Freshfields advises innovative finance advisory firm KOIS on employment focused Social Impact Bonds

Global law firm Freshfields advised KOIS on three out of a total of four innovative employment focused social impact bonds launched in the last two years. All four social impact bonds are investing in people, supporting them back into work to positively change lives. The social impact bonds are backed and financed by the French Government.

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Protecting mental health in COVID-19 times

Protecting mental health in COVID-19 times

As nations slowly recover from the pandemic, we must ensure mental health impacts are taken into account. In fact, the effect of augmented stress in past epidemics and natural catastrophes has been proven to have long-term disastrous consequences. In this article, we explore the many underlying reasons for higher stress levels due to COVID-19 and how to approach this from both an individual and public health perspective.

A solar-power gold rush is taking over Africa. How can we ensure hospitals & schools are not left behind?

A solar-power gold rush is taking over Africa. How can we ensure hospitals & schools are not left behind?

Solar energy seems to be the ideal solution to address Africa’s electrification challenge. Yet, while private investments in solar projects and companies are increasing in Sub-Saharan Africa, public facilities such as hospitals, schools or police stations seem to be left out of the current solar gold rush. Can blended finance bring a solution through coordinated public-private partnerships?

Improving access to education through Income Sharing Agreements: A promising tool to be managed cautiously

Improving access to education through Income Sharing Agreements: A promising tool to be managed cautiously

In recent years, Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs) have appeared as a high-potential solution for addressing the hurdle of financing education. But will they truly revolutionize the way education is funded?

In this article, we will look at what ISAs are and which issues they solve. We will also address the legal and ethical questions they raise, and how blended finance could be a very relevant tool to offer an adequate response.

Medical Equipment for Belgium: Importing mouth masks and other medical supplies to Belgium in corona times

Medical Equipment for Belgium: Importing mouth masks and other medical supplies to Belgium in corona times

A couple of months ago, a group of motivated Belgian individuals including our founder Francois de Borchgrave set out to help bring desperately needed medical supplies to Belgium, in a fast efficient way. They named themselves “Medical Equipment for Belgium (MEB)”. By putting to use their contacts in the medical and finance world, MEB was able to bring over 130 000 FFP2 masks (with 500.000 more under way), 226 000 pairs of gloves and 50 000 medical gowns, all passing the required quality tests!

KOIS Newsletter – We all want a fairer, more sustainable ‘new normal’. How do we pay for it?

KOIS Newsletter – We all want a fairer, more sustainable ‘new normal’. How do we pay for it?

Today, decisions made will have a decisive impact in shaping a new form of normal. In this may edition of our Newsletter, we want to share with our readers concrete ways in which they can impact this future. In fact, we believe the finance community has a historic opportunity to make a real difference.

We all want a fairer, more sustainable ‘new normal’. How do we pay for it?

We all want a fairer, more sustainable ‘new normal’. How do we pay for it?

We all want to see a fairer, more sustainable future emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. In this situation, private investors have a historic opportunity to make a real difference.

How can we help them achieve the highest possible social and environmental impacts? In this KOIS opinion piece, we bring forward Innovative Finance responses to some of our world’s most pressing challenges.

2020 Learnings from the field (2/2): Setting up solar facilities to support health centers in Africa

2020 Learnings from the field (2/2): Setting up solar facilities to support health centers in Africa

In Africa, many health centers operate with an unreliable energy source, affecting greatly healthcare quality. Solar4Health, a UNDP initiative, sets up solar facilities to power health centers. KOIS went to Liberia, Namibia, Malawi and Zambia to better grasp the field reality and which innovative finance mechanism could best help scale up S4H’s activities in Africa.