Sustainable Finance Initiative

Our SFi member Xiaofei Guo just returned from #GIINForum2024, where the resounding takeaway was: long-term impact and financial performance go hand-in-hand. She kindly shared the key highlights with the SFi community: Though The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) estimates impact investing has grown into a USD1.571 trillion market globally, it is still far below what is necessary to meet all the challenges facing the world. As CEO Amit Bouri noted, "the scale of our ambitions is the scale of the world's problems". Impact investing is the opportunity that we create for the world that we want to live in. It is about redefining reality, rules and systems. Throughout the Forum, there was a recurring emphasis on #nature and #biodiversity, but it is not just about saving the planet, it is about saving the people we will leave behind us – our children. During the two days of insightful discussions, there was an emphasis on the urgency and opportunity in scaling solutions for climate action, energy access and inclusive growth. To achieve this, investors need to come together in collaborative efforts that can create sustainable growth and lasting change. XiaoFei was especially struck by the "Making a Just and Equitable Energy Transition" panel, in which panelist Damilola Ogunbiyi pointed out that “energy efficiency in the global north is essential for the energy access for the global south”. Indeed, impact investing does not happen in isolation, and opportunities for synergy must be sought out wherever possible. In our conversations with our members and wider global impact community, SFi are also seeing similar trends and requirements in the impact investing sector. We will be addressing all these reflections and much more, as part of our forthcoming #SFiImpactWeek2025 next May, so keep an eye out as we release more information over the coming months!

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) has been gaining momentum as a high-potential pathway towards a net-zero future, attracting both public and private investments, with the latest being a £22 billion investment from the UK government. To give our community a deeper understanding of the industry, we held an engaging "Meet the..." session last week with Dr. Christoph Gebald, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of the CDR growth start-up Climeworks. Some of our key takeaways are: - CDR is not a temporary fix for high-emission industries: Reduction measures are currently cheaper than carbon capture and make more economic sense. - There is no silver bullet pathway to a net-zero future: Carbon capture alone will not be sufficient. - It’s not "OR" but "AND": We need a multi-pronged approach that supports both technological and natural CDR solutions. A big thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the vibrant conversation. We look forward to continuing these important discussions in the future! #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #CapitalwithPurpose #NetZeroFuture #CarbonDioxideRemoval #EmissionsReduction

Thank you AsianInvestor and Shusi He for writing about our Impact Survey, and sharing our findings that impact investing can be financially viable while also generating intentional impact. Impact investing is not merely a trend, but part of a movement towards a more sustainable future. Read more at: https://bit.ly/3ZECXQJ or download our full infographic here: https://bit.ly/3XyajOE, and be sure to reach out to us if you would like to kickstart or deepen your impact journey. #SFiInsights #ImpactInvesting #CapitalwithPurpose #SustainableFinance #SFiImpactSurvey

Four years of turmoil, starting with Covid and exacerbated by geo-political conflicts across the world, have produced economic headwinds the likes of which we have rarely witnessed. It is natural at times like this that Family Offices tend to look for safe harbours for their investments. In our latest #SFiInsights article featuring Sophie Khau of Mastery Holdings, find out about why impact investment should remain part of smart portfolio strategy and help generate the trillions needed to transition to a low-carbon economy. #ImpactInvestment #SustainableFinance #Purpose #FamilyOffices

We are pleased to support the inaugural Green Tech Summit, taking place in Hong Kong from 30-31 Oct, and hosted by GoImpact Capital Partners, MioTech, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Green Finance Research Project! On Day 2, our Director of Impact Funds & Ventures Francesco Stadler will be moderating a panel of SFi members and friends, delving into how investors are mobilizing private capital for innovative Green & Tech solutions. We are looking forward to an engaging discussion with Karen Ng, Kate Tsoi, Jacky Lam, and Sophie Ying Ying Zheng! Find out more at https://lnkd.in/gCvUk5tT, and see you next week. 🌱 #GreenTechSummit #SustainableInvesting #Innovation #GreenFinance #ImpactInvesting

Last week, SFi attended the “2024 Asia Impact Nights” Forum in Jeju Island, Korea, a 3-day forum and retreat filled with rigorous dialogue and connections with leaders of the impact investing industry in the APAC region. Swipe through for some of our takeaways from the conference! Our CEO @Katy Yung also shares her reflections from the forum here: https://t.ly/RXHiX

Be sure to say hello to SFi's Katy Yung and Christine Yu if you happen to be attending the Responsible Investment Forum Asia 2024 next week in Singapore! On Day 2 of the conference, Katy will also be sharing her perspectives on how managers are approaching sustainability and the demands investors are making on them, as they positively influence each other. Sounds intriguing? Find out more at the link below! #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #CapitalwithPurpose #SectorBuilding

Our Director of Impact Funds & Ventures Francesco Stadler moderated the "Climate & The Urgency for Investment Action" panel at last week's APAC Family Office Investment Summit. It was an inspiring and insightful conversation with Li Tan, Thomas Knudsen, Pauline Huang, CFA, CPA, and Cynthia Handriani Wijaya, and we 100% agree with them: It is possible to invest into impact and achieve targeted financial returns at the same time, and the best time to start is TODAY! Do reach out to us at Sustainable Finance Initiative if you would like some help taking the first step on your impact journey! #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #CapitalwithPurpose #ClimateFinance #SFiintheNews

We are still on the lookout for passionate volunteers who share our commitment to sustainability and impact investing to help us gear up for SFi Impact Week May 2025. Are you who we seek? ⭐ Events Project Coordinator - Volunteer ⭐ Event Communications - Volunteer ⭐ Event Programming - Volunteer #Volunteers #SFiImpactWeek2025 #Events #JoinUs

Earlier this week, SFi was honoured to attend the launch of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)'s Hong Kong Chapter. Launched in 2021, GFANZ coordinates efforts across all sectors of the financial system to accelerate the transition to a net-zero global economy. Though the alliance's membership has grown to 700 financial institutions from 50 jurisdictions, Transition Finance remains a small percentage of global capital invested, and there is much room for capacity building and unlocking more financing. The HK GFANZ chapter will focus on building a common understanding of transition finance strategies, a common approach for transition plans (provide training, peer learning), as well as policy engagement. As Bonnie Y Chan, CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), stated at the launch, “Climate Change, though challenging and convoluted at times, is a puzzle we must solve globally one piece at a time. We see ourselves as change agents in the global arena." Net Zero transition and financing is a critical topic under sustainable finance, and SFi looks forward to contributing and exploring how private investors in the Asia Pacific region can better engage and act together via impact investing.