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SGB Finance Series Webinar
Bijon Islam, Co-founder and CEO of LightCastle Partners, recently joined the Asia SGB Finance Series as a panellist in its opening session, titled “Building an Impact Ecosystem with Impact-Linked Finance.” The session was co-hosted by ANDE East and Southeast Asia and Roots of Impact, as part of a multi-session webinar series to spotlight how Impact-Linked Finance (ILF) can support small and growing businesses (SGBs) across Asia.
The session explored the design and delivery of the Biniyog Briddhi (B-Briddhi) programme in Bangladesh. During the webinar, Bijon Islam joined a panel that delved into the practical challenges and lessons learnt from implementing ILF in the context of Bangladesh. The discussion highlighted how multi-stakeholder collaboration, effective ecosystem coordination, and trust-building were essential in adapting ILF instruments such as Impact-Ready Matching Funds (IRMF) and Social Impact Incentives (SIINC) to local realities.
The panel also emphasised the importance of creating an enabling environment where support organisations, funders, and entrepreneurs work together to align incentives and scale impact. This included reflecting on the broader question of how Impact-Linked Finance can be adapted and scaled across other Asian emerging markets.
The session was moderated by Mercy Zulu-Hume, Head of Programs at Roots of Impact, and featured insights from Rifad Hossain, Co-founder and CEO of Shomvob. This enterprise benefited from ILF under the B-Briddhi programme.
The Asia SGB Finance Series continues through 2025, bringing together practitioners, funders, and entrepreneurs to share cross-country learnings on designing financial tools that strengthen small and growing businesses while driving meaningful impact.
B-Briddhi is a gender-inclusive programme supporting a thriving impact ecosystem in #Bangladesh where impact enterprises can grow and scale. This programme is funded by #Switzerland and implemented by Roots of Impact and LightCastle Partners.
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