Income, racial and gender inequality have been at the top of the news agenda for months. The financial sector now needs to go beyond programmes, initiatives and box-ticking and embed diversity and inclusion into all it does.

The sustainable finance movement needs to manage the risk to its reputation, as Jeff Gibbs highlights in his documentary.

The momentum for environmental finance had been growing, but Covid-19 has forced a pause. Can environmental finance help economies to ‘build back better’? And how can that movement boost environmental finance?

The United Nations Special Envoy for financing the 2030 Agenda tells Euromoney how the Sustainable Development Goals can help us ‘build back better’.

It has taken the climate crisis to bring our collective focus onto the role of financing and the role of banks.

Markets need more sophisticated measurement criteria to cope with the surge in demand for ESG integration.

The investment bank will no longer IPO firms without diverse directors.

Sustainable financing is gaining ground in corporate Russia as firms look to improve their environmental, social and governance policies ‒ but can the country’s notorious polluters really go green?

Critics says IFC's standards lack rigour of World Bank’s 2018 Environmental and Social Framework; Bank accepts it has made many mistakes, caused environmental and social damage in the Amazon.

Why it doesn’t make sense that economic theory has kept natural capital as an externality.

Sustainable finance initiatives are great, but now is a good moment to take stock of the progress on commitments already made.

The Seychelles was the first country to issue a debt-for-nature swap to protect its marine environment; it was also the first to issue a blue bond, raising capital to finance sustainable marine and ocean-related projects. But can it overcome the teething problems and provide a model other island nations can follow?

Using a model of up-front financing for large one-off projects, project finance for permanence may be the mechanism that can help reach the goal of 50% of the planet’s natural areas being protected in perpetuity.

Tiny Bhutan has a claim to fame as the first and only country that can claim to be not only carbon neutral but dramatically carbon negative. Conservation is wrapped in with the national ideal of ‘gross national happiness’, a pillar of the country’s constitution and fundamental to national planning.

The Latin American nation has gone all-out to rebuild its natural environment over the last three decades, with great results – now it needs the rest of the world to pay attention.

The rhino impact bond has sparked excitement that financial tools can play a role in helping Africa conserve its wildlife. As the continent’s population level is set to rise quickly, Euromoney looks at the work being done to connect conservation with economic growth.

Carbon markets, particularly offsets, are shaking off their past and becoming a vital instrument for reaching CO2 reduction goals, protecting and conserving biodiversity at scale, as well as meeting many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They need to succeed.

Climate is no longer the only risk in town: thanks to a loud call from the scientific community, nature has finally been given a seat at the table with finance ministers, regulators and central bank governors.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean up water supplies, prevent the loss of biodiversity, mitigate fire and flood risk and meet the nutritional requirements of a growing population the world must improve its regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices – new tools and support from the financial services industry are needed to fund that transition.

The Seychelles will need to tackle its drug problem head on if it wants to develop a thriving blue economy and pay back debt raised from the first ever blue bond.

Advocating ESG while investing in one of the world’s largest oil companies is an uneasy truth.

Don’t believe the doubters – the transition from fossil fuel to clean energy can be made, and made swiftly and profitably.

Everyone wants to buy green bonds but many issuers, concerned about cost and complexity, don’t want to sell them. Non-green issuers could be all too ready to fill the void.

Shareholder proposals to support policies around climate change mitigation have had some recent wins that deserve celebrating.

Greater consideration has to be given to financing conservation. That includes questioning the financing of firms that produce pesticides and herbicides.

TNC aims for $1.6 billion impact of blue bonds by 2025; Morgan Stanley commits to financing plastic reduction for oceans.

Firms are funding social and environmental projects on the one hand and fossil fuels on the other – it’s time to show they care.

Looking back over 50 years, it is surprising how finance has changed its role in protest.

US bank taps European market for €1 billion deal.

The utility’s sustainability performance will partly determine the cost of servicing its new bank credit line, with any savings going to charity.