About Us

The RIF seeks to address the challenges of unemployment, lack of economic opportunity and limited access to services and goods that are faced by refugees and their host communities. The impact-linked loans provided through the RIF will allow the enterprises to maintain or build their focus on refugee and host community populations, grow their business, and be financially rewarded through interest rate reductions for direct and measurable impacts they have on the refugee and host communities they are serving.

Read our impact report
Our Story
2020
When the DRC and iGravity came together

DRC an iGravity came together for the first time and begun to assess the potential of impact investing in a refugee context.

2023
RIF was formed

On April 19, 2023, the RIF was oficially established as a formal legal entity.

2024
Our first Impact Report

The RIF published it’s inaugural 2023 Impact Report, reflecting it’s first year of operation.

Read our impact report
RIF Co-managers
iGravity is an advisory firm specialized in impact investment and innovative finance solutions with the mission of connecting disruptive ideas, visionary people, institutions and capital to address some of the most pressing social issues. It collaborates with NGOs, foundations and development organisations to create positive social impact through finance mechanisms.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is Denmark’s largest, and a leading international NGO – one of the few with a specific expertise in forced displacement. In 40 countries 9.000 employees protect, advocate and build sustainable future for refugees and other displacement affected people and communities.
How the RIF works

The RIF lends to private enterprises that contribute to addressing the key livelihood and self- reliance challenges faced by refugees and their host communities.

How is this done?

Blended Finance Model

The RIF is set-up as a Swiss limited company and employs a blended finance model, combining grants funding with investments from impact investors. The RIF is designed as a revolving loan facility, so repaid loans get re-lent to new borrowers. Additional grants are utilized for technical assistance to borrowing enterprises as well as covering operational expenses.

Impact First

The RIF is an ”impact-first”facility (focuses on generating positive outcomes alongside financial returns) providing impact-linked loans to its borrowers wich rewards generated outcomes, so the RIF generates less interest income if its borrrowers are successfull and hit their impact targets.

High Risk Appetite

The RIF has a high-risk appetite, playing a pioneering role in moving capital to frontier markets and underserved displacement-affected communities and often acting as the first institutional investor.
Combining Impact Linked Finance & Technical Assistance

Impact Linked Finance

Impact Linked Finance

Impact-Linked Finance refers to linking financial rewards for market-based organizations to the achievements of positive social outcomes. It is a highly effective way of aligning positive impact with economic viability and lies at the intersection between blended finance, impact investing, and results-based finance.

With regards to the RIF, the interest rate applied to the loan privided to each company is linked to one or more KPIs that relates directly back to impact themes of the facility, resulting in measurable impacts on decent work and income generation, capacity and skills, financial inclusion, and access to goods and services. The more impact the company achieves over the term of the loan, the lower its cost of financing.

As such, the impact-linked loans provided through the RIF allow borrowers to maintain or build their focus on refugee and host community populations, grow their business, and be financially rewarded through interest rate reductions for direct and measurable impacts they have on the refugee and host communities they are serving.

Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance

The RIF Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) aims to provide technical assistance to the RIF’s investees to support business growth and impact targets. RIF borrowers often need business development and advisory services on how to maximize impact in refugee communities to make the best use of the financing provided through the RIF. Technical assistance funded through the TAF can comprise:

Refugee Impact Avisory and mentoring for refugee impact, which can focus on community cohesion and eco-system support, leveraging DRC’s unique understanding and footprint in refugee hosting areas as ell as its networks.

Business development mentoring and avisory by RIF investment managers, particularly on legal, financial management, and accounting processes.

Example refugee impact advisory activities:

– Navigating regulatory environment;
– Understanding market potencial in refugee hosting areas;
– Defining job creation targets and standards;
– Refugee-sensitive product design and business model development;
– Customer engagement and feedback loops;
– Identifying and upskilling employees;
– Linking with supportive programming and ecosystems.

 

Come along with us on this journey

If you’re a potential investor, partner, or team member please send us a note.

    Contact us
    Refugee Investment Facility AG
    Bahnhofstrasse 56, 8500 Frauenfeld, Zurich
    Danish Refugee Council
    Borgergade 10, 1300 København K, Denmark
    iGravity
    Nordstrasse 186, 8037, Zurich
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