Ethex and Triodos Bank UK have been pioneers of direct impact investment for decades. This new partnership will combine strengths and investor communities, enabling more capital to flow to projects that deliver benefits for people and planet.
Ethex and Triodos Bank UK will remain independent in sourcing investment opportunities, focusing on complementary areas and sectors and the specialist Triodos Bank UK Corporate Finance team will continue to originate and structure new investment offers - as the bank has done for over 25 years - and these will be available to everyday investors via Ethex.
With a combined track record of over £330 million raised for over 300 impactful projects - including £246 million raised for 264 climate positive projects - this will be the UK’s most experienced, investor-focused, mission-aligned collaboration supporting scale in direct impact investment.
Registered users of Triodos Crowdfunding (www.triodoscrowdfunding.co.uk) will be transferred to Ethex in September and Triodos will close its platform once this is complete. Investors will enjoy a single portfolio view and streamlined account management, with clear signposting of Triodos offers alongside Ethex’s own offers.
Mark Clayton, CEO at Triodos Bank UK, said: “Our mission has always been to make money work for positive change. In 2018 we become the first bank in the UK to launch its own crowdfunding platform to enable everyday investors to directly support organisations creating positive impact. By partnering with Ethex, we can now offer more investors even greater access to these high-impact opportunities. Working together we are uniquely placed to respond to the increasing scale and evolution of the direct impact investment market.”
Crowdfunding offers on the Ethex platform enable people to invest from £50 directly in shares or bonds issued by organisations delivering positive social and environmental impacts. Triodos and Ethex have experience structuring bond offers that are Innovative Finance ISA eligible, allowing investors to receive the interest they earn on these investments tax-free.
Recent offers on the Ethex platform include Bath and West Community Energy, one of the UK’s most established community energy groups, that raised over £750,000 with a 5.5% forecast return and Low Carbon Hub, who raised over £500,000 to fund the UK’s first community-owned battery in Oxfordshire and targeting returns of 5%. The first Triodos offers expect to be live in coming weeks.
Lisa Ashford, Director and co-CEO at Ethex said:“We believe that now more than ever we need to move with urgency to meet the demand for capital that we are seeing from impact-driven enterprises. Our partnership with Triodos Bank UK is about urgency and scale. We are joining forces to put more capital into the hands of changemakers while making 'investing for good' the standard for all.”
Ethex will undertake all investor registry management, payments, and online investor account management, providing comprehensive support for Triodos clients and investors.
The FCA-authorised platform provider ShareIn, a specialist in investment infrastructure for alternative finance brands, is used by Ethex to facilitate payments to and from investors and to assist with building and hosting. Triodos have also used ShareIn and so there will be underlying continuity in the system provider and data holder for investors.
Commenting on the partnership, Stephen Muers, CEO of Better Society Capital, says: "There is more demand from investors for high-impact opportunities, and more organisations seeking that investment. By combining the track records and capabilities of Ethex and Triodos UK, this partnership will enable more capital to flow to where it is most needed."
Important information
Investments offered on the Ethex platform are not readily realisable, which means that they may be difficult to sell and you may get back less than you originally invested. Investments are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and returns are not guaranteed. If you are in any doubt, you should contact an Independent Financial Adviser.
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Notes to editors
For further information, please contact:
Lauren Ryan, Corporate Communications Specialist, Triodos Bank UK
[email protected] 0117 980 9654
Melissa Gilmour, Group Head of Marketing, Ethex
[email protected] 07970 767 869
Background on recent Ethex investment offers
Ethex recent offers have included three community energy bonds, from Kent Community Energy, Bath & West Community Energy and SE24, funding solar projects that cut carbon and deliver tangible local benefit. Another community share offer from Low Carbon Hub will fund the UK's first community-owned solar battery storage project, co-located at one of the country's largest community solar parks. Currently live on the platform is Salad Finance Ltd, an organisation that strengthens the financial well-being of people shut out of mainstream finance by providing ethical, transparent, award‑winning credit solutions.
About Triodos Bank
Founded in 1980, Triodos Bank is a frontrunner in impact finance. As an independent, mission-driven bank, Triodos Bank uses money consciously to create positive change, demonstrating that caring for people and planet goes hand in hand with healthy financial returns.
Triodos Bank is the only B-Corp certified bank listed on Euronext Amsterdam. The bank operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Spain and Germany, with Investment Management activities based in the Netherlands and active globally.
Triodos Bank co-founded the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, a network of 70 sustainable banks worldwide. Together these banks work on growing a financial system that supports the real economy and delivers lasting social and environmental impact.
Triodos Bank UK Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triodos Bank NV. Registered Office: Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AS. Registered in England and Wales Company No. 11379025. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 817008. VAT reg no 793493383.
About Ethex
Established in 2013, Ethex is a positive investment platform which connects people who want their money to do good with community-led and climate-focused projects seeking to unlock capital flow into ethical organisations that need funding. Thirteen years later, thanks to its community of more than 29,000 positive investors, Ethex has raised over £135 million for over 220 projects supporting climate action, fairer societies and more resilient communities. The platform has had support from recognised member partners CO2Sense, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), Friends Provident Foundation, Barrow Cadbury Trust, Better Society Capital, and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Read the latest impact review at ethex.org.uk