In this quarter’s video update, Karen Shackleton and Bruna Bauer discussed two new research projects exploring venture capital and the insurance sector from an impact investment perspective.

The finding discovered:

• Pension funds see venture capital as a useful diversifier with growing alignment to sustainability themes such as climate, health and education.

• However education, perceived risk, fee transparency and performance consistency are challenges which need overcoming in the eyes of pension funds.

• Insurance companies, meanwhile, are transitioning from responsible to sustainable investors, integrating climate, nature and human rights into their approaches. Yet there are difficulties translating climate scenario analysis into actionable investment decisions.

Across both pensions and insurance education, regulatory clarity and capacity building emerged as shared priorities.

Pensions for Purpose continues to work on bridging these gaps through training, masterclasses, policy engagement and our upcoming Annual Symposium on 5 November.

Looking ahead, the research team will focus on biodiversity, place-based investment, the ethnic pensions gap and investing in peace and justice.