Innovation

Decades of low rates and falling cost-curves were key to making renewables competitive, helping channel billions of dollars into green energy projects. Amid soaring inflation and the most rapid interest rate rise in history, concern is growing that economic turmoil could sap momentum from the energy transition, writes Steven Gilmore.

Creating carbon credits from soil is a messy business beset by challenges. But practitioners are confident that a combination of innovative technology and quality protocols will help unleash a market with transformative potential, writes Steven Gilmore.

Fossil fuel assets were set to become obsolete in the transition to net zero. But the war in Ukraine is forcing European governments to secure alternative energy sources and driving demand for coal, oil and gas back in the wrong direction. With the global energy transition seemingly pitched against national energy security agendas, banks are trying to navigate a difficult path through the turmoil.

The IPO market has all but closed as rates rise and stock prices fall. But even as they mark existing holdings down, private equity investors will still provide big volumes of new capital to young companies seeking to scale up. The key factor? That those firms are focused on green energy and dealing with the climate crisis. Freed from the noise of public stock markets, these big funds are happy to back their own long-term views of the most promising growth businesses.

UN CFO Taskforce member Jill Klindt talks to Euromoney about ESG disclosure challenges for SMEs and the need for all firms to produce consistent, auditable data.

While ING is paring back the retail-banking ambitions held dear by former CEO Ralph Hamers, sustainable finance is helping the wholesale bank become a growth engine for the group.