
Sustainable Finance Summit
Jersey Finance will hold its first ever week-long Sustainable Finance Summit in March this year, featuring a series of events that will explore the role Jersey’s finance industry can play in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Between 10th and 14th March, three key events are set to be held under the title ‘The Big Transition – What’s Next?’, through which local and visiting speakers will examine the relationship between nature, climate and the great wealth transfer, and the importance of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Taking place at the Freedom Centre in St Helier, the Summit will open with a session entitled ‘A Call to Action’, featuring global expert on sustainability and climate change. and author of ‘There is no Planet B’, Professor Mike Berners-Lee (pictured). With plaudits from Bill Bryson and Al Gore, Mike’s work combines high level thinking about policy and best practices with innovative views on how AI and tech innovations can be a force for environmental good.
Other sessions during the week will include ‘The Role of Innovation in the Transition’, which will look at how the transition will not be possible without innovation and technology, and ‘The Next Steps for Sustainable Finance in Jersey’, where a range of speakers will debate what Jersey must do to support the transition, both as an Island community and an international finance centre (IFC).
Towards the end of the week Jersey Finance will also announce the winners of its third annual Sustainable Finance Awards, which recognise the finance firms and individuals already making an impact. Finally, the week will culminate in an Island-wide volunteering day in partnership with the Greening Jersey Trust. The Summit will also feature an exhibition of artistic creations by local primary school pupils, celebrating the Island’s rich natural environment.
Commenting on the Summit, Joe Moynihan, CEO, Jersey Finance, said: “Our inaugural summit marks the five-year countdown both to our 2030 Sustainable Finance Vision but also to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – a framework that is at the heart of our efforts around sustainable finance. Against that backdrop, our first ever Summit this year offers a fantastic opportunity to reflect on where we are now as well as where we need to focus our efforts as an island and as an industry, if we are to meet our environmentally focussed ambitions.
“Over the course of the week, we will have the privilege to hear from some leading thinkers in this space, including Professor Mike Berners Lee, all of whom I’m sure will provide both inspiration and practical insights into how we can enact lasting change and embed sustainable principles into all we do.”