The post The Green Energy Transition: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges in Asia appeared first on Wealth of Nations Advisors.

The post The Green Energy Transition: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges in Asia appeared first on Wealth of Nations Advisors.

Whether a private wealth manager, a government agency, an asset manager, or an asset owner, we all have stakeholders demanding we do more. Do more in how we invest our capital to improve the social and environmental fabric that holds not just our local communities together, but also our global communities.

Climate change is not a domestic problem, it’s a global problem. Unemployment, or under-employment, is not just a local problem, it’s a global problem. Affordable housing is not just a local problem, its everyone’s problem, and gender inequality is certainly not ‘the woman next doors problem’, it’s the women next door everywhere problem. COVID was not a local problem, it was, and still is a global problem. To find local solutions, we should embrace global solutions.

Impact investing is not the holy grail, but it comes close as its investments made with the intention to generate positive measurable social and environmental impact alongside delivering market or better-than-market financial return to its stakeholders. It’s driven by intention, its outcomes are measurable, and verifiable and unlike many other forms of sustainably labelled products, it takes account of the negative impact.

There is no such thing as a neutral investment.

Regulators in Europe, the US and now Australia are putting money managers on notice. Get your house in order in respect to what you market as ESG, sustainable, green, net-zero and even impact because if it’s not true-to-label, you will be exposed. Impact investing is not a cottage industry, its growth rate is exponential and the great wealth transfer from Boomers to Millennials over the next two decades, will see the demand for true-to-label ‘impact funds’. A demand that will need to be met by all who manage money, if they want to maintain or grow their market-share.

Advance the journey in impact. BOOK YOUR PLACE

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Even before considering the geopolitical issues in other parts of the world, you should know there are several reasons supported by solid economic evidence. Whether it be the European energy crisis because of the Ukraine war, not adopting modern portfolio theory for investing – ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket’, or the new shining light in banana economics – the UK – where some well-regarded investors are lumping them into the emerging market universe.

Are the ‘developed market regions’ providing better investment opportunities, or are we blinded by traditional investment strategies that keep us ignorant toward finding the best opportunities for investors?

It may not be a case of either/or but rather, it could be the case of not knowing enough about this region to provide diversification to our members.

Investors are seeking progressive investment to stand the test of time, that can respond more effectively to complex challenges we face now and into the future. Africa has found some key solutions through the combination of mobile connectivity, financial inclusion, data and blue economy investments.

Data is a currency of its own in the modern world. In the past only the few had the ability to access, extract, refine and utilise it, thereby widening the existing inequality gap. Yet in the past few years, Africa’s fintech industry has come of age with the continent experiencing a fintech eruption.

In the face of political and economic challenges and a global pandemic, fintech on the continent is booming, with revenue between $4b – $6b in 2020 and between 2020 and 2021, the number of tech start-ups in Africa. Cash is still used in around 90 percent of retail transactions in Africa, which means that fintech has huge potential to grow.

Further to this, the concept of Blue Economy (BE) that includes simultaneous promotion of economic growth, environmental sustainability, social inclusion and strengthening of ocean ecosystem has seen immense growth in Africa, where components today generate a value of USD 296 billion.

This investment sector is projected to grow to USD 405 billion (37%) by 2030, while in 2063 estimates value created would be USD 576 billion (Global Climate Change Alliance). With 19 of the fastest growing countries in the world being in Africa, due to its rapid urbanisation and a large young, educated population driving the demand for online services and a bluer economy due to detrimental climate impacts, there are significant opportunities.

Wealth of Nations will be hosting a panel of those that live and breathe Africa, the pioneers that have observed the trends and are leaning into the opportunities. They want to share with you in an open forum, what they have seen, what they are doing, and importantly, how you can engage. Whether interested in private debt, infrastructure or private equity, or just to hear the story, there will be key take aways for you.

Please join this panel discussion with Blakeney Management, Climate Fund Manager and Lendable who are impact managers on the ground, to understand how they adapt and create a system which can evolve, learn, and respond more effectively to complex challenges we face now and in the future. The impact managers along with a guest speaker from Equity Bank in Kenya, will provide you with the opportunity that is present in Africa and why inclusivity and investment in this region is the next great investment.

Africa is thinking big on digital transformation and climate action and the time for growth is NOW!

So book your spot now, to learn from leaders and long-term investors in this region and see how you can be part of this outstanding opportunity

Click here for news release.

