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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Impact Investors can help to Protect Valuable Environments

September 26, 2012 staronepr Leave a comment

Impact investing can help environmentalists to protect vulnerable and valuable land from being destroyed, according to Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).

Boston, MA, USA, September 26, 2012 — Impact investing can help environmentalists to protect vulnerable and valuable land from being destroyed, according to Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).

Environmental groups have always relied quite heavily on philanthropists and private sector sponsors to protect land. In a number of incidents, groups have paid millions of dollars for areas of land, simply to protect them as habitats for species. The Nature Conservancy is one such group that believes this is a good approach to protecting wildlife and precious eco-systems.

Recently, the Nature Conservancy’s Mark Tercek claimed that the money is drying up and that impact investing could provide the solution. AAA, an alternative investment advocacy group based in Boston, agrees. The organisation’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, said: “There is a shortage of funds for these kinds of projects these days and it is now necessary to try to attract investors into this kind of investment.”

AAA claims that a large number of investors are now looking to align their investments with social and environmental projects that will do good over the long run. Some projects are far from lucrative, but will at least protect money from being lost in the volatile stock markets.

Investing in projects like the sustainable forestry project being managed by Greenwood Management in Brazil is a good option for those who are environmentally conscious but cannot afford for their investment to not deliver returns. Those who invest in timber or in forestry projects tend to see better returns than those investing in stock and bonds, according to figures taken over several years.

Investing in timberland also has other benefits. From a social perspective, it helps to encourage sustainability which can help local communities to safeguard the forestry industry for generations to come. From an environmental perspective, managed forests provide timber that can be used instead of timber from vulnerable forests.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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AAA says Social Stock Exchange is a Success

September 7, 2012 staronepr Leave a comment

AAA has welcomed reports that suggest the Impact Exchange Board is flourishing.

Boston, MA, USA, September 7, 2012 — Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) has welcomed reports that suggest the Impact Exchange Board is flourishing.

The iX, as it is known, is a stock exchange for social investment projects, which was launched about a year ago alongside partner the Stock Exchange of Mauritius.

Tamzin Ratcliffe, who dreamed up the idea of the social stock exchange, says that the exchange is set to start operation in the third quarter of next year. She says that six social enterprises have already signed up to the listing process and that any investors, even unaccredited ones, will be able to buy shares in these companies.

Ratcliffe said that social enterprises have been slow off the mark in signing up to be publicly listed as they are not used to seeking out funds this way. She said, “Going to the market for money is not something they’re used to.

“The process of encouraging companies and getting them to understand the value of being part of a marketplace – that’s been quite a lot of work.”

AAA‘s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, claims that the social stock exchange is a great idea for generating interest and making investment in ethical projects more accessible to all. He said, “Being able to sign up to buy and sell stocks in social enterprises is a great idea and we are sure the project will be a huge success.”

AAA is a supporter of impact investing and investment in ethical projects that can benefit communities and the environment. Mr Johnson says that investing in timberland projects that are sustainably operated is a good option for anyone who wants to diversify their investment portfolio. “If the value of your fully grown trees are not what you expect at the time of maturity,” claims Mr Johnson, “you can always just hang onto them and watch them grow even larger while prices rise.”

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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AAA Welcomes New Support for Canadian Impact Investing

August 3, 2012 staronepr Leave a comment

AAA, an alternative investment advocacy and research group, has lent its support to the TMX Group in Canada, which has announced a commitment to contributing to the development of the impact investing market in the country.

Boston, MA, USA, August 3, 2012 — Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA), an alternative investment advocacy and research group, has lent its support to the TMX Group in Canada, which has announced a commitment to contributing to the development of the impact investing market in the country.

TMX Group is officially supporting MaRS Centre for Impact Investing (‘the Centre’), which has been created to try to promote and initiate impact investing programs. The programs that will be launched by the Centre are all about mobilizing cash to help fund projects that are beneficial on either a social or environmental level.

The existing impact investment market in Canada is worth an estimated CA$2 billion and is expected to increase to CA$30 billion within the coming ten years as more and more investors look for ways to ensure their money goes towards ethical and responsible causes. The MaRS project will work by finding ways to match investment with projects that could help social or economic causes, but that could also generate returns for the investors.

AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, said, “Many people may presume that impact investors see little return on their investment. However, more and more ethical investment projects are generating healthy returns due to the fact that there are an enormous number of opportunities to help people in developing countries to make money by starting their own enterprises.”

The TMX Group’s Vice president, Ronald Alepia, said, “TMX Group is pleased to support corporate social innovation in partnership with the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing.”

“The MaRS Centre for Impact Investing is the right institution with which to develop this transformative new opportunity for Canada. We’ve been active with the Centre from its inception and look forward to a long and productive partnership,” he added.

AAA supports ethical investments of all kinds, including investment in sustainable forestry plantation projects, such as those run in Brazil by firms like Greenwood Management.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

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AAA Endorses Women Investing in Women

August 2, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

AAA is supporting the Women Investing in Women Initiative as part of a widespread endorsement of impact investment options that support women in developing nations.

Boston, MA, August 01, 2012 – Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) is supporting the Women Investing in Women Initiative as part of a widespread endorsement of impact investment options that support women in developing nations.

AAA, an alternative investment advocacy group, claims that World Bank statistics show that if more women joined the labor force, the world’s GDP would improve. In addition, in regions including Africa and the Middle East, average household earnings would rise by up to a quarter if women had more opportunity to work.

“Investing in women isn’t about donating to charity, but is instead about investing in social enterprises and small businesses that will employ and educate women,” explained AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson. he added that this comes with its own financial benefits to those investing, with returns being seen as soon as the enterprises are making cash.

The Calvert Foundation has launched the Women Investing in Women Initiative, which is hoping to raise $20 million to provide women in the US and developing countries with small business loans. The money is also needed to help them cover childcare and healthcare costs. The scheme is being aimed at women but men and institutional investors are also welcome to invest in the scheme.

“Anyone can invest through a regular broker to help women all over the world achieve their dreams, to education their children and help their families to thrive,” added Mr Johnson.

AAA support impact investing as well as other ethical investment options, such as timberland investment. Investing in timberland that is sustainably managed and growing non-native species in vulnerable regions is a great way to help reduce deforestation, according to AAA. “Another bonus, aside from the clear conscience that this type of investment affords you, is that returns on this asset class have regularly outperformed equities over the past decade or so,” added Mr Johnson.

Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com