Webinar: Spotlight on Refugee-Lens Investing

Join our online conversation about refugee lens investing, on Thursday, July 23rd, starting at 11:00 am EDT. Our guests bring extensive experience from the field, shedding light on the impact of refugee finance both domestically and internationally. The global dimensions of refugee finance, very forward looking fintech solutions attracting international capital, combined with the significant and increasingly long-term dislocations of people have created a very distinct brand of finance, providing attractive opportunities for impact investors.  

The panel will address:

• What is refugee lens investing?
• What are the benefits of investing in displaced persons?
• The current state of the ecosystem, and ways to engage
• Drivers for investment 

Our speakers are:

• Moderator, Diana de Castro is Senior Advisor for Pro Mujer, and also serves on  the Gender Smart Subcommittee of the Ilu Women's Empowerment Fund. Diana previously served as Chief Alliance Officer and COO at Pro Mujer. Additionaly, she worked as an international private banker at Royal Bank of Canada and Barclays.
  

• Emma Aller is Director of Risk at Kiva. As part of her role managing risk across Kiva.org and Kiva Capital, Emma is specifically focused on the Kiva Refugee Investment Fund and Kiva's efforts to bring financial services to displaced populations globally. Prior to Kiva, Emma was Director of Risk for MicroVest, responsible for oversight of risk management and portfolio monitoring for MicroVest's funds. She also worked at the Council on Foreign Relations, a foreign policy think tank.

• John W. Kluge is a systems entrepreneur and committed social justice activist. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Refugee Investment Network. Previously, he co-founded Toilet Hackers, a social enterprise dedicated to scaling access to dignified sanitation for the 2.5 billion people without a toilet. Kluge currently serves as a member of the Center for Strategic International Studies’ Taskforce on Global Forced Migration. He has written about the intersection of business and social impact for Forbes and Conscious Company.

• Yanki Tshering is the Executive Director of the Business Center for New Americans (BCNA), a CDFI that provides services in New York City. BCNA has made over $32 million dollars in loans to micro and small businesses and has provided training for over 10,000 refugee and immigrant businesses. Ms. Tshering is a Board Member of the New York State CDFI Coalition. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the New York City Neighborhood Capital Corporation (NYCNCC) of NYEDC. 

ICF Members can pre-register at no cost. Non-Members may join for a $15 registration. Membership is available at levels for $25, $50 and $95, learn more

Login instructions for this Zoom videoconference will be emailed after your registration is completed.

There also will be a networking breakout session on Zoom just after the main session, in which webinar attendees are invited to interact in small groups with speakers and each other. These distinct login instructions will be sent in the same email confirmation.