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Join us for our Series IV IIP Virtual Conference, the most recent out of the 3 we have already hosted over the last 18 months. During each of these conferences have have hosted an average of $1.5 trillion in assets and a multitude of differing investment strategies in impact each contributing to the United Nations Sustainabile Development Goals. Each event aims to educate, invigorate and motivate attendees and participants, to drive the flow of institutional capital towards impact investing.

Investing that is focused not just on the two dimensions of risk and return, but also the 3rd dimension, IMPACT. Delivering quantifiable and measurable social and environmental outcomes, albeit, without having to sacrifice market rate returns across asset classes. Within 10 years we expect every institutional dollar to qualify under the impact that dollar is expected to have on the environment and society, alongside the need to quantify the impact.

The IIP Conference will appeal to progressive and dynamic asset consultants, asset class analysts, portfolio managers, stewardship teams, CIO’s and CEO’s that are either already allocating to impact, on the journey to do so, or looking for ways to begin their journey.

Click here to view the news article

Changing the world by helping those that can. Raising $10 billion for impact investing across social and environmental opportunities.

The post Impact Investing Portfolio (IIP) Virtual Conference – Series IV appeared first on Wealth of Nations Advisors.

The events of 2019-2020 have shown many the importance of maintaining public and environmental health.

Where moving forward from these issues requires us to make changes to the old systems that no longer serve the common good. Globally we are starting to see countries develop a greater interest in renewables, and in doing so are discovering the benefits and potential they have in providing a population with cleaner and safer energy production alternatives.

Currently we are being challenged by technological limitations, but the progression of efficiency and affordability will continue to grow the more we invest our time and capital into innovations.

So, even when renewable projects are criticised for their shortcomings it is important, we remember that it is a process, redesigning our infrastructure and the systems we have relied on for such a long period will take time to innovate.

I am confident that we are able to achieve our renewable electricity goals as the engagement from governments globally, supported by the UNSDGs and impact manager in the space, will drive us towards the possibility of a world with 100% renewable energy and turn back the negative effects’ fossil fuels have had on our plant and society at large. Wealth of Nations is fortunate that we represent a number of quality impact managers with a primary SDG focus on ‘Affordable and Clean Energy’ clean energy, such as our own domestic champion Impact Investment Group (IIG) and North Sky Capital in the U.S.

If you are an institutional investor wanting to create positive change around the clean energy thematic, be sure to reach out as we would love to talk to you about the great impact managers we work with.

Changing the world by helping those that can. Raising $10 billion for impact investing across social and environmental opportunities.

The post Can the world be run on 100% renewables? appeared first on Wealth of Nations Advisors.

Scientists say we could lose 90% of the rest in the next 30 years. Extinction is on the table.

Our oceans continue to be threatened by way of modern living, in particular the impact of global warming. However, as highlighted by Michael, through the efforts of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs working in a partnership with United Nations agencies, BNP Paribas, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation they are hoping to raise $500 million over the next 10 years and have a goal of reaching $2-3 billion in capital raised both from public and private sectors to be allocated towards coral reef focused projects.

There are even case studies that show investing in coral reefs could have enormous economic benefits over the next decade: $37 billion in Indonesia and $35 billion in the Central American region known as Mesoamerica. Those studies argue that returns on those investments would be as high as 44:1 for certain marine protected areas, or 9:1 for specific erosion management efforts.

As was highlighted in the article – “to encourage the private sector to invest, you need to have returns. So, we’re really looking for revenue-generating opportunities here.”

The flag possibilities that span ecotourism projects, plastics reduction initiatives, sustainable aquaculture, pharmaceutical research and clean energy generation. Stating that – The aim is for those enterprises also to support the communities that live near and depend on coral reefs for their livelihoods. The great challenge is to make those projects turn a profit.
It’s worth remembering there are impact firms globally that continue to find innovative ways to deliver under the dual promise of providing both market-based financial returns to investors along with measurable positive impact, socially and/or environmentally.

As someone who has spent much of his life enjoying the oceans and reefs around Australia it is heart-warming to see real action with the aim of protecting coral reefs and in particular, the ambitious aims of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs. They are making a key contribution to deliver under UNSDG 14 ‘Life Below Water’.

Changing the world by helping those that can. Raising $10 billion for impact investing across social and environmental opportunities.

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