The impact investing industry is growing fast, driven by a global shift toward a new socially responsible and inclusive economic growth model. Dr Candice Matthews described that private investors play a pivotal role in financing the transition, which is critical to avoid repeating the current global crisis.

As a result, there is a need for investment networks that connect these groups and drive progress in the field. The primary purposes of these networks are to:

Provide resources and support for their members in delivering financial and social returns.

Create opportunities for collaboration among different sectors.

Share insights about impact investments.

Help define the field’s standards and best practices.

Ultimately, the best impact investments will align with investor goals. This means companies and organizations should make them with a clear strategy, a soundtrack record, and the resources to execute. It also means robust accountability mechanisms, such as performance measures, external assurance services, or third-party monitoring and evaluation back these investments.

The increasing attention and scepticism about “impact washing”—attributing impact to investments that aren’t warranted—have helped the result investing industry grow over the past decade, as more mainstream asset managers embrace the practice and more investors demand it. In addition, improved standards and transparency for impact measurement and management are helping to improve confidence in the field’s integrity.

As more investors and organizations adopt impact principles, many networks provide resources, including technical assistance and funding. This includes the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), which hosts the Investing for Impact Forum and works with various stakeholders to build the infrastructure needed to catalyze impact investment.

As this infrastructure grows, we can expect increased liquidity of impact-investment products and an expanding range of impact-focused funds. This will allow for more efficient and effective impact management, which should generate more evidence about which investments are most effective at addressing global inclusion and sustainability challenges.