Could SRI be a force for social change?

ETHICAL

Neville White, senior socially responsible investment analyst at Ecclesiastical Investment Management, explores the prospects for ‘social impact' investing.

News that the Golden Lane Housing Charity bond had closed early last month due to exceptional demand suggests that social investment is attracting real momentum. The £10m bond issue attracted strong interest from both institutional and retail investors seeking an above average market return (4% gross over the five-year fixed term), whilst delivering measurable social returns in the form of homes and facilities for people with learning disabilities. The Golden Lane issue is just one of a number of so called ‘social impact’ opportunities that have come to the market recently that seek t...