Key Takeaways from the 2025 GIIN Impact Forum in Berlin

Leading impact investing experts gathered in Berlin for the Global Impact Investing Network’s (GIIN) annual Forum in early October. The event celebrated the sector’s ongoing growth, with GIIN’s 2025 estimate of USD 1.6 tn in assets under management — a rise of 11% over the past year and a 21% compound annual growth rate over six years. Under the theme Unshakeable Values. Common Purpose, the Forum reinforced the industry’s determination to mobilize capital for both financial returns and positive impact.

Here are four key messages we took away:

1. Investors Are Building Resilience in Response to Market Headwinds

Investors discussed global economic and political events as they navigated headwinds and reconsidered their strategies during a period of uncertainty. Matt Christensen, Head of Sustainable & Impact Investment at Allianz Global Investors, pointed out that many regions have successfully managed prolonged uncertainty. To do so, investors adopted several strategies to build resilience, including:  

• Diversification: Asset owners and managers are empowering new partners that provide access to new markets through more diversified investment strategies. Limited Partners (LPs) are working to build the capacity of investment managers on the ground. For example, LPs are offering technical assistance and sharing institutional knowledge with managers in new and emerging markets to ensure their operational success in achieving mutual financial and impact objectives.
• Innovation: Collaborative initiatives that involve private, public and non-governmental actors can help manage risk to achieve shared goals. Anna Sophie Herken from GIZ talked about the SCALED initiative — which includes Global Affairs Canada and La Caisse as members — as an example of global co-operation and innovative market development to help investors use blended finance to derisk engaging in new market opportunities amidst rising uncertainty.
• Strengthen relationships: Investment managers and their LPs have sought opportunities to achieve mutual objectives together. For example, some investment managers are engaging LPs in the co-creation of new products that meet their impact objectives, and giving them the opportunity to contribute to the impact they are generating through advisory positions.

2. From Hype to Impact: AI is Enabling Economic Participation

Speakers noted how artificial intelligence (AI) is improving the speed, efficiency and volume of their work, especially in impact measurement and climate risk modelling. While acknowledging the potential negative effects of AI — in particular the energy intensity, misinformation risks and labour market disruptions — AI’s greatest potential is to drive inclusivity, economic empowerment and improved wellbeing at scale. This is because in many parts of the world, especially in emerging economies, AI is viewed as revolutionizing who can participate in the global economy. Andrew Kuper, Founder and CEO of LeapFrog Investments, noted AI has “allowed people to become agents of their own destiny.” Accordingly, Leapfrog is investing in companies that are rapidly scaling AI-enabled solutions in financial inclusion and health and nutrition.

3. Sophistication + Credibility: Impact Management Expectations Are Evolving

This year’s forum highlighted the emerging standardization of impact measurement and management (IM+M) practices in frameworks such as the Impact Principles, The 5-Dimensions of impact, GIIN IRIS+ Metrics and Impact Frontiers’ Impact Performance Reporting Norms.

Investors are enhancing their IM+M approaches to better track outcomes, as illustrated by Quona Capital’s collaboration with 60 Decibels to collect data from portfolio company stakeholders on matters such as quality of life improvements amongst customers. Investors are also demonstrating increasingly sophisticated relationships between impact and financial returns, as Schroders recently demonstrated in their research with Oxford linking impact materiality to alpha. This connection is expected to underpin impact-linked compensation for managers, as highlighted by the Innovative Finance Initiative on the importance of redesigning incentive structures to affect how financial markets function.

4. All-In on Impact: Foundations Are Driving Change

There is a growing movement of philanthropic leaders challenging the notion of perpetuity foundations, making it more difficult for foundation boards and trustees to justify investment strategies that prioritize minimum required grant disbursements and capital preservation that may be working against philanthropic objectives.

World Education Services’ Smitha Das, Senior Director of Investments, shared their journey to align 100% of WES’ assets with their mission. This included ongoing board and trustee education, active engagement of external advisors to provide an impartial voice, updating the investment policy statement and internal capacity building to ensure the strategy endures.

Waverly Street Foundation described their rationale for becoming a spend-down foundation, with the goal of deploying all of their resources in pursuit of their philanthropic objectives. They were driven by creating new ownership models that transfer assets directly to the communities they aim to serve, empowering them to create and drive solutions that they are uniquely positioned to create.

At Quinn+Partners, we advise companies and investors on developing strategies to drive, measure and manage their positive social and environmental outcomes through their business and investment practices. If you are ready to take the next step on your impact investing and impact management journey, please get in touch.