BNP Paribas: SLBs Showing Progress in 'Anchoring Ambitious Targets'
BNP Paribas reports that sustainability‑linked bonds are increasingly anchoring ambitious ESG targets, with repeat issuers tightening their commitments and delivering solid performance. Early data shows that these bonds provide investors with clearer sustainability metrics and new engagement opportunities. The bank’s analysis suggests the SLB market is maturing, gaining credibility among corporates and financiers. This trend signals a shift toward more outcome‑based financing in the broader capital markets.
William and Harry’s Cousin Named Head of Impact at New Family Office Consultancy
Lexi Bowes‑Lyon, a cousin of Princes William and Harry, has been appointed head of impact at Cynren, a newly launched AI‑powered family‑office consultancy. Cynren, founded by a former KPMG client‑relations head and a Citi Venture Capital International veteran, offers international...
Franklin Templeton Garners €151m for European Social Infrastructure Strategy
Franklin Templeton has launched a Europe‑focused social‑infrastructure fund, securing €151 million (about $165 million) from institutional investors led by the European Investment Fund. The vehicle targets a total capital raise of €500 million ($545 million) to invest in healthcare, education and housing assets serving...
New York SEIA Says Flexible Interconnection Could Enable 3.3 GW More Community Solar
The New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NY SEIA) estimates that offering a flexible interconnection option with 5% curtailment could unlock an additional 3.3 GW of community solar in upstate and western New York. A typical community solar project is about...
Philippine Data Center Boom Attracts $170-Million IFC Investment
International Finance Corp. (IFC) is set to invest up to $170 million in YCO Global Cloud Centers to expand data center capacity beyond Metro Manila. The package includes a $20 million quasi‑equity stake and $150 million in senior loans for two 50 MW facilities...
Manulife Adds Energy Transition Funds, Winding Down Oil and Gas Portfolio
Manulife, the Canadian insurer, announced a strategic pivot toward energy‑transition investments, adding a suite of new funds managed by external general partners. The firm will concurrently wind down its oil and gas portfolio, aiming for a gradual reduction over the...
KKR, HASI-Backed Sustainable Infrastructure Platform CarbonCount Raises Over $500 Million
KKR and HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital expanded their CarbonCount Holdings 1 platform by issuing $508 million in senior unsecured notes, raising total investment capacity to nearly $5 billion. Launched in 2024 with $1 billion commitments from each partner, the platform previously raised $592 million in...
Mining Giant Signs 30-Year Off-Take Deal to Underpin Indigenous-Led Pilbara Solar and Battery Project
The Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (YEC) has reached financial close on the Jinbi Solar Project in Western Australia, securing a 30‑year power purchase agreement that will supply 100% of its output to Rio Tinto. The first phase will deliver 75 MW of solar...
“Green Finance” Promises to Save the Planet. It’s Doing the Opposite
Green finance, marketed as a solution to climate change, increasingly treats ecosystems as tradable assets, creating carbon and biodiversity offset markets that often fail to deliver real environmental benefits. Investigations reveal projects like the Peru carbon‑offset scheme worsening deforestation and...
Bolivia Presents New Law to Boost Renewables, Private Investments
Bolivia’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy has submitted a draft Electricity and Renewable Energies Law for formal review, launching technical, legislative and public consultations. The proposal retains the state‑owned utility ENDE as system operator but places it in a competitive...
Investor Intentions: Montana Capital Partners Deploying Across Climate and Social Impact via Discretionary Mandate
Montana Capital Partners (MCP) announced that it will allocate capital through a discretionary mandate focused on climate‑related and social‑impact investments. The firm plans to source deals across renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, and inclusive finance, leveraging its existing network of LPs....
Zambia Introduces Carbon Feed-In Premium Programme to Accelerate Solar Energy and Climate Investment
On April 1, 2026 Zambia’s Ministry of Green Economy and Environment launched a Carbon Feed‑In Premium (CFIP) programme designed to attract roughly $420 million of investment into grid‑connected renewable projects, primarily solar with battery storage. The first phase targets 300 MW of solar...
