IMPACT MARKED WITH CONFIDENCE

BlueMark, a Tideline company, is a leading provider of independent impact verification services for investors and companies.

BlueMark, an independent impact verification company, was created to meet the need for reliable, third-party assurance of impact claims and practices.

BlueMark, Tideline’s independent impact verification company, was created to meet the need for reliable, third-party assurance of impact claims and practices.

We believe shared trust is essential to scaling market demand for impact investment products and services – just as in any other market – and independent verification is key to establishing and maintaining that trust.

With decades of relevant impact experience, the BlueMark team brings unrivaled knowledge and capabilities necessary to provide a range of specialized impact assurance services.

We currently offer three types of complementary services that collectively deliver greater confidence at each stage of the impact investing process.

BlueMark’s Impact Verification Services

Practice

We assess the degree to which an investor’s impact management (IM) practices are aligned with market standards, evaluating the quality and depth of a client’s IM system as well as its compliance with a threshold standard of practice.

Performance

We assess the quality of an investor’s impact performance reporting based on industry best practices, evaluating the relevance, comparability, and balance of the impact information reported by a client as well as the quality and reliability of underlying data.

Practice

We assess the degree to which an investor’s impact management (IM) practices are aligned with market standards, evaluating the quality and depth of a client’s IM system as well as its compliance with a threshold standard of practice.

Performance

We assess the quality of an investor’s impact performance reporting based on industry best practices, evaluating the relevance, comparability, and balance of the impact information reported by a client as well as the quality and reliability of underlying data.

Standards and Regulations

BlueMark’s approach to independent verification is grounded in impact investing industry standards, such as the Operating Principles for Impact Management (“Impact Principles”) and the SDG Impact Standards (“SDG Impact”). Given the frequent introduction of new standards and revisions to existing standards, BlueMark works with clients to align their impact practices and impact performance with the most relevant and up-to-date standards and frameworks. BlueMark also actively monitors regulatory developments at the European Commission and SEC on impact and sustainability disclosure requirements.

Standards

“

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

MAKING THE MARK 

Verification represents the next step in the evolution of the impact investing industry, bringing added credibility to the marketplace and holding all impact investors accountable to a shared set of standards, principles, and best practices.

Each year, BlueMark publishes its flagship Making the Mark report providing market-leading insights and data for impact investors to understand best practices and  shared challenges. The BlueMark Practice Benchmark, introduced in the 2021 report, is based on the aggregated results of the verifications completed by the BlueMark team across all asset classes and investor types.

Click here to download BlueMark’s latest Making the Mark report.

Our Approach

We view every verification assignment as an opportunity to partner with our clients to help identify strengths and areas for improvement. BlueMark goes well beyond a ‘check-the-box’ exercise by providing in-depth assessments and benchmarks that advance our clients’ understanding and achievement of best practices. We empower our clients by providing them with an expert, third-party expert opinions on the practical steps and tools they need to succeed.

  • For asset managers, an independent verification exercise is essential to impact achievement and risk mitigation.
  • For asset allocators, independent verification serves as a reliable and efficient input to robust diligence and assurance.
  • And for the impact investing market at large, verification enables increased confidence that impact claims will turn into impact outcomes.

We specifically designed our verification methodology to bring these three benefits to the impact investing market:

Accountability

By evaluating whether impact investors’ practices and performance are aligned to accepted market standards

Discipline

By encouraging transparency, adoption of industry best practices, and shared learning that continuously raises the bar for performance

Comparability

By establishing benchmarks and ratings that allow stakeholders to compare impact investing practices and performance on a consistent basis

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.