This session will explore where we stand on net zero finance and where we need to go. Drawing on CPI’s Net Zero Finance Tracker and insights from the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, it will examine both the integrity of climate commitments, observed progress and impacts in the real economy, and current drivers and gaps in action and how to address them. The session will also focus on the role of financial innovation in mobilizing capital, particularly from institutional investors, toward real-economy solutions.

Discover the world of Impact-Linked-Finance through various ambitious yet practical applications by leading organizations in the field, including: The ILF collaborative – a public-private alliance to scale impact-linked finance vehicles (by SDC); the Gender Scaling Financing Facility and other innovative ILF structures to unlock the pivotal role of gender equality for business and social impact (by LeFil/GSSF); the Hardest to Reach Fund, using blended finance to invest into the gender-clean energy nexus in Africa (by Acumen); the Gigaton Fund using ILF to invest massively into the climate-gender axis in emerging countries beyond 2x compliance (by Mirova); and the 2X Impact Rewards – a new mechanism to catalyze gender-smart outcomes through targeted incentives in ILFs (by Roots of Impact).

Join this dynamic, hands-on workshop showcasing inspiring nature-positive solutions backed by transformative finance. Through interactive dialogue and curated panels, this session will connect pioneering nature-positive innovations with a diverse community of investors, foundations, and corporate leaders. Learn how to invest in, assess impact, and navigate the evolving landscape of nature-positive solutions and explore the transformative potential of investing in nature.

Frontier markets hold enormous commercial and social potential, yet capital often stays on the sidelines due to outdated perceptions. This session will showcase how innovative partnerships and blended financing structures unlock these markets—demonstrating how strategic investments can yield returns, foster stability, and drive inclusive growth. Expect compelling real-life stories from investors and entrepreneurs on seizing frontier opportunities for lasting impact and shared prosperity.

Forests are at the intersection of climate action, biodiversity, and economic development. This session connects a forestry operator from Latin America with a Nordic investor to show how partnerships bridge global capital with emerging market opportunities. Through real-world examples, the discussion will highlight how forestry can deliver both financial returns and measurable environmental and social impact, illustrating why sustainable forestry is becoming a model for inclusive, scalable growth.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are essential to achieving international climate goals while delivering benefits for ecosystems and communities. However, mobilizing finance for NbS remains a significant challenge due to gaps in early-stage project development, investment-readiness, and financing mechanisms.

This session will take participants on a journey from project origination to innovative financing. It will focus on the practical steps required to develop and fund NbS projects—starting with pre-feasibility assessments and moving toward blended and catalytic finance. Real-world case studies from diverse geographies will illustrate challenges and breakthroughs.

Designed as a fishbowl discussion, the session encourages active participation from the audience, who will have the opportunity to rotate into the panel and share insights, questions, and experiences. The conversation will be moderated by Juraj Jurik, Director of Infrastructure and Nature at Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation and will bring together perspectives from project developers, investors, the private sector, and philanthropy.

Objectives:
– Illustrate the full NbS investment journey from early concept to finance.
– Identify enabling conditions and partnerships needed to make NbS investable.
– Showcase innovative finance instruments and blended finance approaches.
– Foster peer learning through interactive discussion.
– Generate actionable insights and next-step collaboration opportunities.

Join us as we explore how investors can support nature, through translating global ambition into portfolio approaches. Connect with Aviva Investors and the Zoological Society of London as they share innovative tools and solutions to identify, manage, and engage on nature-related risks and opportunities. Collaborate with us to exchange ideas, build solutions, and drive action needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of people and planet.

Robust sustainability data is essential to steer capital toward real impact, but data inconsistencies, gaps, and greenwashing risks remain widespread. This workshop explores how AI-powered verification and collaborative tools can help financial actors reduce ESG data risk, comply with evolving regulations, and confidently allocate capital aligned with sustainability goals.

This interactive session explores innovative financial solutions to enhance smallholder farmers’ access to finance and climate resilience for cocoa and coffee, aiming to drive sustainability and secure supply. In a fishbowl format, participants will examine the roles of key stakeholders – including traders, investors, multinationals, cooperatives, local companies, and NGOs – in supporting smallholders. The session will highlight country case studies and the impact of multi-stakeholder platforms.

Despite the growth of impact investing over the past years, its expansion is impeded by its limited liquidity. Long holding periods, the lack of secondary markets, and foreign currency risks constrain the flow of impact capital, especially into emerging markets. To catalyze sustained capital flows into emerging and developing economies (EMDEs), there is a clear need for innovative financial structures and liquidity-enhancing mechanisms that can ease capital constraints and create more flexible exit pathways for impact investors. By creating more dynamic exit pathways and addressing market inefficiencies, such innovations can expand the pool of investors willing to allocate to impact, improve capital recycling, and accelerate the deployment of resources to regions where they are most needed.