London, 16 July 2018 — SYSTEMIQ has been selected as the consultancy partner to support strategy development and business planning for a Green Finance Institute (GFI), funded by the City of London Corporation and UK Government. The purpose of the Institute is to champion sustainable finance in the UK and abroad.
“The transition to a low-carbon economy is a massive opportunity for the UK, which has the potential to lead the world in cutting emissions and strengthening climate resilience, while driving growth,” said Jeremy Oppenheim, founder and senior partner at SYSTEMIQ. “It is an honour to be working with the City of London and its partners at the Green Finance Initiative to help unlock this opportunity and enhance the role of London as the world’s preeminent green finance hub.”
London is currently a world leading centre for green finance, with nearly 80 green bonds raising more than US$24 billion across seven currencies. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate Change estimates around US$93 trillion of global infrastructure investment between 2015 and 2030 will need to be green in order to meet climate change commitments. The green bond market grew by 78% between 2016 to 2017, to US$155 billion in issuances.
In September 2017, leading finance expert and former Mayor of London Sir Roger Gifford chaired a Green Finance Taskforce to accelerate sector growth and the UK’s low-carbon economy. Its findings, published in the Green Finance Taskforce report, sets out a series of recommendations on how the government and the private sector can work together to make green finance an integral part of financial services.
Among its recommendations is the creation of the Green Finance Institute, the creation of which was formally announced in June 2018. The Institute will mobilise the UK’s existing capabilities, create new business opportunities and communicate to the wider market London’s offer in green finance. The Institute will also play a vital role in the UK’s international engagement on financial services, especially in emerging markets where green finance demands are growing rapidly.
“I’m delighted that the Government is partnering with the City of London Corporation to set up a Green Finance Institute,” said Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation in an announcement made today. “This will bring together the UK’s existing capabilities, create new business opportunities, and communicate to the wider market what London’s offer is in green finance and insurance. Promoting this is not only good for business, but is good for the world; helping tackle one of our greatest challenges – global warming.”
The announcement of SYSTEMIQ’s selection as the GFI’s consultancy partner will be featured tomorrow as part of the international Green Finance Summit, hosted by the City of London and its partners. The conference brings together more than 1,000 delegates from across the financial and professional services industry to participate in a day of lectures, roundtables, and networking events. There are more than 60 speakers scheduled.
To view the full press release about the Green Finance Summit, including SYSTEMIQ’s selection as the consultancy advisor for the GFI, please visit: https://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/city-of-london-to-host-international-green-finance-summit/
