Route17

Robert Eccles, former Harvard Professor and current Professor of Management Practice at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, recently interviewed Route17 co-founders Harald Walkate and Robert W. van Zwieten, and this is what happened... please give it a read. #sustainableinvesting #blendedfinance #impactinvesting #climatefinance #SDGs

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲! 🎉 We're thrilled to announce the TOP 10 Most-read Thought Leaders in #sustainablefinance. From advancing sustainable finance to driving investments in green initiatives, these leaders promote financial solutions that support a more sustainable and resilient global economy. At illuminem, with a combined audience of over 500,000 and insights from 1,500+ experts, we're committed to spreading knowledge for a sustainable transition. Join us in celebrating the world’s TOP 10 Sustainable Finance Thought Leaders! 1. Philippe Benoit - Senior Scholar of Columbia University and fmr. Manager of International Energy Agency (IEA) and The World Bank 🇺🇸 2. Robert W. van Zwieten - Founding partner of Route17 and fmr. President of Emerging Markets Private Equity Association 🇮🇩 3. Paul Boëffard - Founder of LEAVIT and fmr. Sustainability Consultant of Deloitte 🇫🇷 4. Patricia Scotland - Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations 🇩🇲 5. Romie Goedicke den Hertog - Co-Head of Nature of the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative 🇳🇱 6. Robert Rubinstein - Chairman and Founder of TBLI Group and Executive Board of ClimateForce 🇳🇱 7. Pierre Abadie - Group Climate Director of Tikehau Capital 🇫🇷 8. Sarah Argoubi - European Union Affairs Advocate for NGOs in Sustainable Finance 🇫🇷 9. Gabriela Herculano - CEO and Co-Founder of iClima Earth and fmr. Executive Director of GE Capital Energy Financial Services 🇧🇷 10. Patrick Odier -  Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lombard Odier Group🇨🇭 📧 Stay ahead in sustainable finance news trends at illuminem.com and subscribe to our free weekly newsletters: https://lnkd.in/dTdMp9j #sustainability #illuminem

Route17 is delighted to be working with the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) on a study to analyze blended finance as a mechanism for catalyzing impact investing. The study aims to address the barriers to blended finance, including risk perceptions, lack of liquidity and ratings, and limited emerging markets allocations. This project has been made possible by the generous support of the SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI). The project has been underway for several months and CCSI expects to publish its findings in the second quarter of this year. A workshop to discuss the findings and potential ways forward is expected to take place later this year. For this research, Route17 has made introductions to many of the leading thinkers on, and practitioners in, blended finance and is supporting the CCSI team in conducting interviews and in articulating conclusions, implications and potential next steps in addressing barriers. Lisa Sachs Perrine Toledano Ana Maria Camelo Vega Tucker Wilke Robert W. van Zwieten Harald Walkate #blendedfinance #impactinvesting #sdgs #climatechange #emergingmarkets

Route17 was very pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Ponterra over the last several months. Ponterra is an innovative, institutional-quality developer and operator of biodiversity-rich nature-based carbon projects. The company is focused on delivering only the highest quality carbon credits. Ponterra addresses the growing need and demand for investing in nature by developing restoration projects that are designed to: (1) enhance biodiversity through native species, (2) generate income for smallholder farmers on degraded farmland, and (3) provide competitive risk-adjusted returns for investors. Ponterra is also a thought leader in the financing of nature-based solutions, including utilizing new financial structures within the carbon markets and stacking biodiversity credits with carbon credits. Ponterra is currently operating a 10,000ha reforestation project in Panama backed by some of the top investors in the space, including Microsoft. Route17 advised Ponterra on grant fundraising to support expanding operations in Panama and launching a pilot in Mexico, as well as the use of concessional capital in the biodiversity credit market. Aliya Gorelick Leigh Madeira, CFA Celia Francis Simón Torras Andrew Coates Joseph Tobin Robert W. van Zwieten Harald Walkate #biodiversity #reforestation #climatechange #carboncredits #naturebasedsolutions #blendedfinance

Route17 co-founders Harald Walkate and Robert W. van Zwieten are delighted to have been able to contribute an article to the Annual Report of the Transition Investment Lab at NYU Stern School of Business in Abu Dhabi, about mobilization of private sector capital into development, called “The Mobilizing Private Capital Equation”. Our article starts on page 20. We developed this framework in late 2023 for a blended finance symposium that we co-organized and curated for Dimensional Fund Advisors. It remains extremely relevant for COP29 which started today, and for SDG finance broadly. Thank you Professor Bernardo Bortolotti for giving us this opportunity to contribute our thoughts on this critical issue.

