This story originally appeared in our June 2nd, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Bart Edes, Director of Poverty Reduction, Gender and Social Development at the Asian Development Bank, shares his thoughts on the importance of the private sector and the role of private equity.

You mentioned at the Sankalp Forum 2011 that ADB is moving half of its resources to the private sector. Why is that?

To be clear, our long-term strategic framework, which we call “Strategy 2020,” indicates that 50% of our operations will be private sector operations or private sector development. That will include investing with private sector partners or working with governments to nurture the environment for the private sector. The reason that we are moving in this direction is that, as we have seen in the last many years in the Asia Pacific region, the private sector has been the engine that has driven the high growth rates you’ve seen in many countries, including here in India. That this is where growth is going to come from is clear and we need to do a bit of rebalancing in the years ahead to promote this great engine of growth. » Continue reading “The Private Sector Financial Push”

The Lighting a Billion Lives project, run by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), has deployed nearly 30,000 solar lanterns in almost 300 rural villages in India. TERI pledged to reduce kerosene dependability and bring solar lighting to one million people at the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative. That was later increased to one billion.

The lanterns are charged at a local charging station – manned by a local entrepreneur – and rented out to residents at a daily rate. Not only does the program benefit those using the lights but also those who are employed at the charging stations.

This video, which we saw on Yahoo! India News, by the Asian Development Bank, who partly funds the project, shows how the program has transformed the lives of a small village in Orissa.

This story originally appeared in our December 3, 2010 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe.

There’s no doubt that the demand for investment is growing, but how much opportunity is there? Nisha Kumar Kulkarni examines the investment potential and how it’s being measured.

Approved Proposals and Credit Issued under India’s Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises

Since 2000, the Small Industries Development Bank of India has increased the amount of credit issued to micro, small and medium enterprises. There has been growing demand for bank funding. » Continue reading “By the Numbers: Today’s Impact Investing Industry”