LightCastle Signs Agreement With IIX

LightCastle Partners Ltd. and Impact Investment Exchange Pte. Ltd. (IIX) have entered into an agreement to advance sustainable development and foster inclusive economic growth. The partnership is founded on the principles of evidence-based research, comprehensive advisory services, and the facilitation of capital unlocking, specifically targeting the empowerment of women, addressing climate concerns, and uplifting underserved communities.

Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) is the pioneer in the impact investing movement and a global leader in sustainability. They have transformed the financial system so that women, the environment and underserved communities are finally given value and a voice in the global market. To date, their work has spanned 53 countries, unlocked US$281 million of private-sector capital, positively impacted over 159 million direct and household lives, and avoided over 1.83 million tons of carbon.

The partnership aims to empower Social Impact Businesses (SIBs) and ecosystem stakeholders through customized training modules on environment, gender, and impact investing. The modules include enhancing understanding of environmental concerns and gender intersectionality for SIBs and sustainable MSMEs, providing an overview of environmental regulations, their importance for evaluating companies seeking capital, and promoting gender lens investing with impact measurement tools.

A brief overview of what each training module aims to achieve is discussed below:

1. Impact of environmental concerns for SIBs – Enhance understanding of environmental concerns, intersectionality with gender and societal aspects, and investors’ interest among SIBs and sustainable MSMEs in Vietnam.
2. Impact of environmental concerns for ecosystem players – Provide an overview of the regulatory landscape regarding environmental issues in Vietnam, emphasize the importance of considering environmental factors when evaluating companies seeking capital, and explore the intersectionality of gender and environment along with risk-return-impact in investment decision-making.
3. Guide to Gender Lens Investing (GLI) for ecosystem players – Inform investors and stakeholders about the gender landscape in Vietnam, stimulate discussions on gender challenges in SIBs and MSMEs, encourage a gender lens in investment evaluation, introduce impact measurement tools with a gender perspective, and promote gender considerations in investment portfolio management.

Moreover, this collaboration seeks to actively promote the adoption of IIX’s technical assistance services, empowering enterprises to amplify their impact on environmental performance through their business operations.

By leveraging their respective expertise, extensive networks, and combined resources, LightCastle and IIX aspire to unlock new avenues and drive transformative outcomes for underserved communities.