Our top insights in 2024

Achieving true impact is hard, and there are always lessons to be learnt. That's why we're committed to sharing what we've learnt about how to invest for impact. Together with our partners, we can find the answers to invest to do good. 

As 2024 draws to a close, we are pleased to share some of our key insights from the past year. Beyond the selection below, visit the Insight section of our website to view our latest evaluations, research, guidance and much more.

Closing gender gaps 

When we launched our Gender Finance Strategy six years ago, our aim was to support companies to become more diverse, to increase the number of women leaders, and to ensure high-quality jobs and products that meet women’s needs.

Our new report outlines the progress we’ve made over this time, shares the lessons we’ve learnt along the way and asks what more can be done to promote gender equality in emerging economies.

The ingredients to support SMEs

Access to suitable finance remains a challenge for SMEs. The SME financing gap in developing countries is estimated at $4.1 trillion. The answer seems obvious: increase supply. But the persistence of this problem tells us it is not so easily solved.

The financing needs of SMEs are varied, so the solutions to address these needs must be varied too. In this report we look at the ingredients to successfully support SMEs.

Supporting investors to step up climate finance

Climate change is becoming an increasingly significant concern for businesses and investors in emerging economies. Our 2024 climate report showed four out of five businesses across the countries where we invest are impacted by climate change.

From working with venture capital investors within our own portfolio, we know that often investors have the appetite to step up their climate finance commitments but need clarity on how to get started. We’ve published the Climate Investment Playbook in collaboration with FMO to address this challenge.

Accelerating digital transformation

Connectivity is an essential tool for economic development. It is also a necessary part of achieving many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In partnership with Safaricom Ethiopia – a telecoms company which was founded with investment from a consortium including BII - we commissioned a report to take stock of how the Ethiopian telecoms market has changed and evolved since 2019, when the sector began to liberalise. 

The report identifies Safaricom’s impact on the telecoms sector, society and the economy in Ethiopia since entering the market.

For example it illustrates how the price of mobile and data packages have reduced, and how services have improved for millions of Ethiopians.

How to embed impact across a portfolio

At BII we have always been in the business of taking risks in exchange for impact. 

Following a decade of managing a capital pool that targets enhanced development impact – our Catalyst Portfolio – we’ve distilled five insights for investors who also want to build a high impact portfolio.

We've also shared our experience of applying an impact lens to portfolio construction. Our report sets out why we did it, how we did it, and what we learnt. 

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