Impact Investing Roundtable co-hosted by GSG-NAB Japan and Financial Services Agency of Japan published "Achievements in the First Phase and Challenges Ahead”

 The Roundtable was launched in June 2020 and held seven times until September 2021, with the aim of deepening the understanding among public and private sector stakeholders who constitute the impact investing ecosystem, and to discuss the significance and challenges of impact investment for solving social and environmental issues in Japan and abroad.

 In the first three study sessions, discussions were held under the following themes: definition and objectives of impact investing; initiatives being undertaken by participants and positioning thereof (views on the relationship among risk, return, and impact); challenges faced by the participants; and Impact Measurement and Management (hereinafter “IMM”). As a result, it was made clear that different players have different perspectives towards impact investing, and that each asset class has distinctive features and its own characteristics. The succeeding fourth to sixth sessions focused on asset class specific themes to have more detailed discussions focusing on the theme specific to the group, namely, “impact investing in unlisted companies,” “impact investing through listed equities and bonds,” and “impact investing through loans and community finance.”

 By joining the cross-industry forum offered through the Roundtable, participants acquired understanding about impact investing, IMM, and the characteristics specific to, and common to, respective asset classes. The forum also helped the participants to have a clear idea about common challenges that should be addressed for the promotion of impact investing and matters to be discussed constantly in the future. Therefore, we have published a summary of the discussions at the Roundtable’s sessions in the first phase and outline the challenges to be dealt with henceforth. The second phase is scheduled to start near future.

Click here to see "Achievements in the First Phase and Challenges Ahead".