Sales of ethical funds are at the highest level since the start of the credit crunch, according to new figures published this week. Statistics from the Investment Management Association (IMA) show total ethical investments of A?98 million for the second quarter of 2010, an increased of A?106 million compared to the -A?8 million recorded for […]
New Zealand’s government has been criticised for voting down a bill that would have seen state money invested ethically. New Zealand MP’s voted 63 votes to 58 against the Ethical Investment Bill, which would have required Crown Financial Institutes to invest their money ethically. Robert Howell, chief executive of New Zealand’s Council for Socially Responsible […]
A new social enterprise to help people with autism find jobs has launched in Scotland. Specialisterne Scotland is set to recruit a dozen trainees with autism over the next six months. Those chosen for the programme will undertake four months training before being given jobs as software testers for major Scottish companies. These are jobs […]
Eco-tycoon Dale Vince is poised to take over cash-strapped football club Forest Green, according to media speculation. Vince, 48, built his A?85 million empire on wind power, making him Britain’s wealthiest green entrepreneur. He is understood to have met up with Forest Green’s executives, including chairman David Drew, operations director Colin Peake and manager Dave […]
Despite the government’s rhetoric on big society, it has announced A?11 million of spending cuts to the department responsible for social enterprise. The Office for Civil Society has had its 2010/11 budget cut to A?136.9 million, down from A?147.9 million. Nick Hurd, minister for civil society, said: “Every area of government is looking at reducing […]
The Bangladeshi anti-poverty banker Muhammad Yunus is to feature in an episode of hit TV cartoon The Simpsons. Yunus, whose pioneering work on micro-finance earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, will appear in the TV show as a cartoon version of himself. The episode will focus on his micro-credit work in Bangladesh, which […]
A former Supreme Court judge has launched a campaign to introduce Islamic banking and finance to India. Justice Krishna Iyer said Islamic finance has the potential to offer sustainable growth while reducing inequality. “Islamic finance has proven successful in poverty alleviation and promoting sustainable growth in many countries,” he said. “It is very relevant in […]
A A?3m fund designed to help social enterprises expand has closed after making only one investment in two years. Triodos, the bank operating the fund, said most social enterprises are not yet ready for large capital injections. “The recession is having an impact,” said Charles Middleton, Triodos UK managing direction. “But our experience was mainly […]
BlueOrchard, the world’s biggest private sector investor in microfinance loans, has raised $195 million for a fund to help microfinance institutions (MFIs) expand and modernise. The private equity fund will buy minority stakes in MFIs to pay for their expansion and modernisation. BlueOrchard claims many MFIs need capital injections to improve their corporate governance and […]
Over 90% of institutional investors want green investments in their portfolio, according to a new study. Research commissioned by the New Energy World Network (NEWN) found more than nine in ten private equity, pension, insurance and venture capital funds would like to have some exposure to renewable energy, clean technology, and sustainability-related investments. Two thirds […]
India’s first microfinance institution (MFI) to issue public shares has announced its initial public offering (IPO) will open on 28 July. SKS Microfinance will announce the issue price on 26 July and is considering offering a discount to retail investors. The company plans raise Rs. 1,500cr ($320 million) from the IPO with the shares sold […]
Mid-year figures from Charity Bank and Triodos Bank show both lenders are on track for a record year of lending. During the first six months of this year, Charity bank agreed A?20.9 million of new loans. This is compared to a total of A?22.9 million for the whole of 2009. Figures from Triodos show new […]
Charities should encourage their supporters to donate online, Virgin Money Giving claimed this week, as online donations have the greatest Gift Aid take up. The government adds 28% to donations made with Gift Aid, so a donation of A?1 becomes A?1.28. Research in 2009 found donors who give online are more likely to fill in […]
Australian Ethical Investments has announced plans to invest in ethically dubious energy firms with the aim of changing their business practices through shareholder activism. The Climate Advocacy Fund (CAF), launched today, will invest in big polluters with the aim of using shareholder influence to encourage firms to green themselves up. Companies will urged to rethink […]
The Co-operative Financial Services and Ecclesiastical Investment Management were named yesterday as sponsors of the third annual National Ethical Investment Week (NEIW). NEIW 2010, on 7-13 November, is a series of events and other activities across the UK to raise awareness of green and ethical investment options. UKSIF, the sustainable investment association behind NEIW, said […]
Savers could use their ISA funds to invest in social enterprise under the government’s plans for a Big Society Bank. Money invested in the Big Society ISAs would be used to build new schools, to rehabilitate criminals, and for other socially useful projects. The ISAs would provide a way for social enterprises to raise capital. […]
George Osborne’s emergency budget “takes from the poor to give to the rich” according to campaigners for a fairer tax system. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has failed to hold banks responsible for the financial carnage they caused in the credit crunch and the subsequent recession, the Robin Hood Tax campaign said. ”The Chancellor called […]
The small number of ethical funds with investments in BP are considering pulling out of the beleaguered oil supplier – two months after the biggest oil spill in history began on BP’s watch. BP is a ‘light green’ company, meaning ethical investors buy shares in the firm to encourage it, as shareholders, to behave in […]
The Co-operative Group has announced a record dividend payment of A?50 million after posting its highest ever profit in 2009. The five million members of the Co-operative Group will share in the A?50.4 million payout, with an average payment of A?9.88 per member. This is a 30% increase on last year’s dividend payment of A?38.8 […]
Ethical investors looking to put money into emerging market economies should avoid China, Egypt and Vietnam, the Ethical Investment Research Service (Eiris) has claimed. Research by the group found these three countries to be the worst performers in terms of Environmental, Social, and Governance indicators. The three best-performing emerging market countries were South Korea, Brazil, […]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was A?741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. […]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees […]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to A?12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on […]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages […]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The a�?Mind the Credit Gapa�? report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than A?50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes A?22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by A?22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE […]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was A?1,186, more than double the average savings […]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though […]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Companya��s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailersa�� sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wongaa��s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
First-time buyers take a decade to save for a deposit
Before the credit crunch it took first-time buyers two to four years to save up a deposit for a property but a quarter of first-time buyers now say it will take them at least ten years. In its latest Property Tracker report, the Building Societies Association (BSA) suggests that since September 2010 raising a deposit […]
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