Impact Investment – the Essence and the Market Environment

Abstract

The purpose of the hereby article is to discuss the essence of impact investment as one of the Socially Responsible Investment strategies and situating her in investment strategies. Moreover, the characteristics of impact investment market environment will be presented. In accordance with the definitions adopted in the subject literature, impact investment represents the form of investment made with the intention to exert influence on measurable changes of social and environmental nature, along with generating financial return, about the results of which the investors (sources of impact capital) should be informed by such investments managers. Impact investment market environment consists of e.g. beneficiaries of social and environmental changes, entities implementing particular tasks within the framework of impact investment, investors, channels of impact capital and forms of finance. Market environment is also made up of e.g. specialized agencies the task of which is both developing and measuring the specific measures of the created changes.