Asset Owners Can Use Physical Risk Data Boom to Push Managers, Says Nomura
Nomura Asset Management’s head of sustainable fixed income says the rapid expansion of physical climate‑risk data gives pension funds and sovereign wealth funds a new lever to press investment managers for more granular, forward‑looking disclosures. By setting clear data expectations...
Australian Blue Finance Market Is 'Meaningful Opportunity'
Australia’s emerging blue finance market is attracting global capital as investors seek to fund marine conservation and sustainable ocean industries. Recent government incentives and a nascent regulatory framework have unlocked roughly AU$2 billion (≈US$1.3 billion) in pledged financing for projects ranging from...
(DEBrief) What Works Best to Strengthen Beekeeper Productivity & Climate Resilience?
IDB Invest and Mexican food producer Naturasol co‑financed a pilot in Yucatán that equipped small‑scale beekeepers with queen bees, training and basic inputs. An impact study found the intervention boosted hive counts, honey production and overall yields while encouraging climate‑smart...
New Partnership Delivers ‘Most Expansive’ Nature Positive Initiative Pilot Globally
New Forests, a Sydney‑based investment manager, partnered with biodiversity‑intelligence platform NatureHelm to deliver the world’s most expansive Nature Positive Initiative pilot. The six‑month project applied seven state‑of‑nature metrics to over 400,000 hectares across Australia, the United States, Tanzania, Mozambique and...
ESG Funds Outperform Peers and Benchmark over Longer Term, South Korean Study Finds
Sustinvest’s new report shows South Korean ESG mutual funds outperformed non‑ESG peers and the KOSPI benchmark, especially over one‑ and three‑year horizons. The 188 funds studied hold KRW 9.6 trillion (≈US $6.9 billion) in assets, with active equity ESG funds delivering 37.2% returns in...
Fund Nears Financial Close for Wind and Storage Projects, with Victoria Big Battery Extension First to Go
Listed fund HMC Capital is moving toward financial close on its first wind and battery projects, with the $363 million extension of Victoria’s Big Battery (VBB2) expected to be the first to reach final investment decision by end‑2026. The fund aims...
Loan Note: What’s Top of Mind for Europe’s Impact Investors; Insurers Under Ratings Scrutiny
The PDI Europe Summit 2026 highlighted emerging trends for European impact investors, emphasizing climate‑aligned capital, blended finance structures, and the growing role of ESG data. Insurers faced heightened regulatory scrutiny as supervisors questioned the reliability of private credit ratings used...
Aii Reset Puts Focus on Major Suppliers
The Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) is reshaping its decarbonisation programmes to concentrate on a smaller number of large, capital‑intensive supplier projects. Since 2018, Aii has worked with more than 1,500 factories, achieving over 1.1 million tonnes of CO₂e reductions and unlocking...
Impact Investor Forum: One Week to Go
The Impact Investor Forum will convene at The Conduit in London on 14 May, gathering institutional investors and ESG practitioners to explore how impact strategies can boost portfolio resilience. Speakers from the Impact Investing Institute, London Pensions Fund Authority and other...
NSW Broadacre Farm Becomes First to Generate ACCUs
A family-owned broadacre farm in New South Wales has become the first in the state to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) using Loam Bio’s fungal seed treatment. The Nicholson Carbon Project earned 4,867 ACCUs across 881 hectares, each representing...
I Squared Capital on the Energy Transition’s Transatlantic Story
I Squared Capital sees a burgeoning pipeline of decarbonisation projects on both sides of the Atlantic, despite differing political environments. In the United States, tax incentives and private‑sector financing are accelerating renewable and grid‑modernisation deals. Europe’s Green Deal and national...
Boomitra Hits Major Milestone as Ranchers Reap Real Financial Gains From Regenerative Grazing in Mexico
Boomitra’s Northern Mexico Grasslands Restoration Project has begun paying ranchers after Verra issued 3.03 million carbon credits in February 2026. The payments, funded by buyers such as Deloitte NSE and the Ethereum Climate Platform, flow directly to 158 participating ranching families,...
The $10bn GSS Bond Investor
Zurich Insurance Group’s labelled bond portfolio is close to $10 billion, making it one of the largest GSS (green, social, sustainable) bond holdings among insurers. Danielle Brassel, Zurich’s head of sustainable finance, highlighted that despite the scale, quantifying the environmental and...
