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Social impact bonds: Investor insights

Seeking financial and societal returns

Impact investing has spread quickly around the world. What do Canadian investors think? The MaRS Centre for Impact Investing and Deloitte have found out.

Impact investing has spread around the world at a seemingly faster pace than almost any other financial trend in recent history. A Canadian marketplace is emerging to accommodate the growth for both the supply and demand of impact capital for blended financial and social/environmental value.

Impact investing: A new model

The case for impact investing as an innovative vehicle for collaboration across sectors to improve social outcomes has caught the attention of governments, businesses and social-service providers alike.

One type of such investment is through a relatively new model called a Social Impact Bond (SIB). A number of countries have moved ahead with the development and implementation of a variety of SIBs. As of yet, this instrument has not been employed in Canada.

Opportunities in Canada

The MaRS Centre for Impact Investing and Deloitte have come together to explore potential Canadian investor perspectives on SIBs. Consultations were held in the fall and winter of 2013 with a group of 80 potential investors based in Canada.

These sessions enhanced the engagement of many of these investors in SIBs, and the resulting report offers their unique insights into opportunities for impact investing and SIB development in Canada.

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