Seminar on Sustainable Finance in Guernsey emphasizes the necessity of climate adaptation and the growth of UK's green economy
Guernsey Sustainable Finance Seminar 2025 Highlights Global Collaboration for Sustainable Finance
The Guernsey Sustainable Finance Seminar 2025, held in London earlier this week, brought together industry leaders to discuss the critical role of the financial sector in accelerating the global transition towards a sustainable future.
The event, which featured a keynote address from The Rt Hon Lord Alok Sharma KCMG, focused on various topics including sustainable infrastructure investment, innovations in alternative proteins, and the regulatory environment required to scale new solutions.
During the first panel, discussions revolved around insurance and investment in climate adaptation and disaster response. The shift from ad hoc responses to pre-arranged, scalable mechanisms was emphasised, with Anticipatory disaster finance gaining momentum. Andreas Hadjiyannis, Director of Finance and Operations for Synthesis Capital, praised Guernsey's support of scaling climate investment, noting its ability to move at pace without compromising quality.
The second panel, Supporting UK Green Growth and Climate Mitigation, focused on the UK's net zero commitments and the role of private sector collaboration in mobilizing capital. Lord Sharma emphasized the urgency of sustained international action and the responsibility of the financial sector to support transition pathways.
Blended finance, which combines government funding, grants, guarantees, insurance/reinsurance, and commercial capital, was highlighted as a means to de-risk projects in fragile markets. Justin Sykes, Managing Director at Innovest Advisory, emphasized the importance of blended finance in moving from proof-of-concept to scalable solutions.
Karen Hill, Head of Sustainable Investing for Concession Infrastructure, Aberdeen Investments, highlighted the importance of aligning standards across the globe to simplify compliance. She suggested that the finance sector should stick to commitments and demonstrate the generation of investment, jobs, and growth to be heard by governments.
Stephanie Glover, Strategy and Sustainable Finance Director at Guernsey Finance, stated that Guernsey's financial services industry has a golden thread of sustainable finance running through it. Guernsey Finance underscored its role as a hub for sustainable innovation, with a combined net asset value of over £5 billion in regulated sustainable fund regimes and robust ESG frameworks.
Panellists discussed the evolving role of financial centers in accelerating the global transition. The search results do not provide the name of the Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies who spoke at the seminar. However, Petra Demarin, Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships to the Under-Secretary General, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, stated that investment in disaster risk reduction before a disaster is seven times cheaper than the response after the fact.
Moneyval has recently confirmed Guernsey's robustness as a jurisdiction, reinforcing Guernsey's position as a partner in global sustainable finance, offering responsive structures and regulatory support for investors and managers aligning with climate adaptation and net zero objectives.
The Guernsey Sustainable Finance Seminar 2025 underscored the importance of global collaboration in driving sustainable finance and accelerating the transition towards a net zero future. The event provided a platform for industry leaders to share insights, discuss challenges, and explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration.
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