The authentic Bee-Coin

This paper proposes an innovative financial instrument to fund projects that combine profit-making with significant social or environmental goals, specially in emerging or low-income economies. The proposal is based on improvements to the typical impact bond model with the aim of better aligning the parties' incentives, and also making it more transparent, traceable and compatible with revenue-generating projects. It is applied to a pilot project to fund the establishment of a robust supply chain of green propolis in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Propolis is a natural product with benefits for human health, which has been consumed by humans for decades and raised substantial global interest after the Covid-19 pandemic. This project addresses some industry issues (in terms of product quality and supply stability) and aims to provide biodiversity recovery, subsistence farming and resocialization through work. A financial model with stochastic variables is simulated, incorporating a reward system based on the impact outcomes. The results confirm that the instrument improves risk-return trade-off and advocate for its use in projects with sustainability objectives.