The impact investing industry has grown exponentially in recent years, and is particularly timely in the current economic climate that has shaken established standards of risk and return for conventional investments.

Global Social Impact Investments closes the year with three new investments in its two debt and private equity funds in Africa and Spain.

Ghanaian agritech Complete Farmer seeks to transform farming practices in the region by developing critical technical and physical infrastructure to enhance efficiency in the agricultural value chain. It raised a recently concluded $10.4 million pre-Series A funding round ($7 million equity and $3.4 million debt) to consolidate its efforts. 

GSIF España, our Spanish fund invested EUR 2.3 million in Jetnet to finance a first phase of fibre network deployment in small Andalusian municipalities.

Executes new investments in its two funds GSIF Africa, a private debt vehicle focused on companies with positive social and environmental impact in Sub-Saharan Africa, and GSIF Spain, focused on direct investment in Spanish SMEs with high social impact.

GSIF Africa is one of 16 agriculture impact investment funds that have contributed to the design of the Agriculture Impact Performance Benchmark, a new tool from built by The Global Impact Investing Network which allows investors to measure and compare the impact of their investments.

In Capital Intereconomía, María Ángeles León, vice-president of SpainNAB, assures that the private and public sectors must go hand in hand to boost the impact economy. “For every resource that the public sector provides, the private sector can mobilise up to five or six”.

Impact investing in unlisted assets offers a real de-correlation to market performance and an added return, leaving a positive social footprint. In September, the Law for the Creation and Growth of Companies was passed to boost and improve collective investment and venture capital in Spain, allowing individuals to invest in private equity firms with an initial investment of 10,000 euros. Daniel Sandoval, head of Investment in Spain at Global Social Impact Investments, answered questions from journalists.

In the context of rising prices, the low-cost shopping basket for families is being strengthened by the impact investment ecosystem in Spain. Global Social Impact Investments, the management company under the umbrella of the Santa Comba family holding, has sealed its second investment in eight months with its entry as a minority partner in Sqrups, Spain’s leading urban outlet retailer.

Global Social Impact Investments (GSII) publishes its annual impact report, which summarises the impact generated by the fund manager during 2021.

SpainNAB identified 15 private equity funds, 39% more than the previous year, including vehicles from impact investment managers such as Global Social Impact Investments (promoted by María Ángeles León) or impact funds from traditional managers (such as the one recently launched by Mutuactivos, Mutua Madrileña’s fund manager).

The impact fund of the insurance group Mapfre AM and Global Social Impact Investments SGIIC (GSIIC), the impact investment fund manager founded by María Ángeles León and the family holding company Santa Comba, has made five new investments valued at EUR 3.5 million, exceeding EUR 6 million in assets under management over the last year.

Yak Fair Trade met all the characteristics to receive funding support from the Global Social Impact Fund (GSIF), a fund managed by GSI and which was born with Santa Comba and MAPFRE as main investors.

María Cruz-Conde and Ana Hauyón from the Open Value Foundation’s impact measurement team visited Ghana in January to follow up on the investments made in the country and to look for new partnerships and investment opportunities.

The new Board of Directors of SpainNAB has been established with Juan Bernal of CaixaBank AM as President and María Ángeles León, of Global Social Impact Investments and Open Value Foundation, as Vice-President.

This is the first investment of the new fund launched by Global Social Impact Investments (GSIF), which focuses on unlisted Spanish companies with a high social and environmental impact.

Global Social Impact Investments SGIIC, the impact investment fund manager of the Santa Comba family holding company, has launched GSIF Spain, a fund focused on direct investment in Spanish companies with a high social impact. The new fund already has 8.75 million euros and expects to exceed 50 million euros.

SpainNAB, the Advisory Board for Impact Investment and Spain’s representative to the GSG, has participated in the preparation of the recommendations of the G7 Impact Taskforce, including as Spanish success stories in impact investment: CaixaBank’s social bond and the Global Social Impact Investments fund with MAPFRE AM dedicated to financing companies with high social impact in both frontier and emerging markets.

Global Social Impact Investments has hired Daniel Sandoval as investment director in Spain to boost the reach of its impact funds.

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) has published two reports to understand the impact performance of climate change mitigation investments and investments in quality jobs, citing the example of Tugende, an investee of Global Social Impact Investments (GSII).

Attalea Partners and Global Social Impact Investments are teaming up to address the challenges presented by the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) for the private equity sector and, in particular, the impact investing sector.

GSI introduces Ghanaian company Green Lion, the latest venture from its open-ended private debt fund that invests in established business models in sub-Saharan Africa. A project that provides goods and services for small businesses that represent a $600 billion market and are vital to the economies of many African countries.

Global Social Impact Investments publishes its annual impact report, which summarises the impact generated by the fund manager during 2020.

It will invest in unlisted companies with a social component.

Global Social Impact Fund, focused on direct investment in high social impact companies in frontier and emerging regions, has obtained the article 9 classification of the new European Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). This categorisation is a further step in the validation of the fund manager’s social impact investment model, says Pedro Goizueta.

The Global Social Impact Fund aims to tackle the economic and social exclusion of the world’s bottom billion while generating a 5%-8% net return to its investors.

Interview with María Ángeles León, president of the fund manager ‘Global Social Impact Investments‘, and Arturo García Alonso, its managing director.

María Ángeles León chairs a funds management company that looks beyond pure profit. Global Social Impact Investments manages a fund to finance companies in Africa

The second virtual day of Radar Pyme focuses on alternative and impact financing. Jaime García Cantero, content director of Foro Retina, interviews Pedro Goizueta, Head of Investor Relations and Operations of Global Social Impact

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) has published two reports to understand the impact performance of investments in agriculture and financial inclusion, in which GSI has participated.

Three of the founding figures of the impact movement in Spain participated in the first edition of Impact Investment Time: José Luis Ruiz de Munain of SpainNab, María Ángeles León of Global Social Impact Investments and Agustín Vitórica of GAWA Capital.

The pandemic is driving investment with environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, a philosophy that is accelerating following the European governments reconstruction plans and the investment community’s commitment to society.

Impact investment vehicles, already established in the Anglo-Saxon market, are beginning to develop in Spain

The vehicle will invest in short- and medium-term debt of companies in sub-Saharan Africa and other emerging countries. Santa Comba (shareholder group of GSI Investments) and MAPFRE will make the initial capital contribution and MAPFRE AM will act as investment advisor.

With the rise of socially responsible investment, a category of funds that introduces a third vector, social impact, has emerged.

The Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) has approved the funds management company Global Social Impact Investments SGIIC,
specialized in social impact investment funds.