iGravity: Impact Investment Management and Advisory Firm

What is iGravity?

iGravity is an impact investment management and advisory firm that designs and manages impact investment mandates. Their mission? To provide access to unique investment opportunities and support high-impact enterprises. They focus on building and managing financial solutions that create tangible impact for philanthropic partners and institutional investors alike. Simply put, iGravity channels capital where it can do the most good, especially in emerging markets.

Main Benefits of iGravity’s Approach

Here’s a quick snapshot of what makes iGravity stand out:

• FINMA-licensed portfolio manager, ensuring regulatory compliance and trust.
• Manages private debt portfolios targeting local businesses in emerging markets.
• Focus on social and environmental progress through direct debt mandates and liquid portfolios.
• Investment strategies that balance competitive financial returns with meaningful impact outcomes.
• Use of blended finance structures with capital protection features tailored to diverse investor preferences.
• Collaborations like the Green Rice Bond, aiming to raise USD 50 million for Sub-Saharan Africa’s rice production value chain.

Investment Strategies and Portfolios

iGravity offers a variety of investment mandates designed to meet different impact and financial goals. Their direct investment mandates include initiatives like BALIM Investments, the Impact-Linked Finance Fund, the Refugee Investment Facility (RIF), and the SECO Startup Fund. These focus on providing loans and capital to local SMEs and high-impact enterprises, fueling growth and sustainability.

Multi-Manager Portfolios for Diversification

For investors looking for diversified exposure, iGravity manages multi-manager portfolios such as the Emerging Market Impact Debt Strategy and the Impact Yield Strategy. The Emerging Impact Debt Opportunities portfolio is actively managed and diversified across countries and impact themes, focusing on private credit opportunities that promote sustainable economic growth and job creation. Meanwhile, the Impact Yield Certificate invests primarily in listed social and green bonds, with satellite allocations to funds and trusts, all across emerging markets.

Innovative Financial Instruments: The Green Rice Bond

One of iGravity’s standout projects is the Green Rice Bond, developed in partnership with Helvetas. This is the world’s first financial market instrument specifically designed to mobilize investment capital for the rice production value chain in Sub-Saharan Africa. The bond aims to raise USD 50 million, providing indirect financing through local micro- and SME finance institutions. This innovative approach supports key stakeholders throughout the rice production chain, empowering communities and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Impact on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDG 1: No Poverty – by supporting local SMEs and communities.
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger – through financing sustainable agriculture like the Green Rice Bond.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – by promoting job creation and economic development.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – via innovative finance structures and impact management systems.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – through investments in green bonds and environmentally focused enterprises.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – collaborating with development partners and financial institutions.

Advisory Services and Collaborative Impact

Beyond investments, iGravity offers advisory services that help development partners explore, design, implement, and evaluate innovative finance structures and impact management systems. This means they don’t just put money to work—they also help shape the frameworks that ensure investments deliver real, measurable impact. It’s a holistic approach that supports sustainable progress and empowers partners to tackle global challenges effectively.

What iGravity actually does

iGravity is an impact investment management and advisory firm founded in 2017, with offices in Zurich, Milan, Kampala, Nairobi and Bogotá. On the investment side it manages emerging market private debt strategies that lend to local enterprises with social or environmental objectives, including Balim Investments, the Refugee Investment Facility, the Impact-Linked Finance Fund and multi-manager strategies such as Emerging Impact Debt.

On the advisory side, iGravity helps development partners design, implement and evaluate innovative finance structures and impact measurement systems. Its track record includes designing an impact bond for the UN International Labour Organization and co-structuring the Charm Impact Note. The firm holds a Swiss FINMA licence.

Where iGravity shows up

• Small and growing businesses in emerging markets: debt capital for enterprises that mainstream lenders underserve, with 88% of Emerging Impact Debt enterprises being small or medium.
• Refugees and host communities: the Refugee Investment Facility finances companies that hire, serve or source from refugees, reaching 49,802 people in 2025, 35% of them refugees.
• Smallholder farmers and rural economies: Balim portfolio companies purchased USD 10.8m from 14,472 smallholder farmers in 2025.
• Development agencies and funders: advisory on blended finance, outcome-based finance and impact measurement for public and philanthropic partners.

Proof, not just claims

Figures come from iGravity’s 2025 Annual Impact Report and are reported on an exposure basis, meaning the total results of the enterprises and funds its capital supports; attributed figures are also published. Capital raised by iGravity reached USD 66.1m at the end of 2025, up 27% on the prior year, and Impact-Linked Finance Fund results are based on externally verified outcome data tied to payments.

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Why this belongs on a sustainability directory

iGravity’s core business is directing capital to people that conventional finance leaves out. Lending to small enterprises, rural businesses and female-owned MSMEs (90% of the Emerging Impact Debt portfolio) creates jobs and income, which ties directly to SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth) and SDG 1 (No poverty). Financing companies that employ and serve refugees and host communities, and smallholder farmers in low-income markets, narrows economic gaps between groups, which is the target of SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities).