The Trillion-Dollar Investment Trend You’ve Never Heard of and How You Can Be a Part of It
An increasing number of investors all over the world are turning towards impact investing. It is a trend, a movement if you will, that sees investors invest their money not just for profit, but also for social benefit.
If today you take a look at your investment portfolio, what will you find? A number of properties around your hometown, perhaps? Time deposit accounts? Or shares in consumer staples, coal, oil and gas companies? While these investments provide you with financial benefits, do they help create a positive social or environmental impact? An increasing number of investors all over the world are turning towards impact investing. It is a trend, a movement if you will, that sees investors invest their money not just for profit, but also for social benefit. Over the years, these investors have migrated trillions of dollars from their portfolio to be invested towards positive social and environmental purposes. The good news is, you too can be a part of this massive social change. And it’s easy too.
A local platform for secure investment with meaningful impact
Indonesia is home to an estimated 60 million units of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. A majority of them, around 98%, are micro businesses in the informal sector and they are among the top, if not number one, contributors to job creation in the country. Unfortunately, micro business owners in Indonesia are facing many challenges, including a shortage of funding, hindering them from growing their venture. This is where you come in. You can support Indonesian micro businesses and help them grow and thrive by investing in their loans. A leading, Indonesia-based peer-to-peer lending platform lets you do just that in just a few simple steps. Mekar (PT Mekar Investama Sampoerna) connects you, the investors (also called ‘funders’ in Mekar) from all over the world, with micro businesses in many provinces in Indonesia that are in need of funding. About 99% of the micro businesses that are seeking loans in Mekar are run by women. And every single one of them has gone through a rigorous vetting process so that only those that have a positive environmental and social impact can get a loan funded through Mekar.id, Mekar’s online loan marketplace. Loans in Mekar range from around Rp 2 million (US$ 140) to Rp 8 million. For the last couple of years 99.5% of these borrowers have repaid on time.
Real change and financial benefits
Your investment will earn you a sizeable profit, but more importantly, it will help the businesses fund and increase production, hire workers and maybe even develop new products or open a new location. At the end of the day, thriving micro businesses and better livelihoods will empower communities and drive the local economies in villages and cities in many parts of Indonesia. The icing on the cake is that when you invest in micro business loans through Mekar, you enjoy a 100% protection guarantee on your principal. This guarantee is provided by Mekar’s lending partners, financial institutions that act as loan originators in Mekar. This guarantee is one of Mekar’s many ways to minimize your risks. To learn more about how you can contribute to the growth of Indonesian micro businesses and create a meaningful impact while earning solid returns, visit