Library | Sustainable Finance Practices

Fixing financial and economic systems

Resources aimed at transforming financial and economic systems to prioritise human well-being, equity, and environmental sustainability. These resources include tools, networks, and guidance on systemic changes such as systems thinking, degrowth, green growth, doughnut economics, decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, and adhering to limits to growth.

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Investing in natural capital: Innovations supporting much-needed financing for nature

World Economic Forum
The report highlights the growing importance of natural capital in economic and environmental sustainability. It emphasises technological advances, innovative financial instruments, and new business models that support nature-positive investments. The report also presents case studies showcasing successful projects aimed at preserving biodiversity and scaling investments in natural capital through innovative financing mechanisms and technology-driven solutions.
Research
24 September 2024

Deep blue: Opportunities for blue carbon finance in coastal ecosystems

International Finance Corporation
This report explores the growing opportunities for blue carbon finance in coastal ecosystems, focusing on mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrass meadows. It highlights the significant potential of these ecosystems to mitigate climate change, generate carbon credits, and provide essential co-benefits, including biodiversity conservation and economic resilience for coastal communities. Despite increasing interest, challenges in securing funding and scaling projects remain key barriers to unlocking their full potential.
Research
13 May 2023

Cooler finance: Mobilizing investment for the developing world’s sustainable cooling needs

United Nations Environment Programme
The report highlights the critical need for sustainable cooling in developing countries to meet climate goals, reduce emissions, and support health, food security, and productivity. It estimates a market demand of $600 billion annually by 2050 and provides strategies to attract private investment through policy, financing models, and international collaboration.

Research
25 September 2024

The building blocks supporting open finance

Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
This working paper explores how open finance can drive financial inclusion by reducing costs, improving access, and providing better-suited products for underserved populations. Key building blocks—digital accounts, fast payments, and diverse financial providers—are essential for achieving open finance's potential, with case studies from Brazil and India highlighting successful implementation pathways.
Research
8 April 2024

The effect of pricing instruments on CO2 emissions: Empirical evidence from Australia

The World Bank
The report evaluates Australia's short-lived carbon tax and renewable energy policies. It finds a 7% per capita emissions reduction from 2009 to 2018, with effects weakening after policy repeal. Coal exports increased during this period, potentially offsetting domestic emission reductions.
Research
24 June 2024

The demand for a fair international financial architecture

UN University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR)
The report explores the Global South's calls for reforming the international financial system. It highlights six key outcomes: improved representation, faster response times, increased funding scale, sustainable financing, enhanced global solidarity, and fostering economic self-reliance. The report underscores the urgency of reforming global financial institutions to address disparities.
Research
18 April 2024

Securing minerals for the energy transition: Unlocking the value chain through policy, investment and innovation

World Economic Forum
The report highlights the need for collaboration and innovation to secure a stable supply of critical minerals. These minerals are essential for the energy transition but face supply-demand imbalances. The report discusses financial and regulatory barriers and outlines solutions involving policy initiatives, stakeholder partnerships, and investment to ensure a sustainable, affordable, and available supply of critical minerals for clean energy technologies.
Research
23 September 2024

From fragmentation to integration: Embedding social issues in sustainable finance

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
The report calls for integrating social risks into financial strategies. It emphasises the interconnectedness of social and environmental issues and recommends enhancing research, standards, and tools to address socio-economic inequalities, promoting financial stability and sustainability.
Research
30 August 2023

Leveraged buyouts: A survey of the literature

This report provides a comprehensive review of leveraged buyouts (LBOs), covering their motives, value creation mechanisms, and trends in public-to-private transactions. Key factors discussed include agency cost reduction, tax benefits, stakeholder wealth transfers, and corporate restructuring processes. It also highlights empirical evidence from the US, UK, and Europe, examining the resurgence of LBOs in the early 2000s.
Research
23 January 2017

Predatory trade finance: The impact of bargaining power and financing constraints on the demand and supply of trade credit

The report examines how disparities in bargaining power affect trade credit negotiations in emerging economies. The findings highlight that financially constrained firms often provide trade credit to more powerful counterparts, leading to inefficiencies and negative outcomes for suppliers, challenging the notion that trade credit is beneficial for growth.
Research
28 August 2021

Intelligent financial system: How AI is transforming finance

Bank for International Settlements
The report explores the transformative role of AI in the financial sector, focusing on financial intermediation, insurance, asset management, and payments. It highlights both opportunities and challenges, including implications for financial stability and the need for upgraded financial regulation to manage the risks associated with AI's growing influence.
Research
11 June 2024

How the oil industry has sustained market dominance through policy influence

InfluenceMap
The report details how the oil and gas industry has systematically opposed renewable energy and electric vehicles through a long-standing narrative playbook. This opposition has hindered the global energy transition, contributing significantly to continued high emissions and delaying critical climate action.
Research
10 July 2024

Regenerative development and design

The report explores the necessity and principles of regenerative development, aiming to create thriving living systems that evolve toward greater health and vitality. It emphasises aligning human actions with natural systems, integrating ancient wisdom with modern science, and fostering holistic, co-creative partnerships between people and the planet for sustainable and thriving futures.
Research
13 June 2024

A new economy: Exploring the root causes of the polycrisis and the principles to unlock a sustainable future

Ernst & Young (EY)
The report examines the systemic flaws of the current economic model, highlighting ecological, social, and geoeconomic crises. It proposes transitioning to a regenerative economy based on principles of sufficiency, circularity, systems thinking, equity, and redefining value to achieve sustainable and equitable growth.
Research
31 May 2024

ASIC’s Indigenous Financial Services Framework: Driving change to support First Nations peoples to achieve and experience positive financial outcomes

Australian Securities and Investments Commission
This framework supports First Nations peoples in achieving positive financial outcomes. Developed through extensive consultations, the Framework includes guiding principles, key learnings, and engagement strategies with stakeholders. It aims to improve financial access and wellbeing for First Nations communities through culturally appropriate and inclusive practices, fostering collaboration across sectors.
Research
9 February 2023

Unleashing the potential of Islamic Finance: Global perspectives on achieving the SDGs with Islamic finance tools and concepts

International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)
This report summarises discussions from a roundtable on Islamic finance’s potential to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It explores the alignment of Islamic finance principles with the SDGs, highlighting the need for regulatory clarity, technical capacity building, and incentives to strengthen Islamic finance markets.
Research
7 June 2024
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