Ampyr and Climate Fund Commission India Solar
Climate Fund Managers and Ampyr Energy have commissioned the 67 MWp Somasamudra Phase 1 solar PV plant in Karnataka, marking the fourth delivery under Ampyr’s EU‑backed renewable platform. The facility will produce more than 118 GWh of clean electricity each year, offsetting over...
Germany Grants €5.5 Mln to Asian Development Bank’s Nature Hub
Germany is contributing €5.5 million (approximately $6 million) to the Asian Development Bank’s Nature Solutions Finance Hub. The grant is earmarked to accelerate biodiversity‑linked initiatives throughout Asia and the Pacific region. By bolstering the Hub’s capacity, Germany aims to unlock private‑sector capital...
Octopus Invests €584m in European Wind
Octopus Energy Generation is committing roughly $637 million to buy 321 MW of on‑shore wind capacity across 17 sites in France, Germany and Poland. The acquisition, made through the Sky fund, adds 143.5 MW in France, 102.5 MW in Germany and 75 MW in Poland,...
Comment: SFDR 2.0 Opens the Door to Social Washing. Here’s What to Do
The European Commission’s November 2025 proposal for SFDR 2.0 adds a classification framework to curb greenwashing, but it leaves the social dimension under‑defined, raising the risk of social washing. The draft mistakenly cites the UN Global Compact instead of the UN Guiding...
The Healthcare Investment That’s Right Under Our Noses
The article argues that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is a hidden health crisis in Australia, worsening chronic diseases, spreading infections, and reducing productivity across schools, workplaces, hospitals and homes. It highlights that one‑in‑two Australians live with chronic conditions, making...
Tata Mulls More Solar as Oil Prices Spike
Tata Steel (Thailand) Plc is launching a feasibility study to expand solar power at its Rayong, Chon Buri and Saraburi plants after production costs jumped 25% due to soaring oil prices and supply‑chain disruptions linked to the Israel‑US conflict. The subsidiary...
Wells Fargo: Sustainable Finance Tools Gain Traction in Real Estate
At Nareit’s REITwise conference, Wells Fargo’s Paul Stanley highlighted that sustainable finance is seeing its deepest penetration in commercial real estate. Lenders are increasingly offering credit facilities with sustainability targets that affect loan pricing, while REITs are quantifying energy and water...
Insurer QBE Faces Investor Pressure Over Extreme Weather Risks
Australian Ethical Investment, which manages about $10 billion, is pressing QBE Insurance Group for more detail on its exposure to extreme‑weather risks. The pension fund, holding roughly $46 million of QBE shares, has filed a shareholder resolution backed by about 100 investors...
How LocalDutch's Urban Farm Shops Cut Food Miles and Carbon
LocalDutch has launched a network of urban farm shops that bring fresh produce directly into city neighborhoods, dramatically shortening the distance between farm and plate. By situating growing facilities within a few kilometres of consumers, the company reduces average food‑miles...
Venture Studios Outperform Incubators and Accelerators in Africa – Report
A new report from FMO, GIZ SAIS and Briter finds that venture studios in Africa are delivering markedly better outcomes than traditional incubators and accelerators. Studio‑backed startups secure roughly 30% more follow‑on funding and post revenue growth exceeding 45% year‑over‑year,...
EcoCeres to Invest HK$10 Billion in Sustainable Aviation Fuel Plants in Greater Bay Area
EcoCeres, backed by Peter Lee Ka‑kit's family office, announced a HK$10 billion ($1.3 billion) investment to build sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plants in Dongguan, part of a broader Greater Bay Area green‑energy push. The project aims to produce 450,000 tonnes of SAF and...
Duke Lags on Goals, Should Concern Climate Investors Ahead of Shareholder Meeting
The Sierra Club is urging climate‑focused investors to vote against Duke Energy directors Theodore F. Craver, Jr., and Robert M. Davis at the May 7, 2026 shareholder meeting, citing the utility’s backsliding on climate commitments. Duke received an F (11 %) on the Sierra Club’s 2025 Dirty...
When Competitors Collaborate: How Eight Impact-First Investors Came Together to Confront the Valley of Death
Eight leading impact‑first investors—including Acumen, Kiva, and Village Capital—joined forces to conduct the first cross‑fund cost analysis of impact‑first investing. The study revealed that while these funds match mainstream funds in operational efficiency per investment, they incur 2‑3 times higher...
Reform Government Could Cause Truss-Style Chaos, Says Renewables Industry
Britain’s Reform UK party has pledged to strip existing renewable‑energy subsidy contracts, a move that RenewableUK chief lobbyist Tara Singh warns could trigger economic turmoil reminiscent of the Liz Truss era. Singh argues that cancelling legally‑binding contracts would erode investor confidence and...
Cows at Tennessee's 'Silicon Ranch' Graze Under Solar Panels
Silicon Ranch in Christiana, Tennessee has launched a 5‑megawatt agrivoltaic system that lets cattle graze beneath solar panels. The company engineered raised, motorized mounts and custom software so panels can be tilted or lifted to create safe pathways for the...
Sovereign Bonds May Get SFDR Reprieve From EU Member States
The EU Council is working toward a draft compromise this month that could let sovereign bonds issued by transitioning economies qualify for Article 7 Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) funds. Member states are debating whether to extend the green‑finance label to...
The Big Interview: Cambria Allen-Ratzlaff on 20 Years of the PRI
Cambria Allen‑Ratzlaff, interim CEO of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), sat down for a candid interview marking two decades of the initiative. She highlighted that PRI now boasts over 4,000 signatories managing roughly $100 trillion in assets, cementing its role...
ICAC Launches Carbon Credits Initiative
The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) unveiled a carbon‑credit program aimed at cotton growers. The scheme promises participants up to $200 per hectare in extra revenue by monetizing sustainable farming practices. By linking soil‑health improvements to verifiable carbon offsets, the...
What Michigan’s Clean Community Financing Ecosystem Can Teach Other US Regions
RMI’s analysis of Michigan’s clean‑community financing ecosystem shows how dense institutional networks, coordinated hubs, and targeted financing tools have unlocked over $1 billion in clean‑energy upgrades. Key players—including the nation’s oldest green bank, a robust C‑PACE marketplace, and CDFI coalitions—have leveraged...
How Veris Residential Embeds Responsibility Into Long-Term Value Creation
Veris Residential earned Nareit’s 2026 Leader in the Light award for responsibility, signaling that ESG is a core business driver. CEO Anna Melhari said the firm embeds responsibility in its operating model through zero‑pay‑gap goals, minority‑owned supplier targets, and employee‑feedback loops....
Alok Sharma: We Need More Investors to Pilot Transition Guidelines
Alok Sharma, chair of the Transition Finance Council, is urging investors and lenders to join a pilot of the council’s draft guidelines for evaluating the transition plans of companies in hard‑to‑abate sectors. The guidelines aim to provide a consistent framework...
EF's Middle East Transition Finance Awards Winners Announced
Environmental Finance unveiled the inaugural Middle East Transition Finance Awards, recognizing five standout transactions and institutions that are driving the region’s shift toward sustainable capital markets. Emirates NBD Group captured three honors, including Lead Manager of the Year for green...
Nordea Awarded €1 Billion ESG-Focused Covered Bond Mandate by ABN AMRO
Nordea Asset Management has won a nearly €1 billion (≈$1.09 billion) ESG‑focused European covered bond mandate from ABN AMRO Investment Solutions. The strategy, named ABN AMRO Nordea European Covered Bonds, will be run by Nordea’s Fixed Income Rates Team and classified as an Article 8 product...
NYC Pension Funds Cut Portfolio Carbon Footprint in Half
New York City’s three public pension systems, managing roughly $300 billion, reported a 48.13% weighted‑average cut in financed Scope 1‑2 greenhouse‑gas emissions by the end of fiscal year 2025. The reduction exceeds each fund’s interim targets and comes alongside full compliance from public‑markets...
“Even if You’re Entirely Right Today, that Doesn’t Mean You Will Be Tomorrow” – Evalinde Eelens
Evalinde Eelens, a senior Dutch pension‑fund trustee, explains how sustainability definitions are fluid and must align with members' values. She stresses that impact allocations should stem from rigorous member engagement and be integrated into the fund’s risk‑budget, not treated as...