AN ethical investment firm which helps people in the developing world trade themselves out of poverty is looking forward to a bumper year despite the economic slump.

Newcastle-based Shared Interest is winning its fight to increase its band of around 9,000 UK investors who are happy to plough up to £20,000 in helping needy farmers and craftspeople with no return except the pleasure of doing good.

It has seen its investment bank grow every year of its 20-year existence. Last year the figure rose from £27.5m to £28m, and it lent out around £33m.

And it has high hopes for 2012 after dramatically stepping up its marketing and forging a pilot deal to work investing £2m for Comic Relief in African businesses and opening a West African office to do so.

Chief executive Patricia Alexander said: “We were hoping to grow our share capital more last year but we are pleased to see an increase.

“We had left it a long time so people had to come and find us and invest but now we have just launched a marketing drive and there has been a massive response. It takes some time to turn that into investment but we are very confident about this year.”

She said that Comic Relief’s pilot project with Shared Interest could pave the way for further work with other fundraisers. “Even though they are very successful and raise £60-70m a year they see a time when maybe people are less keen to give funds and we can recycle their investment.

“Because we provide loans it is very much about helping people to make their own businesses rather than just giving hand-outs that is seen as more suitable nowadays. We realise a lot of people want a return for their money and with us there is no guarantee that they will get it back, although we haven’t lost anyone money yet. But it is wonderful that people still want to invest with us.”