Initiative
The Dual Return Fund – Vision Microfinance has been repeatedly awarded with the internationally recognised Luxflag label.
LuxFLAG is an independent non-profit association which was founded in 2006 in Luxembourg. The aim of the agency is to award investment funds which invest in microfinance with a specific label according to well-defined and publicly available criteria. The LuxFLAG label guarantees investors that their assets are indeed invested in microfinance. In order to receive the label, investment funds must be transparent, must be inspected by a national body and must invest at least a quarter of their microfinance portfolio in microfinance institutions rated by a microfinance rating agency which again is recognised by LuxFLAG.
The Dual Return Fund – Vision Microfinance was awarded with the CGAP ESG Transparency Certificate for its exemplary transparency in its investor communication.
The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) awards microfinance asset managers with this certificate for their transparency and reporting committed to environmental, social and governance issues.
The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) was founded in 1995 by the world bank and is supported by over 30 development agencies and private foundations. CGAP is an independent policy and research center dedicated to advancing financial access for the world's poor.
The Dual Return Fund – Vision Microfinance endorses the client protection principles of the Smart Campaign. The protection of microfinance clients is an integral part of the social performance and hence focal point of the due diligence. Every microfinance institution the Dual Return Fund – Vision Microfinance invests in, is visited on site and their financial and social performance is assessed.
The Smart Campaign is a global effort aimed at safeguarding the interests of microfinance clients, to treat them fairly and respectfully. The Client Protection Principles include:
• Appropriate product design and delivery
• Prevention of over-indebtedness
• Transparency
• Responsible pricing
• Fair and respectful treatment of clients
• Privacy of client data
• Mechanisms for complaint resolution
Absolute Portfolio Management, manager of the Dual Return - Vision Microfinance fund, has been included in the ImpactAssets 50 as one of the leading top 50 impact investment companies world-wide.
ImpactAssets is an American non-profit company with the aim to catalyze capital for social and environmental fields of investments. Crucial for the inclusion in the ImpactAssets 50 are not merely the financial returns of investment products but rather their social and environmental impact. The 50 investment managers invest a total of 5,2 bn EUR in a wide array of asset classes across geographical regions and investment fields (including microfinance, community development, fair trade u.a.).
Absolute Portfolio Management Ltd. is amongst the first signatories of the UN PRI in Austria. In 2006, the UN introduced six "Principles for Responsible Investment" (UN PRI). By signing these, investors and asset managers agree to commit themselves to environmental, social and governance issues in their investment activities.
Absolute Portfolio Management GmbH is promoter of the non-profit foundation Opportunity International Germany. In partnership with other members of the microfinance plattform www.mikrofinanzwiki.de APM is committed to strengthen the importance of microfinance, to propagate good practices and professionalism within the microfinance industry and to improve cooperations and the exchange of expertise with politics, science and research.