
It is now more than a year since the Social Stock Exchange was announced by the Union Finance Minister and SEBI was mandated with the responsibility of setting it up. While the Exchange is a good idea of mobilising resources that the Social sector desperately needs, what is to be seen are the operational details of making it work. Several countries have tried unsuccessfully to set up a fully functional stock exchange and India needs to learn lessons from them. I have always been advocating for a Social Stock Exchange that not only helps identify and mobilize newer sources of funding but does not crowd out existing NGOs and the world of philanthropy that they operate in. While there are several perspectives on whether a Social Stock Exchange will work, what we need to appreciate is that it has been announced and the Govt seems intent on setting it up. It is time for people in the know of this subject to come together and explore how to make it successful.
I recently wrote a article of what needs to be done from the investor perspective in the business magazine, ‘Outlook Money’. Pl read on: