STRENGTHENING TRUST IN IMPACT INVESTING

BlueMark is the leading provider of independent impact verification and intelligence for the impact and sustainable investing market.

Verifications Completed*

Impact Assets Verified*

*As of April 3, 2023

BlueMark raises $10 million in Series A

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Impact Marked with Confidence

BlueMark® was created to meet the need for expert, third-party verification of impact claims and practices. Market actors increasingly recognize the importance of impact transparency and accountability to scale the amount of capital needed to address our shared sustainability challenges.

With decades of experience in the impact investing industry, the BlueMark team brings unrivaled knowledge and capabilities in providing a range of specialized impact assessment services. An independent assessment from BlueMark is designed to support investors in their impact investing journeys — whether helping asset managers to understand their degree of alignment to industry standards and financial regulations, or enabling asset allocators to optimize their engagement with portfolio companies and managers.

BlueMark’s Approach to Impact Verification

BlueMark’s diagnostic and verification services are structured around two key pillars of accountability for impact performance – impact management (IM) practice and impact reporting.

BlueMark’s verification methodology is grounded in knowledge of evolving industry standards, market frameworks and regulatory requirements.

We view every verification assignment as an opportunity to enable our clients to benchmark themselves against peers and market practices, and to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Each BlueMark-endorsed verification statement includes an in-depth assessment of a client’s alignment with standards, as well as a proprietary rating to help clients advance their understanding and achievement of industry best practices. This approach is designed to empower our clients by providing them with value-added insights on the practical steps and tools they need to succeed.

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We started the verification process with opened eyes and ended it with wiser eyes. We learned how much more we can do in this journey, as striving for excellence in our impact practices is not a sprint but a marathon.

BlueOrchard Finance
Maria Teresa Zappia, Deputy CEO & Chief Impact and Blended Finance Officer

Thought Leadership

BlueMark regularly publishes research featuring data and insights on industry best practices as part of our goal to ensure the sustainable and impact investing market scales with integrity.

MAKING THE MARK

BlueMark’s annual report on best practices in impact management is based on its verifications of investor alignment with industry best practice, including the Operating Principles for Impact Management.

Click here to download the 2022 edition, featuring the inaugural Practice Leaderboard of impact investors that earned top quartile ratings according to BlueMark’s verification methodology.

VIEW THE REPORT

RAISING THE BAR

BlueMark’s research series on best practices in impact performance reporting is aimed at improving the quality and usefulness of reports produced by private market impact investors.

Download Raising the Bar 2.0 to learn more about BlueMark’s framework for evaluating impact reporting, results from a pilot project with Impact Frontiers, and our insights into emerging best practices for impact reporting.

VIEW THE REPORT

MAKING THE MARK

BlueMark’s annual report on best practices in impact management is based on its verifications of investor alignment with industry best practice, including the Operating Principles for Impact Management.

Click here to download the 2022 edition, featuring the inaugural Practice Leaderboard of impact investors that earned top quartile ratings according to BlueMark’s verification methodology.
VIEW THE REPORT

RAISING THE BAR

BlueMark’s research series on best practices in impact performance reporting is aimed at improving the quality and usefulness of reports produced by private market impact investors.

Download Raising the Bar 2.0 to learn more about BlueMark’s framework for evaluating impact reporting, results from a pilot project with Impact Frontiers, and our insights into emerging best practices for impact reporting.
VIEW THE REPORT

Recent News and Insights

CASE STUDY

LEAPFROG INVESTMENTS

LeapFrog Investments is a leading impact investor in emerging markets and in 2019 raised the largest-ever private equity fund by a dedicated impact fund manager, with a $743 million fund investing in healthcare and financial services companies in Asia and Africa. As a leader in the field, LeapFrog played a key consultative role in the development of the Operating Principles for Impact Management, which were launched in 2019 and endorsed by many of the world’s largest and leading asset managers.

LeapFrog recognized the importance of authenticity and accountability to scale the field, and sought out an independent verifier that would be able to both rigorously assess the firm’s impact management systems and provide a roadmap for continued learning and improvement. Bluemark was selected based on its proprietary approach to assessing alignment with each of the Principles and providing detailed feedback on both strengths and potential areas for improvement.

The efficient, four-week engagement resulted in a thorough assessment of LeapFrog’s alignment with each of the Principles, based on the review of hundreds of pages of investment policies, tools, memoranda, and impact reporting. The verification findings for LeapFrog reinforced the firm’s leadership position in impact management and set a high bar for alignment against the Principles. LeapFrog has since leveraged BlueMark’s insights to further strengthen its Profit with Purpose strategy, including through the institutionalization of the firm’s Responsible Exits Framework.