News

In the two years since COP16 in Cali, the finance sector has made significant progress in building the foundations for nature finance, but stronger action and clearer government policies are needed to meet global biodiversity targets for 2030. Financial institutions must redouble their efforts to mobilise finance, manage nature-related risks, and improve data and reporting – a supportive enabling environment is necessary for this to occur.

UNEP FI and UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), with support from the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia (SFIA) and under the guidance of the ASEAN Taxonomy Board (ATB), are launching a new collaboration, the ASEAN Regional Taxonomy Capacity-Building Initiative. It aims to strengthen the capacity of ASEAN financial policymakers and regulators, to design, implement and operationalize sustainable finance frameworks to help address sustainability risks and opportunities.

This article shares an overview of a new UNEP FI policy brief, "Nature-related regulation of banks in China and the EU: A comparative landscape analysis", examines how nature-related considerations are being incorporated into banking-relevant regulation across these two major economic and financial systems.

Ahead of the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), this article discusses the Turkish and Australian Presidencies’ priorities and key moments expected to shape the road to COP31 and their implications for financial institutions. It also lists UNEP FI’s planned activities and initiatives at the COP.

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa (UNCCD), closed in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with an important message for the finance sector: land degradation and water scarcity are material macroeconomic and portfolio risks running through agricultural supply chains, food systems and energy security.

This article, co-authored by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and UNEP FI explores the interconnections of climate change and geopolitical volatility and where banks’ existing capabilities may help address both.

Sustainability is fundamentally a prudential risk issue. Climate change, nature loss, pollution, resource scarcity and social inequality can all affect…

Over 350 banks – representing more than 85 countries and approximately half of the global banking sector by value (~99…

Updated NZAOA Call to Action gives clear guidance on what some of the world's largest asset owners look for from firms managing their private market investments