Impact Investment: A Key Solution for MSME Financing and Gender Equality

Impact Investment: A Key Solution for MSME Financing and Gender Equality

Policy Synergy and a Sustainable Financing Ecosystem

From a macro perspective, Bappenas considers impact investment a potential response to Indonesia’s sustainable-financing gap, estimated at between US$1.7 trillion and US$8.7 trillion.

This financing supports the achievement of the Golden Indonesia 2045 targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Government is committed to building a conducive ecosystem through blended finance, pentahelix collaboration and structural risk-reduction mechanisms.

These measures are intended to accelerate early-stage innovation and channel private capital towards strategic sectors, including green transport, renewable energy, healthcare, education and micro-enterprises.

Indonesia’s progress on SDG indicators, with more than 62% achieved, provides positive momentum for attracting private capital. “Our hope for the Indonesia Impact Investment Summit 2026 is not only to mobilise private capital,” said Leonardo A. A. Teguh Sambodo, Deputy for Food, Natural Resources and the Environment at Bappenas.

He added that the forum was expected to accelerate investment in early-stage businesses in clean energy, healthcare, education and micro-enterprises, helping to foster inclusive economic growth.

Addressing Business Readiness Barriers and Building Global Links

Although the market has considerable potential, the flow of capital is often impeded by businesses’ own level of readiness. Governance, financial performance and limited business scale can make it difficult for MSMEs to meet investors’ stringent criteria.

Accelerator programmes help prepare businesses to grow, but completing such a programme does not automatically mean a business is ready to receive investment.

Assessments by business-support practitioners have identified differences between the standards of programme providers and those of investors. “A business that has completed an accelerator programme is not necessarily ready to receive investment,” said Adisti Chandra, COO of Instellar Impact. Closer coordination between business-support programme managers and capital providers is therefore needed to align their criteria.

To expand collaboration, IIA also serves as the secretariat of the Global Steering Group (GSG) Impact Indonesia National Partner. This role enables Indonesia’s impact-investment ecosystem to connect directly with international investor networks and adopt best practices from other countries.