This report outlines a blueprint for responsible banking, detailing how banks can embed climate, nature, human rights, and inclusive economy considerations into strategy, governance, client engagement, capital allocation and disclosure. It provides guidance on setting and implementing targets to align portfolios and practices with global sustainability frameworks.

The report outlines the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance’s progress in reducing financed emissions, strengthening target-setting, and expanding climate-solution investments. It highlights updated methodologies, increased engagement with companies and policymakers, and rising member participation, underscoring the need for credible transition pathways and supportive policy environments to advance alignment with 1.5°C goals.

China’s transition finance market is expanding to support the decarbonisation of high-emitting industries. The report outlines growth in green and sustainability-linked bonds, emerging transition frameworks, and ongoing debates on coal and gas inclusion, highlighting the need for clearer standards and broader financing tools to meet China’s 2060 climate goals.

This case study explores how Access Bank integrates the UN Principles for Responsible Banking into its operations, advancing green finance, financial inclusion, and gender equality. It highlights the bank’s green bond issuances, ESG frameworks, and stakeholder engagement, offering investors insight into sustainable finance practices within emerging markets.

The report, Assessing the Materiality of Nature-Related Financial Risks for the UK (April 2024), quantifies how biodiversity loss and environmental degradation could materially affect the UK economy and finance sector. It finds nature-related risks—especially from water scarcity, soil decline, and biodiversity loss—could reduce GDP by up to 12% by the 2030s, exceeding impacts from the Global Financial Crisis or COVID-19.

The Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC)’s fourth annual report surveys Asian investors managing USD 7.9 trillion to assess their progress on net-zero investment strategies. It highlights growing commitments to emissions measurement, climate solutions, and stewardship, while identifying data gaps, limited policy clarity, and inconsistent methodologies as persistent barriers.

The report analyses the growth and practices of gender lens investing (GLI) across asset classes. It highlights how institutional investors and impact funds integrate gender equality goals into investment strategies, identifies challenges such as limited data and standardisation, and provides guidance to deepen GLI’s contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality.

Lazard offers global financial advisory and asset management services, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, capital markets and investment strategy. Founded in 1848, it serves institutional clients, corporations, governments and high-net-worth individuals across 40+ cities worldwide.

ResponsibleReturns is a directory that enables users to find independently certified ethical, sustainable or responsible banking, superannuation and investment products.

This report summarises global sustainable investment trends from 2016 to 2018, noting a 34 per cent increase to USD 30.7 trillion. Japan saw the fastest growth, while Europe remained the largest market. The leading strategies were ESG integration, exclusionary screening, and shareholder engagement across major investment regions.

This report summarises the growth and performance of Australia’s responsible investment market in 2023, with RI assets reaching A$1.6 trillion, or 41% of total managed funds. It highlights strengthened ESG integration, transparency, and stewardship, reflecting increasing investor demand, regulatory developments, and alignment with global sustainability standards.

This report summarises the 2024 benchmarking of New Zealand’s responsible investment market, assessing 70 investment managers using RIAA’s Responsible Investment Scorecard. It finds NZ$207 billion in responsible assets, representing 56% of total funds, and highlights expanding ESG integration, transparency, stewardship, and impact investing alongside strengthened regulation and market maturity.

Mark Carney’s “tragedy of the horizon” warned that markets would act too late on climate risks. A decade later, this article argues that framing climate change as a financial risk has misdirected efforts—what’s needed now is coordinated action to create investable markets, especially in emerging economies.

This report by Roots of Impact (2024) reviews eight years of experience implementing Impact-Linked Finance (ILF), a structuring approach that rewards measurable social or environmental outcomes by linking financial terms to impact performance. It outlines ILF’s evolution, design principles, effectiveness benchmarks, and opportunities to scale through collaboration and new impact-linked instruments.

Oxford University Press (OUP) is a global academic and educational publisher. It operates as a department of the University of Oxford, producing textbooks, scholarly works, English language resources and reference works. OUP emphasises digital innovation, sustainability commitments, and broad international reach in research and education.

This report summarises over 1,000 studies (2015–2020) and finds that most show a positive relationship between ESG and financial performance. ESG integration and long-term strategies tend to enhance returns and risk management, while disclosure alone has limited financial impact.