Route17 is looking for a (remote-working) intern who is keen to contribute to the mobilization of private capital towards Sustainable Development Goals! Route17 is a small boutique consulting firm focused on questions around SDG funding, blended finance, and sustainable finance more broadly. We are currently involved in a number of interesting projects, and are in discussions about potential further engagements, related to: ✅ Funding affordable housing projects in Africa ✅ Funding a regenerative farming / biodiversity-oriented start-up in Latin America ✅ Establishing a VC-type fund for impactful startups ✅ The development of commercial opportunities around sanitation and health in Africa and Asia ✅ An academic project to identify, and take away, barriers in the blended finance system ✅ Supporting a climate-related grant-making organization in Asia ✅ Ability of institutional investors to address systemic risks and how this relates to fiduciary duty In addition we always have a number of initiatives related to thought-leadership, convening and education on our to-do list that we can use help with. If you have at least a day/month to spare over the next several months, would like to contribute to these activities, and are keen to have an opportunity to see what sustainable finance looks like “on the ground”, we’d love to hear from you. We can offer a small monthly stipend, more if there’s an opportunity to involve you in remunerated projects as they come online. We don’t have set requirements as to education or experience but it’s helpful if you have or are working towards a degree in (development) economics or (sustainable) finance. In addition, we are particularly keen to hear from women and Global South representatives. Please get in touch with me at robert@route17.world or Harald Walkate at harald@route17.world and please share your CV and motivation! #blendedfinance #sdgs #sdgs2030 #sustainablefinance #sustainableinvesting

ADB just published its 2024 Asia-Pacific Climate Report, with some important high-level take-aways as we go into COP29. ✅ Developing Asia is both vulnerable to the effects of climate change and a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions growth. An ADB online climate change perception survey conducted this year found 91% of respondents across 14 economies in the region view global warming as a serious problem, with many seeking more ambitious government action.   ✅ Climate change could lead to a 17% GDP drop across Asia and the Pacific region by 2070 under a high end emissions scenario, which could rise to 41% of GDP by the end of the century. The projected climate effects of sea level rise and labor productivity losses will be the most damaging - with lower-income economies and the region’s poorest set to be the hardest hit. Losses are particularly high in vulnerable countries and regions, such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Pacific. ✅ Mitigation must be increased to limit long term losses, while adaptation must be accelerated to address impacts that will not be avoided. Annual investment needs for climate change adaptation by regional countries are estimated between $102 billion and $431 billion - far more than the approximate $34 billion of adaptation finance mobilized in the region in 2021-2022. ✅ Private capital is increasingly helping to plug the climate finance gap, attracted by government regulations and recognition of climate risks, but barriers remain around policy uncertainty, unreliable information and weak markets. ✅ Carbon pricing is critical to reducing emissions cost effectively. There is growing support for carbon pricing, including six national Emissions Trading Systems (ETS) being developed in the region, but its effectiveness is stymied by continued support for fossil fuel subsidies.   ✅ Regional countries’ nascent involvement in international carbon markets offers great opportunities in meeting domestic climate goals cost effectively and in generating additional finance flows. #climatechange #climatemitigation #climateadaptation #cop29 #Asiapacific Route17 KINETIK Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Climate, Renewable Energy and Infrastructure DT Global Route17

Will you be at #COP29? I will be in Baku next week from 11th to 17th November, straddling the Blue and Green zones. Please send me a message over LinkedIn if you’d like to connect, speak about and collaborate on Indonesia's just energy transition, climate finance, sustainable infrastructure finance, blended finance, private capital mobilization, and/or the intersection of gender and climatech. KINETIK Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Climate, Renewable Energy and Infrastructure

What does the GDP Loss from Climate Change in Indonesia under a High End Emissions Scenario look like in the longer run, according to ADB's recent research? Disastrous. The new administration's aspiration to achieve 8% annual GDP growth would need to be accompanied -- and could in fact be driven -- by ambitious Just Energy Transition targets. (% change with respect to no climate change scenario) Please see here for the underlying working papers: https://lnkd.in/gnsr-4pG KINETIK Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Climate, Renewable Energy and Infrastructure #justenergytransition #indonesia

Only 3 days until #COP29 begins in Baku! The world is ready for decisive discussions as leaders and experts come together, joining our vision to enhance ambition and enable action. Let's unite to deliver inclusive climate action solutions, leaving no one behind. #COP29 #COP29Azerbaijan