This report examines how development finance institutions (DFIs) can mobilise private capital to strengthen African local capital markets. It details six key interventions, including anchoring issuances and technical assistance. It further provides a country classification framework to help DFIs prioritise engagement in markets with the greatest potential for scale.

This research report explores the structural link between sovereign debt and fossil fuel dependence in the Global South. Through five country case studies, it demonstrates how debt obligations reinforce carbon lock-in. It calls for systemic reform, including debt cancellation and grant-based climate finance to enable a just energy transition.

This report examines Community Municipal Investments (CMIs), a mechanism for UK councils to raise capital from residents. Evidence from 19 councils and 309 investors demonstrates that CMIs create civic value, increase public trust, and offer financial savings of 29 basis points on average against the Public Works Loan Board.

This joint primer examines physical climate risks in fixed income, highlighting the disclosure deficit in private credit and the analytical mismatch between climate models and debt maturities. It outlines how hazards impact credit fundamentals through insurance disruption and supply chain contagion, providing a due diligence framework for investors.

The Sovereign Debt Assessment Model by the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation evaluates the dual relationship between nature loss and sovereign debt sustainability to help investors manage nature-related risks.

The Global Internal Displacement Database provides validated data on people displaced by conflict and disasters worldwide, assisting in the assessment of sovereign risk and social stability.

This report examines Rio Tinto’s failure to secure a social licence to operate for the Jadar lithium mine in Serbia. It highlights how social risks associated with the energy transition can lead to project abandonment, financial losses, and reputational damage, ultimately impacting bondholders as lithium production becomes more material.

This report analyses climate risk disclosure in the $4.4 trillion US municipal bond market. Examining 60 high-risk offerings, it finds 33% omit climate references. Disclosures are often generic and backward-looking, lacking the TCFD-aligned metrics necessary for investors to price risk accurately and reward resilience investments.

This report by the LEON project assesses Earth Observation (EO) data's role in scaling nature finance. It addresses a €200 billion annual EU funding gap and details pilots in mining, agrifood, and sovereign finance. Key findings emphasise demand for processed spatial data to meet emerging disclosure requirements like TNFD.

This report examines mobilising blue finance for mangrove restoration in the Philippines to enhance climate resilience and livelihoods. It proposes a debt-for-mangrove swap framework using multilateral development bank debt management tools. Key recommendations include establishing a mangrove trust fund and improving governance of marine protected areas to attract investment.

Still Banking on Coal is a dataset by Urgewald that tracks global bank financing for the thermal coal industry. It provides transparency on loans and underwriting from over 740 banks, highlighting the gap between climate commitments and actual financial flows.

This ESMA report provides guidance on avoiding greenwashing in sustainability impact claims. It outlines four key principles—accuracy, accessibility, substantiation, and timeliness—while defining theoretical concepts like intentionality and additionality. Practical do’s and don’ts for funds and bonds help market participants ensure communications are clear, fair, and not misleading.

This research examines how central bank climate communication affects 10-year sovereign bond yields. Using a dataset of over 17,000 speeches, it finds that climate-related discourse increases yields by making risks more salient. This effect is stronger in countries with independent central banks, reflecting the role of institutional credibility.

This research examines the global economic consequences of maritime disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Utilising Portwatch data, the analysis demonstrates that traffic shocks act as stagflationary forces, significantly increasing energy prices, reducing global industrial production, and tightening financial conditions through widened corporate and sovereign bond spreads.

This report proposes a resilience-financing architecture to fund natural infrastructure. By wrapping catastrophe bonds with government credit enhancement, it creates a spread to finance landscape-scale mitigation. This mechanism aims to preserve insurability, reduce systemic climate risk, and convert unpriced contingent liabilities into structured, capped financial positions.

This research examines the rapid expansion of international credit to Africa since the Global Financial Crisis. It highlights the rise of Chinese lending under the Belt and Road Initiative, the dramatic growth of international bond issuance, and the continued dominance of governments as borrowers in US dollar-denominated markets.