On June 25-26, the Impact Forum 2012: Igniting Capital Markets for Social Good will bring together over 500 participants and speakers at the alumni complex of the National University of Singapore. The Forum is part of an overall mission by the Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIXA) to bridge the gap between impact investors and social enterprises in Asia.
IIXA has been working on several platforms to advance their mission, including a private marketplace called Impact Partners that links accredited investors wanting both financial and social outcomes in their investments to social enterprises in varying stages of development needing access to capital.
This year, the Forum will be the launching point for another bigger initiative called Impact Exchange, Asia’s first social stock exchange, which will prove to be the catalyst for scaling social enterprises.
As the title suggests, the Forum is designed to ignite learning, engagement, and strengthen relationships among those in the Asian impact investment space. It will feature panel sessions that focus on impact investing, social entrepreneurship, sector development, and ecosystem development.
The creation of capital markets for social good is a significant step for advancing solutions that address pressing problems in the world, which is the reason the Forum exists.
“The Impact Forum will shine a light on the exciting growth of social enterprises and impact investment in Asia, and increase understanding of how innovative trading platforms can provide capital for social enterprises to substantially scale up their activities,” explains Bart W. Édes, Director for Poverty Reduction, Gender and Social Development at the Asian Development Bank.