"This report was commissioned by Oxfam to analyze the effectiveness of development programs in addressing challenges faced by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the agriculture sector in Asia, and to dissect whether these interventions would be relevant for Social Enterprises (SEs) in the agriculture sector. The purpose of this report is to inform the decision-making of development programs that aim to catalyze the growth of SEs in agriculture and attract impact investment capital to fuel the growth of the food and agriculture sector in Asia."

"This study assesses the state of a significant, albeit underserved, segment of the SME market, known as the "Missing Middle" to better understand their needs and the challenges they face. It addresses how governments and other stakeholders can help them reach their potential for growth and job creation to positively impact the MENA region. Missing Middle SMEs are formally registered firms that have passed the initial start-up stage. These SMEs typically have modest revenues of US$100,000-$5 million, employ an average of 6-150 employees and require between US$50,000 and $2 million in flexible growth finance, along with business development assistance, to survive and grow. This study shows that although there are a number of existing SME support programs in the region, they need to go beyond the provision of limited subsidized loans and pre-investment training to adequately support the Missing Middle SMEs throughout their business lifecycle."

"The Stocktaking Report aims to provide the G-20 Leaders with a summarized but comprehensive framework by which to understand the SME finance gap and its challenges. The first part of the report is conceptual and primarily consists of a review of the literature on SME Finance in the developing world; the second part of the report discusses the analysis of 164 cases of SME Finance interventions compiled through a collective effort involving G-20 member countries, non-member countries, development finance institutions, and private sector players. Finally, the report highlights key recommendations that are proposed to the G-20 Leaders in order to achieve signifi cantand sustainable scale-up of SME access to financial services across the developing world."

"This resource page contains a theory of change template that is free to download and use."

"With the aim of better understanding trends, challenges, and growth opportunities, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) has developed a series of publications about impact investing in four sectors: biodiversity conservation, education, financial inclusion and health. This publication focuses on the specifics ofi mpact investing in biodiversity conservation. It begins with an overview of the social, environmental and economic context in Brazil, which is followed by data on impact investing in the sector taken from the second edition of the report "The Impact Investing Landscape in Latin America", recently publishec by ANDE and LAVCA (The Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America). The publication then presents a case study of a business that rec3eived investment, before concluding with recommendations for the sector."

"This publication focuses on the specifics of impact investing in financial inclusion and fintechs. It begins with an overview of the social and economic context in Brazil, which is followed by data on impact investing in the sector taken from the second edition of the report "The Impact Investing Landscape in Latin America", recently published by ANDE and LAVCA (The Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America). The publication then presents a case study of a business that received investment, before concluding with recommendations for the future."

"Global sustainable development challenges such as climate change or poverty cannot be addressed without Responsible Finance - finance that integrates social, environmental and governance concerns into the lending and investment decision making of financial institutions.

This study sets out a series of major Responsible Finance trends and identifies a number of key challenges and barriers for its further integration. The study is aimed at those interested in learning about the status quo, trends and drivers influencing business practices through lending and investment decisions in the financial sector internationally and in India."

"We analysed the growth impact delivered by a high-growth entrepreneurship policy initiative over a six-year period. Using an eight-year panel that started two years before the initiative was launched and propensity score matching to control selection bias, we found that the initiative had more than doubled the growth rates of treated firms. The initiative had delivered a strong impact also on value-for-money basis. In addition to producing the first robust evidence on the growth impact delivered by a high-growth entrepreneurship initiative, we contribute to public sponsorship theory with the notion of capacity-boosting activities to complement previously discussed buffering and bridging activities."

"Small businesses are often believed to serve as engines for innovation, employment and social mobility, due to their flexibility in responding to new opportunities and their potential for rapid growth. In developing countries, SMEs make up a particularly large part of the economy, yet data suggests that very few small enterprises in developing countries grow into larger businesses. Researchers conducted a qualitative study of a consulting program in the Philippines designed to help SMEs expand, investigating the obstacles that consultants identified as constraints to firm growth. They found that there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to business training - most firms have a complex, interconnected set of challenges."

"Over the course of seven weeks, NESsT will email users a step-by-step process that organizations can use to develop a gender lens investing (GLI) strategy with their portfolio companies. The gender inclusive strategy specifically highlights metrics to drive gender equality and inclusion."