Overview
The ocean economy is estimated to be worth US$24 trillion, and investors and policy-makers are increasingly turning to the ocean for new opportunities and resources. However, unsustainable commercial activities and ineffective governance are eroding the natural capital on which economic growth depends.
Learnings
- The true potential of the ‘Blue Economy’ can only be realised if our ocean’s health is secured. We need to restore, protect and sustainably manage ocean assets in order to realise the ocean’s potential to support human development well into the future.
- Individual sectors of ocean economic activity are interdependent; one sector’s activities can have unintended impacts throughout the supply chain or on other industries, as well as on ocean ecosystems, and the communities that rely on them for their prosperity, food security and way of life.
- Financial markets and institutions are pivotal to driving the ocean sustainability agenda. Investment capital, both public and private, can play a significant role in unlocking a truly sustainable approach.
- What does ‘sustainable investment’ actually look like in an ocean context? The goal is to ensure that ocean-related investment delivers long-term value without having a negative impact on marine ecosystems, on efforts to reduce carbon emissions, or on ocean-based businesses of all sizes and the livelihoods of people who depend on them.
- Developing financial instruments, frameworks and models that prove most effective in the context of ocean investment, notably in emerging fields where the stakes are even higher.
Post Event Actions
- Support developing financial instruments, investments, activities and projects that aim to restore, protect or maintain the diversity, productivity, resilience, core functions, value and the overall health of marine ecosystems, as well as the livelihoods and communities dependent upon them.
- Work to direct investments to innovative commercial solutions to maritime issues that have a positive impact on marine ecosystems and ocean-dependent livelihoods as well as identify and to foster the business case for such projects.
- Look at partnering with public, private and nongovernment sector entities to accelerate progress towards a sustainable Blue Economy, ie blended finance, bankable conservation.
- Endeavour to direct investment to projects and activities that contribute directly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14 ‘Life Below Water’.
Speakers
MODERATOR
Jean-Marc Champagne
Head of Environmental Finance and Bankable Nature Solutions Asia
WWF-Hong Kong
Jean-Marc Champagne
Head of Environmental Finance and Bankable Nature Solutions Asia
WWF-Hong Kong
Jean-Marc’s main focus is heading up WWF’s newly launched Bankable Nature Solutions initiative for Asia, which aims to originate and develop scalable bankable projects with conservation impact. He is also managing the Asia-Pacific portion of the origination facility for the €160 million Dutch Fund for Climate and Development.
He was instrumental in launching the Climate Impact Asia Fund in January 2020 and is a member of its Investment Advisory Committee. He also advises institutional investors, lenders, and underwriters on the financial and economic risks and opportunities related to climate change and environmental issues.
Prior to WWF, he spent 17 years in the financial industry advising institutional investors on equities and equity derivatives. He started his investment banking career in 1997 with Merrill Lynch in New York City and has been based in Hong Kong since 2004, working for BNP Paribas and Jefferies. He graduated from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.
Jonathan Drew
Head of Global Banking Sustainability, Asia-Pacific
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
Jonathan Drew
Head of Global Banking Sustainability, Asia-Pacific
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
Jonathan graduated with an MA in Economics from Cambridge University in England and is also qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Jonathan started his banking career more than 30 years ago in London and has worked in a diverse range of markets including Latin America and the Middle East has been based in Hong Kong since 1997 witnessing first-hand the rapid growth of Asia. During this time, he has been involved successful advisory and financing transactions across a wide range of industrial and services sectors including energy, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure and financial services, with a focus on resource efficiency and sustainability. These transactions have involved supporting projects, corporates and institutions to approach various financial markets and structuring innovative and tailored solutions to meet the often large and always specific needs of clients. Over the last 8 years Jonathan has led HSBC’s efforts in Sustainable Finance in Asia, assisting clients in the development of sustainability and transition strategies and communicating these to ensure best access to financial markets. Jonathan has also been active in broader market development including driving awareness and engagement on the urgency of the need to transition and the development of robust financial products to support the implementation of the transition to a sustainable and resilient future. Jonathan is a member of the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association and is also the founding chair of the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association Green and Sustainable Loan Committee.
My Sustainability Goals for 2022:
Delivering capital solutions to enable clients to transition and grow their business to be resilient and create real value for their stakeholders.
Kim-See Lim
Regional Director, East Asia and the Pacific
International Finance Corporation
Kim-See Lim
Regional Director, East Asia and the Pacific
International Finance Corporation
Kim-See Lim is the International Finance Corporation’s Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific (EAP), leading investment and advisory operations across 18 countries and overseeing IFC’s strategy in the region. IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest multilateral private-sector investor in emerging markets and has US$10 billion invested in EAP.
Ms. Lim, a global investment professional with 26 years of experience, has led teams in the execution and management of debt and equity investments across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Sustainability is always at the core of her investment thesis and strategy.
Ms. Lim’s global career in development finance has taken her to more than 30 countries, including frontier markets such as Belarus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Mozambique, Myanmar, and Rwanda, among many others.
My Sustainability Goals for 2021:
Climate change is a defining development challenge of our time. IFC’s goal is for climate investments to comprise at least one third of our annual financings. We recently introduced blue financing products to complement our green and social-impact financing instruments.
Antoine Rose
Head of Sustainable Banking for Asia-Pacific
Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank
Antoine Rose
Head of Sustainable Banking for Asia-Pacific
Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank
Antoine Rose is Head of Sustainable Banking for Asia-Pacific at Crédit Agricole CIB who is leading the regional team to develop the Bank’s sustainable finance footprint and product range. Antoine has more than 10 years’ global experience engaging with several large clients in Benelux, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where he has actively cultivated Crédit Agricole CIB’s sustainable finance activities.
With thanks to
