REGISTRATIONS FOR THIS EVENT ARE CLOSED

 

 

     

 

                   Climate Bonds CONNECT - Global Conference London​

 

Climate Bonds CONNECT 2024 is excited to be back for its global conference in London on 24th October, for its ninth year.

Join us for what is set to be a transformative day at the forefront of sustainable finance.  

This exclusive, invitation-only events continues to push the boundaries of the field, gathering key players from the financial sector, government authorities, and corporations to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. 
Engage in groundbreaking discussions that chart our path to 2030, from aligning global taxonomies to accelerating the transition to sustainable agriculture. Gain insights into climate resilience investments and be among the first to explore our latest report launches. 

This event is your gateway to the cutting edge of sustainable finance. Register now and get ready to connect with industry leaders and drive impactful change!

 

DATE: Thursday, 24 October 2024

TIME: 08:00 – 17:45

VENUE: Convene, 155 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3YD

Watch the Highlights from the event

 

SPONSORS

 

AGENDA
 

08:15 – 09:00 Registration

09:00 – 09:30 Opening Speeches

• Sean Kidney, CEO, Climate Bonds Initiative
• Torsten Albrecht, Principal Investment Officer, AIIB
   

09:30 – 10:40 Session 1: Planning transition: opportunities for corporates to countries

Moderator: Sean Kidney, CEO of Climate Bonds Initiative

• Hideki Takada, Director Finance and Sustainability, Japanese government's GX Acceleration Agency
• Kingsmill Bond, Energy strategist, RMI
• Alex Michie, CEO, Global Capacity Building Coalition, Managing Director, GFANZ
• Sabine Laurent, Market Intelligence Transition Lead, Climate Bonds Initiative
   

10:40 – 11:10 Networking Break

 

11:10 – 11:15 OnSwitch 1 Session: Bad banks - what to do with stranded assets?

Presentation from Magali Van Coppenolle, Global Head of Policy, Climate Bonds Initiative

 

11:15 – 12:25 Session 2:  Interoperability: myth-busting, reality checks and the pathway forward

Moderator: Anna Creed, Director of Thought Leadership, Climate Bonds Initiative

• Kristina Alnes, Director, Sustainable Finance, S&P Global Ratings
• Malika Takhtayeva, ESG Analyst, Sustainable Fixed Income Lead, BNP Paribas
• Bridget Boulle, Principal Technical Advisor, Climate Bonds Initiative
• Louise Gardiner, Senior Operations Officer, IFC
•  

Sustainable finance Frameworks and taxonomies emerged out of a need for greater clarity, guidance and, in some case, regulation around what constitutes green and sustainable investments. They are now, however, over 45 different national and regional taxonomies in place or in development around the world along with a range of frameworks to assess the sustainable transition of entities and financial institutions. While the need for national and localised guidance is clear, the proliferation of frameworks creates a challenge in understanding different sustainable investments and therefore to enabling the flow of sustainable finance across borders. While is is not realistic or desirable for all frameworks and taxonomies to look the same, that they are comparable and speak a common language is essential for international capital flows. This session will explore what is meant by interoperability and what an achievable vision of an interoperable future looks like. It will assess how far we are from this future and explore different pathways to achieve the goal and the role of government, policy and international experts in supporting this.

 

12:25 – 13:25 Networking Lunch
 

13:25 – 13:30 OnSwitch 2 - The Green, Social, Sustainable, and Other Labeled (GSS+) Bonds Initiative for Southeast Asia by ADB

Presentation from Kosintr Puongsophol, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, Asian Development Bank

 

13:30 – 14:40 Session 3:  Innovating for Resilience: Scaling-up Proven Models to Catalyze the $3 Trillion Opportunity

Moderator: Ujala Qadir, Director of Strategic Programmes, Climate Bonds Initiative

• Amal-Lee Amin, Managing Director of Climate, Diversity and Advisory, British International Investment
• Lasitha Perera, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Development Guarantee Group
• Xianfu Lu, Consultant on Adaptation and Climate Resilience, AIIB
• Gerald Evelyn, Senior Client Portfolio Manager, Invesco
• Saoirse Jones, Executive Director, Head of Insurance Development Forum Engagement, Zurich Insurance Company Ltd
   

As the urgency to adapt to climate impacts grows, scalable solutions for increasing financing for climate resilience are emerging. To rapidly unlock the $3 trillion investment opportunity by 2030, we must combine proven models with cutting-edge innovations in finance, policy, and partnerships. Panelists will showcase how these proven model such as GSS+ bonds, guarantees, insurance, and collaborative platforms are being reimagined to tackle the climate resilience financing gap.

 

14:40 – 14:45 OnSwitch 3 - Criteria Launch - New Agri production (Crop & Livestock)

Presentation from Reyes Tirado, Agri-Food Lead, Climate Bonds Initiative
 

14:45 – 15:45 Session 4: The role of finance in advancing sustainable agriculture and its future

Moderator: Rachel Hemingway, Head of Transition Programme, Climate Bonds Initiative

• Reyes Tirado, Agri-Food Lead, Climate Bonds Initiative
• Monica Filkova, Climate and Nature Investment Strategy Lead, Aviva
• Daniel Poolen, Head of Sustainable Capital Markets, Rabobank
• Lisa Sweet, Director, Tilt Collective
• Dr. Chunquan Zhu, Head of Nature Initiatives, Greater China, World Economic Forum Beijing Representative Officer, China
   

This session will explore the role of finance in advancing sustainable agriculture, and the role of sustainable agriculture for meeting the social, economic and environmental goals of financial institutions, The need for clear definitions for sustainable investments to ensure the triple bottom line is met is critical for agriculture given its roles in climate health and food security. The panel will bring together producers, processors and investors to talk about how they are looking to shape the future of sustainable agriculture with Dr Reyes Tirado, the Climate Bonds Global Agriculture Standards Lead who will provide insights into how to ensure investments and actions are credible and will drive impact.
 

15:45 – 15:50 OnSwitch 4 - How ‘Sustainable Land Bonds’ will finance​ Nature-based Carbon Capture & Storage ​ ​

Presentation from Stuart Clenaghan, co-founder and chair of Green Gold Forestry Peru SA.
 

15:50 – 16:15 Networking Break

 

16:15 – 17:00 Session 5:  Transparency & reporting in the GSS bond market

Moderator: Christina Sewell, Senior Analyst, Sustainable Finance, S&P Global Ratings

• Torsten Albrecht, Principal Investment Officer, AIIB
• Simone Utermarck, Senior Director, Sustainable Finance, ICMA
• Abhishek Kumar, Managing Director, SSGA
   

Post-issuance reporting is a key expectation for sustainable finance instruments. In the case of green, social, and sustainability (GSS) bonds, reporting provides transparency around the use of proceeds (UoP) or allocations, and the sustainability-related impact of the financing. The good news is that the results of Climate Bond Initiative's recent analysis point to GSS bond reporting being widespread and generally of good quality but needing improvements in some key areas. In many cases, the implementation of relatively small changes could deliver substancial enhancements to the clarity and quality of post-issuance disclosures, enabling a more transparent market. Our panelists will discuss the current post-issuance reporting landscape, challenges facing issuers and investors, recommendations for best practice and opportunities to further improve the quality and harmonisation of reporting in the future.

 

17:00 – 17:45 Closing remarks 
Sean Kidney, CEO, Climate Bonds Initiative
 

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