Performance Framework: Effectiveness

Effectiveness concerns the degree to which markets price sustainability factors are into asset values. This is core to assessing the existence of market failures, although there remains a need to distinguish market failures and policy weaknesses associated with the real economy (e.g. lack of carbon pricing) and market failures and policy weaknesses in the financial economy, such as not considering the potential market impacts of future carbon pricing.

Inquiry Publications

On the Role of Central Banks in Enhancing Green Finance

Date: 20-Feb-2017

The paper examines the role of central banks in ‘greening’ financial systems. Given the enormous investments needed to bring about a green transformation, the financial sector will have to play a central role in allocating resources towards a sustainable and green economy – and stop financing activities that harm the environment. Against this backdrop, the
Sustainable Finance?

Date: 29-Feb-2016

This paper seeks to assess how the international banking community is building sustainability into corporate strategies; how effectively these strategies are being implemented; how sustainability is being embedded into key business processes and decisions; and how sustainability principles are reflected in reporting. It presents an assessment of the sustainability performance of banks using a range of
China Green Finance Task Force Report: Theoretical Framework

Date: 02-Apr-2015

Despite the considerable headway made in the promotion of green credit by the government of China, efforts for building a green finance system remain fragmented and conceptual. This paper develops a theoretical framework for green finance. A ‘green finance system’ refers to a series of policies, institutional arrangements and related infrastructure building that, through loans, private equity,
Financing the Future

Date: 06-Feb-2017

Italy’s Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea, in partnership with UN Environment, launched the National Dialogue on Sustainable Finance in February 2016 to identify practical market and policy options to mobilize Italy’s financial system for sustainable development and climate action. The conclusions of the paper are: Italy faces a strategic opportunity to harness its financial
Fintech and Sustainable Development – Assessing the Implications

Date: 14-Dec-2016

The report, a companion to the second edition of “The Financial System We Need”, assesses how the financial system’s core functions are likely to be disrupted by financial technology (“fintech”) innovations and how they could help – or hinder – efforts to align financing with sustainable development. It considers ways to: Unlock greater financial inclusion by
The Role of Policy-Driven Institutions

Date: 24-Aug-2015

A variety of interventions can be used to develop national financial systems and provide local access to affordable, long-term finance. This paper considers four key categories of actions: voluntary action; priority sector lending; regulatory or financial incentives as well as direct lending by policy-driven financial institutions. It particularly focuses on the role of policy-driven institutions such
A Role for Finance Ministries

Date: 20-Oct-2015

This paper investigates various roles that finance ministries can assume to promote those policies, regulations and standards which help to create a sustainable financial system. Finance ministries typically interact with the financial sector in many ways, from regulator and supervisory mandate setters to tax authority and sovereign debt issuers. All of these points of leverage
Green Finance Progress Report

Date: 11-Jul-2017

The G20 Green Finance Synthesis Report adopted at the G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou in September 2016 set out seven options identified by the G20 Green Finance Study Group (GFSG) to accelerate the mobilization of green finance. This paper highlights some of the progress made against these seven options in G20 members and internationally since June 2016.
3rd Update Report: Pathways to Scale

Date: 07-Jan-2015

This is the 3rd Update Report of the UNEP Inquiry, it is focused on the challenge of financing the low-carbon transition. It explores how innovative ideas and practices can be made more effective, adopted more widely, and taken to scale—and as a result move the trillions that are required. Scaling-up proven but limited innovations, is a common
Stock Exchanges and Sustainability

Date: 23-Dec-2015

Stock exchanges have historically played an important role in economic growth and development through enabling effective capital allocation. However, exchanges and markets more broadly have changed over time, in structure, inter-connectedness and rate of activity. This has happened against a backdrop of growing recognition of the unsustainability of the current economic growth path in both