• Social entrepreneurship is on the rise in the Middle East. Heather Henyon and Christopher Schroeder highlight notable enterprises from recent Social Enterprise Week in Dubai
• Filipe Santos and Nigel Roberts of VC Circle look at the rise of the social enterprise and its entrance into mainstream markets
• Citi Foundation’s Hui Wen Chan highlights key points to consider when evaluating impact
• Daniel Elliott of CDC Development Solutions looks at the growth of social entrepreneurship in China
• Pioneers Post’s James Perry reviews Big Society Capital’s first-year performance and looks at the road ahead for the UK social finance organisation
• National Journal interviews President of Rockefeller Foundation, Judith Rodin, on impact investing
• Tim Freundlich of Impact Assets looks at need for innovative solutions to the challenges of seed-stage investing in the impact space
• Executive Director of Village Capital, Ross Baird, looks at the “original sin” of impact investing— liquidity—and how it can be solved
• Paul Breloff of Accion Venture Lab writes on embracing risk and finding the “sweet spot” in impact investing

 Weekend Reads

• CASE i3, SJF Institute and O-H Community Partners have released a report exploring the demand and needs of impact enterprises. To access the report, click here
• The UK social investment pioneer, Big Society Capital, recently released its first annual report detailing its progress and accomplishments so far. To access the report, click here

The post Industry News Round Up: 17 May appeared first on Nexii.

• Thomson Reuters launch a new set of corporate responsibility indices
• TrustLaw Connect spotlights the world’s first stock exchange for social enterprises
• Director of Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), Amit Bouri, shares 5 Key Trends in Impact Investing from GIIN’s ground-level perspective
• Senior Fellow at Case Foundation, Sonal Shah, calls for a smarter conversation to solve some of the most pressing social problems
• Bridges Ventures and Big Society Capital launch a £14-million Social Impact Bond fund to invest particularly in education, employment, housing and care for vulnerable youth
• Nompu Ntsele highlights the impact investing momentum building in Africa in Next Billion article
• Mark Cheng, Director of Ashoka UK, highlights 10 ideas driving the future of social entrepreneurship post-Skoll World Forum
• Co-founder of IGNIA Partners, Alvaro Rodriguez Arregui, looks at the role of governments in social innovation in recent World Economic Forum article
• Chris Blattman looks at the effects of financial aid on female entrepreneurship

Weekend reads

• Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship publish a policy guide designed to assist and equip governments to harness and scale social innovation. To access the guide, click here.

The post Industry News Round Up: 3 May appeared first on Nexii.

• The hub of US corporate law and capital markets, Delaware, introduces Benefit Corporation legislation, an action believed to be the tipping point for the scaling of impact investing
• Paula Goldman interviews Sir Ronald Cohen on the future of impact investing
• Director of Pacific Community Ventures, Ben Thornley, shares key highlights from the recent Skoll World Forum
• Carlos Miranda of IG Advisors looks at the pros and cons of new models of finance available for social enterprises and charities
• Founder of Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, reflects on the role of social business in creating a poverty-free world
• Sweden ranked as the most socially advanced country, according to the Skoll World Forum’s Social Progress Index
• Muhammad Yunus and African Development Bank launch pilot of Holistic Social Business Movement, designed to boost social entrepreneurship in Tunisia, Uganda  and Togo
• Priti Ambani of Ecopreneurist looks at 5 ways social enterprises can better engage corporations
• A new crowdfunding platform, Dreamstarter, recently launched in Australia provides social entrepreneurs with an alternative means to raise funding

The post Industry News Round Up: 19 April appeared first on Nexii.

• Omidyar Network plans to invest between $100-$200 million in for-profit and non-profit ventures in India
• The UK Government to introduce new tax relief to encourage private investment in social enterprise
• With the forecasted growth in impact investing, Tim Freundlich urges financial advisors to be one step ahead in their offerings
• Judith Rodin of Rockefeller Foundation looks at the rising potential of Southeast Asia as next big impact investing hub
• Charity Bank in the UK drops its charity status to comply with new bank regulations
• Blended Profit interviews veteran impact investor and co-founder of Cordes Foundation, Ron Cordes, in latest GAMECHANGERS episode
• A critical look at the mandatory corporate social responsibility bill to be passed in India
• Arabella Advisors’ Cynthia Muller looks at three indicators that impact investing is more than a trend
• Lauren Burnhill explores four reasons why chronic illness may make you a better impact investor
• Curan Bonham shares tips to fund managers on ensuring success in impact investment
• Rockefeller Foundation’s president, Judith Rodin, explains the workings of a Social Impact Bond in an interview with Paul Solman

The post Industry News Round Up: 22 March appeared first on Nexii.

