Investors have ethical responsibilities to ensure they understand the risks and rewards of their investment choices, both social and financial, but that does not mean they have to forgo “significant profit”, the head of Oxfam Australia has said.

Before the pandemic, the number of people predicted to live in extreme poverty was 635 million. However, the arrival of COVID-19 resulted in the projected number climbing to 732 million, according to the World Development Report, while rising interest rates also threaten to slow growth and increase inequality.