Impact Investment Funds for Frontier Markets in Southeast Asia: Creating a Platform for Institutional Capital, High-Quality Foreign Direct Investment, and Proactive Policy Making
London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015
ISBN: 9781137507266
Available on Palgrave
Socially responsible investments (SRI) and impact investments still mostly focus on the developed world. They overlook the growth potential and investment opportunities in the frontier economies of the ASEAN such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Developing a solid value proposition for impact investors will be in the best interest of host countries and global investment professionals alike. This book adds two missing elements to the debate about impact investment: An analysis of the economic prospects of the frontier markets in Southeast Asia and suggestions how their development goals could align with impact investment. The frontier countries in the ASEAN have an excellent chance to absorb impact capital—but only if they have built the capacity and a marketplace to welcome these initiatives.
This book demonstrates how the benefits of investment could create a robust platform for impact investment stakeholders, including governments, non-governmental organizations, development banks, the financial sector, and small and medium sized enterprises. The author explores how shaping collaborative sustainable investment policies could speed up inclusive development, address the needs of those at the bottom of the pyramid, and ensure sustainable future growth.