A government advisory group will produce an action plan later this year to grow a culture of social impact investment in the UK, according to a letter published yesterday.
Elizabeth Corley, vice-chair of Allianz and chair of the advisory group, wrote to Tracey Crouch, minister for sport and civil society, to say that the advisory group was making progress and expected to publish its final report and recommendations in the autumn.
The group was originally due to report in the summer of this year.
It is looking not only at what is often referred to as social investment – where money is channelled directly into charities and other asset-locked bodies – but also at the much broader concept of impact investment, which includes investment in any business, profit-making or otherwise, which is delivering a positive social return.
- Investable assets: Increasing the supply of impact investment propositions from, for example, companies/enterprises with clear strategies to deliver and improve their impact, purpose-led businesses and social enterprises
- Number and scale of investment and savings products: Improving the ability to invest at scale in products that have social outcomes alongside financial return, and understanding how effective existing tax incentives have been in stimulating the market
- Advice and distribution: Increasing the knowledge and capability among financial advisors and other intermediaries to advise clients on social impact investments
- Pension funds: Helping pension trustees become more comfortable in understanding ways to incorporate social impact into investment decisions
- Engaging retail investors: Strengthening the understanding of retail investors through consistent messaging and an industry standard of good practice
- Reporting on social impact: Increasing education and expertise into understanding, analysing and reporting on social impact by investment firms
- Industry education and standards: Expand the technical competence for, and raise standards in, broader environmental, social and governance investing
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