Leading voices from across the finance industry, regulatory landscape and climate policy community gathered in London for the Guernsey Sustainable Finance Seminar 2025.
The seminar featured a keynote address from The Rt Hon Lord Alok Sharma KCMG and two expert panels exploring the mobilisation of private capital for climate mitigation, adaptation and green growth.
Panellists discussed the evolving role of financial centres in accelerating the global transition, and how innovation, collaboration and regulation can unlock sustainable investment at scale. Themes ranged from blended finance models to the importance of clear frameworks for climate-aligned capital deployment.
Delivering the keynote fireside chat, Lord Sharma emphasised the urgency of sustained international action and the responsibility of the financial sector to support transition pathways.
He said: “The first thing the finance sector must do is stick to the commitments you’ve made. You don’t have to shout about them, but please hit them. The second is to tell governments that what you are doing is generating investment, jobs and growth – that is how you get listened to.”
He reflected on the need for international collaboration and the scaling up of innovative financing mechanisms.
The first panel, which focused on insurance and investment in climate adaptation and disaster response, stressed that climate finance is shifting from ad hoc responses to pre-arranged, scalable mechanisms. Blended finance which can combine government funding, grants, guarantees, insurance/reinsurance and commercial capital can de-risk projects in fragile markets across the world and crowd in mainstream investment.
Speakers highlighted ‘anticipatory’ disaster finance that protects more people at lower cost and noted growing momentum for credible “carbon markets 2.0” with real community co-benefits. Guernsey’s responsive structures were cited as enabling faster execution and replication.
Petra Demarin, Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships to the Under-Secretary General, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said: “We know in our sector that an investment in disaster risk reduction – before anything happens – is seven times cheaper than the response after the fact. The problem can be that you don’t get credit for preventing something, but you get a lot of credit if you’re the first to respond afterwards. So, it is about incentivising that upfront investment in what we call anticipatory action.” Petra added that financial centres such as Guernsey can provide frameworks to channel investment where it is needed most.
Justin Sykes, Managing Director at Innovest Advisory, added: “Many transactions cannot occur without the financial engineering that brings in different forms of capital to de-risk private investor appetites. Blended finance is what allows us to move from proof-of-concept to scalable solutions.”
The second panel, Supporting UK Green Growth and Climate Mitigation, focused on the UK’s net zero commitments and the vital role of private sector collaboration in mobilising capital. Panellists discussed sustainable infrastructure investment, innovations in alternative proteins, and the regulatory environment required to scale new solutions.
Discussions also touched on the challenges of financing longer-duration sustainability assets in the context of rising interest rates, but panellists stressed that short-term volatility should not detract from the long-term returns of climate-aligned investment.
Andreas Hadjiyannis, Director of Finance and Operations for Synthesis Capital praised Guernsey’s support of scaling climate investment, saying: “The speed at which things happen is great, but often people might think that comes at the cost of quality.
Referencing Guernsey’s strength as a jurisdiction, he added: “Recently Moneyval has come through, and I’ve seen first-hand that it’s robust and a place that can move at pace.”
Karen Hill, Head of Sustainable Investing for Concession Infrastructure, Aberdeen Investments, added: “Alignment of standards across the globe can certainly help us, because we have so many different regimes that we have to comply with. It makes it quite complex to see those standards coming together. It’s good to see countries adopting this.”
Guernsey Finance underscored the island’s role as a hub for sustainable innovation.
‘Sustainable finance is a golden thread running through every part of Guernsey’s financial services industry. We pioneered two world-first regulated sustainable fund regimes, now with a combined net asset value exceeding £5 billion, alongside robust ESG frameworks and a collaborative financial services community. Every time we come together to share knowledge, debate solutions and form new partnerships, we strengthen Guernsey’s role in delivering climate-positive finance,” said Stephanie Glover, Strategy and Sustainable Finance Director at Guernsey Finance.
