British International Investment: Understanding reach in India
With a population of 1.4 billion, India is one of the largest, most diverse and rapidly growing countries in the world. It also has one of the largest populations living in poverty. With a current portfolio value at over $2 billion invested – directly and indirectly – across over 300 companies, India is British International Investment’s (BII) largest single country portfolio. BII therefore thought it was critical to understand not only who they are reaching through their investments, but also what impact is being experienced.
This study takes a deeper look at British International Investment’s portfolio to better understand the socio-economic characteristics of the people they were reaching, but also to gain a more nuanced assessment of the impact these people experienced. The insights we drew were invaluable in helping BII to better define what they mean by inclusive investments and how they can be most effective in reaching low-income people in their current strategy.
“When the market price is low we get a good price here. It brings me satisfaction as a farmer.”
Supplier, Investee 6
This was an extraordinary exercise, facilitated by 60 Decibels, which involved dozens of companies and fund managers, and thousands of suppliers, employees and customers willing to share their own experiences. As the largest impact dataset on British Impact Investment’s India portfolio, the data provides a rich and nuanced picture of their impact. It reveals opportunities for inclusive investments across sectors and types of stakeholders. It shows their investments have a real-life impact on people, improving their quality of life and incomes. And it enables them to hear the voices of those whose lives we are seeking to change.
Top insights from the report
- Investments are more likely to reach low-income households as suppliers and employees.
2. Inclusion is greatest in the food and agriculture sector, followed by manufacturing.
3. Inclusive outcomes can be achieved anywhere.
4. Investees are providing unique products and services to an underserved market.
5. Investees make a meaningful positive different to people’s quality of life.
6. Investees are creating jobs that improve household incomes.