Unlocking Transition Finance
Transition finance is a rapidly evolving field that is critical for unlocking sustainable investments in emerging markets. Private sector financial institutions have a key role to play as they can provide the needed financing to enable the hard-to-abate sectors to reduce their carbon footprint. With tailored transition finance solutions, banks and other financial institutions can mobilize private investment at scale to accelerate the shift towards net-zero for companies from carbon-intensive industries, helping achieve the decarbonization goals of the Paris Agreement.
But, despite the growing awareness of the importance of transition finance, unlocking the needed private capital in high-emission sectors remains a challenge in emerging markets. Common barriers that hinder the flow of the transition finance include the perceived high risks, lack of effective regulatory frameworks, and insufficient knowledge about the available methodologies for designing decarbonization plans and setting performance targets.
So how can financial institutions overcome these barriers and unlock transition finance at scale? What are the latest trends and innovations in the transition finance landscape? What lessons financial institutions in Europe and across the globe have learned from implementing their transition finance strategies? And how can IFC provide financial institutions with the needed knowledge and tools to help them succeed in the new field of transition finance? Please check the recording of ECA GBAC webinar to learn about this.
Webinar recording in English
Webinar recording in Russian (simultaneous translation)
Dr. Tara Shirvani is the Global Lead for Transition Finance at IFC. In her role, she drives initiatives aimed at unlocking sustainable capital flows to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, particularly in emerging markets.
With expertise spanning climate finance, sustainable development, and innovative financial instruments, Tara has been instrumental in shaping IFC’s approach to supporting real sector companies and financial institutions in aligning with global net-zero goals.
She holds over 15 years of experience in climate finance, stemming from her work at the EBRD, World Bank, and EQT.
Antoni is the Global Head for Sustainability Intelligence & Advocacy at BBVA. He is a member of the Steering Group at the UN-convened Net Zero Banking Alliance. He is the Chair of the Sustainable Finance Expert Group at the European Banking Federation, a member of the Finance Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency, and Senior Advisor of the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders of the World Economic Forum.
He was Co-Chair of the Global Steering Committee at the United Nations Environmental Program for Financial Institutions (UNEP FI) from 2019 to 2023. He is also a former member of the EU Commission High-Level Expert Group on Scaling up Sustainable Finance in Low and Middle Income Countries.
Antoni holds a Degree in Business Sciences and MBA from ESADE Business School. He studied at Harvard Business School, Cambridge University and is First Mover Fellow at The Aspen Institute.
Edd is the Executive Director, Public Policy at the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). In his role, Edd leads GFANZ’s work on public policy across corporate and national transition planning, transition finance, and broader sustainable finance issues.
He previously worked for 15 years at the Bank of England in a range of roles, most recently leading the Bank’s international engagement in the G20, G7, Financial Stability Board and with key bilateral partners. He was the Bank’s member of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group.
Erich joined CDPQ in 2022. CDPQ is a global investor group with CAD $452 billion in assets under management. Erich is responsible for CDPQ’s US government relations as well as managing US regulatory affairs on behalf of CDPQ’s family of asset classes.
In addition, Erich leads much of CDPQ’s global thought leadership in areas focused on sustainability and blended finance. In this capacity, he serves in a number of initiatives, including:
– Director of the Sustainable Markets Initiative task force on Blended Finance;
– Co-Director of the Investor Leadership Network Private Capital Mobilization consortium;
– Co-lead of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero Transition Finance and Real Economy Transition working group; and others.
Prior to joining CDPQ, he served as a diplomat for the Government of Canada. During this time, he completed two postings to Canada’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York where he served as Canada’s lead on climate, economic and environmental affairs and was extensively involved in negotiating major international agreements such as Rio+20, the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda (the SDGs), and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
Prior to joining the foreign service, he held a number of positions in the private and philanthropic sectors in South Korea, Indonesia and Germany.
He holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia University.
Kyrylo is a Project Co-Lead at the IFC’s Climate and Agricultural Financial Services in Europe. He is a finance expert with a 20-year background in sustainable, agriculture, and climate-smart agriculture finance, along with crop and warehouse receipts implementation and agricultural capital markets development.
Throughout his career, he has been focused on developing inclusive access to finance initiatives, legal and regulatory framework enhancement, stakeholder relationship management, and designing and implementing innovative financial solutions. He is an effective communicator able to translate complex financial technics into banking language, and an experienced trainer with a broad footprint across Europe and Central Asia, encompassing IFC operations.
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