A Review of the Progress and Future Prospects of Impact Investment

Impact Investments are an amalgamation of both Philanthropy and traditional investments.The intention behind these is to gain some financial return with an additional measurable, positive environmental and social impact on society.The returns from these investments can be equal to or below the market rate in both developed and emerging countries.In this paper, we present an exploratory study on different dimensions of Impact Investment and its prospects in future.Subtle differences between ESG, Socially Responsible Investment and Impact Investment are also explained in this paper.Main players in Impact Investment ecosystem are Foundations, Banks and financial institutions, Retail investors, non-governmental organizations and Institutional Investors.In the last few years, there is a tremendous growth in this investment segment which provides easy capital to alleviate major societal challenges related to microfinance, affordable healthcare & education, green energy, waste treatment and sustainable living.The journey so far is encouraging, but we still have a long way to go.Mass awareness needed to be created, and significant academic research must be done for ample development in the field of Impact Investment.