The US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has helped the impact investing sector over a major threshold with its recent $200 million commitment to fund manager LeapFrog Investments. With that investment, LeapFrog has claimed status as the first billion-dollar group dedicated to equity impact investing. LeapFrog also states that it has the distinction of being the recipient of OPIC’s largest single commitment to a private equity fund manager. The OPIC investment will be used to invest in companies in the financial services and healthcare sectors in Africa and Asia.

OPIC seeks to use its existing tools of project financing, political risk insurance and funding private equity funds to support companies and investments that address the world’s critical development challenges.