The iX is the world’s first stock exchange board for social businesses and funds established by Nexii and the Stock Exchange of Mauritius. The platform offers social businesses and impact investors all the benefits, efficiencies and opportunities that traditionally listed companies enjoy, in addition to mission protection.

The post Nexii Webinar Series 2013: Listing 101 appeared first on Nexii.

• Stanford Social Innovation Review celebrates its 10th anniversary with 16 essays on the development and future challenges of the social innovation field
• Rockefeller Foundation reports that impact investing is likely to grow by 30% annually in India
• Richard Hazenberg looks at what it takes to be investment ready for a social business in the UK
• Pacific Community  Ventures president, Beth Sirull, proposes entities meet two requirements in order to be considered an impact investment in Defining Impact Investing: A Call to Action
• Michelle Strutzenberger looks at the potential of business to lead systems change for a better world
• Oxford University and W.K. Kellogg Foundation announce launch of the Oxford Impact Investing Programme
• Duke University’s Prof. Greg Dees shares lessons learnt in the impact investing field to all budding social entrepreneurs
•  Robin Pendoley looks at the importance of considering an enterprise’s scope and not just their scale in Size Isn’t Everything When Assessing Impact
• Sachi Shenoy and Brian Arbogast tackle the “Pioneer Gap” in their article What’s Next For Impact Investing

Weekend reads

• Haas School of Business lecturer, Lloyd Kurtz, releases A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Research on Social and Sustainable Investment, a guide to research on social and sustainable investment over the past few decades

The post Industry News Round Up – 8 March appeared first on Nexii.

However, the investment landscape is changing and so too are the capital markets.

Nexii, in partnership with the Stock Exchange of Mauritius, have opened up the realm of formal capital markets to social businesses through the iX, the world’s first stock exchange board for social enterprises. The iX enables social businesses to publicly list debt or equity securities, offering these businesses all the benefits of listing on a traditional exchange and much-needed mission protection.

Realising that listing on a stock exchange for a social business is likened to a fish out of water, Nexii sought the expertise of global law firm, White & Case, to develop the tools necessary to help prepare businesses for listing.

“The whole concept of impact investment, and introducing a social stock exchange to try to facilitate the influx of capital that social enterprises really need, made the project catch our attention as being a really innovative, exciting and worthwhile one to work on” said Tim Wood, a White & Case associate.  “As importantly our expertise in the capital markets meant that we could significantly support the learning and listing process for issuers”.

Listing on an exchange is typically associated with intense advisory services, which make traditional stock exchanges largely inaccessible for social businesses. For such marketplaces to become accessible capital-raising avenues for social businesses, the need for costly advisory services would have to be reduced significantly.

“Many, if not all, of these businesses would not have had any experience of the rules and regulations that govern the issuance of securities (i.e. shares and bonds) in the capital markets,” said Wood. Recognizing this, White & Case worked to develop guidelines and template listing documents that would serve as a documentary starting block for entities seeking to list. This development has significantly reduced the cost of listing as social businesses now only require highly focused input from a specialist.

What additional input does a social business then need to complete the listing process? The iX requires companies to seek the specialist services of a Nominated Impact Advisor (NIA), who is specifically concerned with assisting the issuer demonstrate and present impact credentials and potential. Wood elaborates on this role, “The NIA would be expected to work together with the company’s legal counsel as well as any commercial or financial advisors in preparing for the listing. While the NIA would be focused on ensuring compliance and eligibility with the impact requirements and impact reporting dimensions, legal counsel would only advise on the legal aspects of the listing.”

Once advisors have been appointed, the listing process can begin. Wood explains the next steps, “The applicant companies, together with their advisors, will need to work through the iX Listing Rules to ensure that all the information that is required under the rules is then included in the template listing document to produce a final disclosure document for submission to the Stock Exchange of Mauritius for the listing.”

Wondering how your company will afford to list? Wood advises applicant companies to shop around for advisors that fall within their budget range. “Certainly in the legal space, given that most law firms will have a social responsibility mandate, companies should seek to engage law firms on a pro bono basis, and if not, then at least on a reduced fee basis. Similarly, it should be expected that NIAs will offer affordable rates to the social enterprises they are targeting.”

