USAID Green Invest Asia Quarterly Progress Report

With an additional 14 EOIs received, the total number of companies requesting to work with the program reached 156. The program carefully screens each company to mitigate partner risks and determine if they are relevant to its scope before proceeding. The program facilitated an investment of $11 million from AXA's Impact Climate and Biodiversity Fund managed by Mirova Natural Capital into Forest Carbon Indonesia. The program supported Mirova's due diligence process through an independent legal and policy assessment of Indonesia's carbon trading framework and the design of Forest Carbon's environmental and social management system. Forest Carbon restores tropical wetland forests to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, targeting Indonesia because it contains one-third of the world's peat and mangrove wetlands. Forest Carbon's first project, the Sumatra Merang Peatland Project, secured premium carbon offset buyers to restore a globally significant peatland forest with habitat for Sumatran tigers and other species. The program partnered with The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to conduct a study on the use of financial technology (fintech) in the agricultural sector. The study analyzed opportunities, limitations, and trends in the use of fintech to provide financing for smallholder farmers and increase adoption for sustainable agriculture. The program organized an online roundtable to present findings and identify way-forward options, featuring an expert panel of key players in the fintech ecosystem. The program also supported an assessment of crop development, forest loss, and landscape carbon stocks in Southeast Asia, led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (USFS), Spatial Informatics Group (SIG), and World Agroforestry (ICRAF). The study analyzed trade-offs between agricultural production and forest loss, offering data-driven recommendations to promote low-emission strategies. The program convened a webinar to discuss the business implications of the study, featuring an expert scientific panel and agribusiness and investment leaders. The program received 14 new EOIs for technical and financial assistance, making a total of 156 EOIs. Of these, 30 are active projects, 9 are under review, 38 are on hold, and 79 are deemed not relevant. The program has established partnerships with companies such as Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, the world's leading green coffee trader, and ACOM, a subsidiary of Ecom Trading group, the leading coffee exporter in Vietnam.