Text: Maxi Media Communication
Images: Press release/Impact Finance
Impact Finance (formerly Impact Not a Bank) conducted the study "Financing the Pan-Amazonian Bioeconomy." The survey reveals that only 8.5% of the mapped financial mechanisms focus exclusively on the socio-bioeconomy – that is, mechanisms entirely geared towards community, traditional, and extractive supply chains, focusing on food security, inclusion, and the economy of the standing forest – while 34% support bioeconomy supply chains more broadly.
The survey analyzed 141 active financial instruments in the eight countries of the region and reveals a diverse, yet fragmented ecosystem. Although there is a variety of mechanisms, ranging from subsidies and capital funds to instruments such as biodiversity credits and debt-for-nature swaps, the main challenge identified is not the lack of resources, but the difficulty of access for local entrepreneurs and the inadequacy of financial models to the territorial realities of the Amazon.
“The study results show that resources are available, but they are still poorly adapted to the reality of those who conserve, live, and produce in the Amazon. We need mechanisms that originate from the territory, with transparent governance, more compatible criteria, and adequate de-risking instruments, so that capital actually reaches the socio-bioeconomy production chains,” says Gabriel Ribenboim, CEO and co-founder of Impact Finance.
The study also points out that 57.5% operate with blended financing, integrating public, private, and philanthropic capital, a structure considered strategic for reducing risks and expanding the flow of investments aimed at sustainable and inclusive supply chains.
The complete study, “Financing the Bioeconomy of the Pan-Amazon,” can be accessed on the website: naturefinance.net.
Impact Finance
Impact Finance's participation in the study reflects its practical work within the socio-environmental impact finance ecosystem in Brazil. The organization has established itself as a strategic ally of bioeconomy businesses by structuring financial solutions that combine public, private, and philanthropic capital, with a special focus on governance, the design of hybrid instruments, and the measurement of socio-environmental impact.
Unlike traditional financial institutions, Impact Finance was designed to place socio-environmental impact at the heart of decision-making. Structured as an integrated social and environmental finance platform, in the concept of a one-stop-shop, it serves both those seeking to allocate and monitor capital with impact, and those who need to access resources in a structured, transparent way aligned with socio-environmental results.
The model combines financial products, such as digital accounts, cards, and credit, with a digital infrastructure for managing finances and social and environmental goals – the Impact Map – and the offering of specialized structuring and management services. Everything is designed so that companies and civil society organizations can directly access financial products and management tools, powered by artificial intelligence, that facilitate resource organization, financial control, monitoring, and reporting of socio-environmental results.
One of the mechanisms operated by the platform is 'Amazon Food&Forest', which combines credit, technical assistance, and robust social and environmental management criteria to support sustainable production chains that keep the forest standing.
impact business
Impact Finance is part of the business portfolio of AMAZ, an impact accelerator coordinated by Idesam, focused on strengthening ventures that originate and operate in rural Amazonia. In addition to an acceleration program with strategically customized mentoring tailored to the profile and stage of the business, AMAZ offers financial and strategic support to initiatives facing similar challenges related to resource management, access to capital, and financial sustainability. It also fosters connections between various actors in the socio-bioeconomy, including the 16 businesses currently active in AMAZ's portfolio.
One example of this action is the Tucum Fund, a mechanism aimed at financing the indigenous socio-bioeconomy through initiatives that generate sustainable, financeable, and controlled-risk income. The initiative seeks to promote the economic development of indigenous communities, valuing traditional knowledge and natural resources, while strengthening environmental and cultural preservation.
With goals projected for five years, the Tucum Fund aims to benefit more than 2,400 artisans in 31 territories, involving 54 ethnic groups across three biomes: the Amazon, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest, encompassing approximately 32 million hectares of Indigenous Lands and Protected Areas. Impact Finance is involved in the financial structuring of the initiative, contributing to the organization of resource flows and the consolidation of socio-environmental and governance criteria.
“This partnership between Tucum and Impact Finance, both businesses in AMAZ's portfolio, has brought only benefits to both companies. We are always actively listening to businesses, promoting connections between them, building bridges with angel investors, in addition to specific mentoring, customized according to the needs of each initiative,” explains Gabriela Souza, leader of new businesses at Idesam and manager of Amaz.
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