Listing is an involved process from the outset but a hugely valuable one for companies seeking to grow and scale. According to Wood, there are elements an applicant business can actively pursue to better ensure a successful listing. “The key is for a company to be as well-prepared, well-informed, thorough and accurate as it can be. Although there may be a lot of hard work involved, once successful, a company will have access to many more investors, which will hopefully provide it with the finance it requires to realize its potential.”

Join us on Tuesday 12 March for an exclusive webinar session presented by Tim Wood and Melissa Butler of international law firm, White & Case. In this session, participants will gain a better understanding of what it takes to list on Nexii’s capital-raising platform, the iX. To register for this session, click here. 

The post Preparing to list on a social stock exchange appeared first on Nexii.

• The Economist looks at a new way of financing public services that is gaining momentum in the US and UK in Commerce and conscience
• British Prime Minister, David Cameron, aims to use UK’s Presidency of the G8 to promote Social Impact Bonds in G8 countries
• CEO of W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Sterling Speirn, shares lessons learnt from investing in impact in Mission Driven Investing: Philanthropy’s Surprising Returns
• Jo Reynolds, Program Manager of MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, looks at how you can become an impact investor
• Nicole Motter addresses misconceptions around utilizing programme-related investments as additional financing for social enterprises
• SocialFinance.ca compiles an all-you-need-to-know FAQ on Social Impact Bonds
• Erica Kochi of UNICEF’s Innovation Unit reviews how social start-ups can scale their operations and impact
• Amy Birchall and Charmian Love of Volans explore what social entrepreneurs can teach your company’s future leaders

Weekend read

• Microcredit Summit Campaign recently released Vulnerability: The State of Microcredit Summit Campaign Report. The report addresses the promise of mobile technology, the ramifications of scarce microfinance providers and creating appropriate products that meet the needs of clients. To access the report, click here.

The post Industry News Round Up: 22 February appeared first on Nexii.

• Venture capital network, Investors’ Circle, set to invest $10 million in social enterprises in 2013
• David Bank of Impact IQ highlights how social investment can accelerate sustainable fisheries in his article Fish 2.0: Investing in Sustainable Oceans and Fisheries
• Joshua Middleman of Ashoka Changemakers explores how the social sector can better use data
• Big Society Capital, a UK government-sponsored fund, is developing a range of tax-free social investment products for small individual investors
• Allia launches “Future for Children Bond”, the first retail Social Impact Bond that aims to invest a minimum of £15,000 in vulnerable families and youth in the UK
• David Bank of Impact IQ establishes ImpactSpace, an online platform that tracks impact investment deals to help build accountability, transparency and interest in the sector
• Jody Kirchner of Mission Measurement stresses the importance of a fully integrated corporate social responsibility plan in Three Steps to Making CSR Count
• RefugePoint founder and director, Sasha Chanoff, shares seven tips for aspiring social entrepreneurs
• Paul Bloom and Aaron Chatterji of Duke University discuss a model they’ve developed to scale an enterprise’s social impact
• Sir Ronald Cohen and William Sahlman share their thoughts on why the social sector needs to take more risks and accept failure

The post Industry News Round Up: 8 February appeared first on Nexii.

• Latest Harvard Business Review blog explores four conditions that should be evident in a social venture before it seeks capital from an impact investor
• The World Economic Forum is in full swing in Davos, Switzerland. Keep up to date on latest developments and trending topics by following the #WEF twitter feed
• Caroline Forster of Pioneers Post looks at the power of social investment to extend limited government resources in Social investment: the added ingredient
• CEO of Impact IQ, David Bank, highlights the benefits of open data in the impact investing sector
• Groupon Grassroots interviews Kevin Lynch of Social Enterprise Alliance on the challenges and trends facing social ventures in 2013
• Mitchell Kutney explores the consequences of impact investing on philanthropy in his latest post
• Sir Ronald Cohen and William Sahlman expand on why they believe social impact investing will be the new venture capital
• In a guest post featured on Social Impact Analysts Association (SIAA) blog, Caroline Fiennes reviews social impact metrics and their central question, “What’s our impact?”

Weekend reads

• GrantCraft recently released Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2013, an annual industry forecast written by Lucy Bernholz. To access the report, click here
• The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy recently released their winter edition of Responsive Philanthropy, containing multiple articles that address philanthropy’s role in promoting and strengthening democracy

The post Industry News Round Up: 25 January appeared first on Nexii.