Freyr Energy, an India-based full-service solar solutions firm providing access to cheap energy, has closed a US$1.5 million Series A round from Impact Partners, a crowdfunding platform for impact investing.

Operated by Singapore-based Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), Impact Partners brought together a consortium of global investors including Netherlands-based C4D Partners and India-based angel investors. According to IIX’s impact assessment, the funding will expand access to reliable and affordable solar energy to 2,275 households and 2,975 businesses, enable 675 off-grid rural villages to enjoy electricity for the first time through micro-grids, and avoid 167,270 metric tons of CO2 emissions by 2022. Read more.

Impact Partners is operated by Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), a Singapore-based organization that seeks to link investors with social and environmental projects.

Co-founder Saurabh Marda said Freyr will use the funds to “continue improving our technology platform, increase the strength of our sales and channel partner network, and support our marketing activities to fuel future growth.” Read more.

Our world’s top scientists spend billions of dollars every year on space exploration, searching the universe for one thing: water, considered a necessity for life. Yet on Earth, our primary source of water — the ocean — is perhaps one of the most undervalued resources on the planet. Read more.

Leaders like BlackRock CEO Larry Fink have taken notice. In his annual letter to CEOs this year, Fink wrote: “Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.” Some on Wall Street say that Fink’s message sets a tipping point for the whole investment industry. Read More.

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Local lender DBS Bank has returned as official banking partner and sole placement agent for the second round of a debt security listing aimed at supporting women in Asia.

DBS and Singapore-based capital firm Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) will issue a series of bonds with a target of US$100 million under the newly launched Women’s Livelihood Bond scheme, they said in a media statement on Wednesday.

The scheme will fund and support South and South-east Asian enterprises tackling financial inclusion, clean energy access and sustainable agriculture, with the goal of benefiting one million vulnerable women.

Pricing details for the bonds, which will be released in several tranches, are not yet out. The plan is to list the issuances on a stock exchange and sell them to global investors. Read More.

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SINGAPORE —  IIX and KOICA will jointly contribute $1.2 million USD over five years to support 18 enterprises across South and Southeast Asia, with a goal of impacting the lives of 8 million people.

IIX is a global organization dedicated to building a more inclusive world through innovative finance and support for high-impact enterprises. The Singapore based company has partnered with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to accelerate early-stage enterprises with innovative social and environmental solutions for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Durreen Shahnaz, founder and CEO of IIX, said: “The success of our accelerator model draws on our deep understanding of the pain points facing impact enterprises and investors, and our ability to bridge those gaps with end-to-end expertise across the impact ecosystem.” Read More.

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SINGAPORE’S Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) has partnered the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to support early-stage enterprises across South and South-east Asia that have innovative solutions to the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

IIX and the KOICA will jointly contribute US$1.2 million over five years to support these enterprises, with the aim of impacting the lives of eight million people. Read More.

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Asia is emerging as a big contributor to the global impact investing scene thanks mostly to its growing youth population.

“There’s appetite there, it’s just a question of how to tap that demand,” said Robert Kraybill. According to Financial Times, Kraybill, the Impact Investment Exchange managing director, is targeting a $100 million goal through a fundraising at the second Women’s Livelihood Bond, which will take place in the latter part of 2018.

The first Women’s Livelihood Bond occurred last year and saw one of Asia’s biggest banks, namely Singapore’s DBS, take a 60 percent purchase on the $8 million bonds offered. Read More.

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