GoPay is southeast Asia’s answer to Ant Financial. Its CEO comes with a background in the most micro level of finance: empowering village housewives to buy things to cook with. How will he build a business backed by the biggest names in global private equity?

Managing director, Infrastructure and Real Estate Group Asia at HSBC

Managing director, Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group

Executive director of community innovation for JPMorgan

Global director of Citi Community Development and Inclusive Finance

Head of sustainable banking, Crédit Agricole CIB

Chief sustainability officer and chief marketing officer, Morgan Stanley

Investment strategist, Bank of America Global Wealth Management

Chief sustainability officer, Americas, BNP Paribas

Head of green solutions, Impact, Advisory and Finance Department, Credit Suisse

CIO, UBS Global Wealth Management

Impact investing would seem an unlikely business for avaricious private equity funds. But many are embracing what they see as a new opportunity. Should we be sceptical or see private equity’s buy-in as proof of the impact investment concept?

Societe Generale has accelerated its transition and is using important mandates to convince its internal and external audiences alike.

The bank’s chief executive has led from the front to create an institution that is more diverse and better reflects the society in which it works.

The bank’s 10-year ScotiaRise programme has gone from strength to strength, reaching out to indigenous communities and aligning with its truth and reconciliation committee’s work.

The bank is leveraging all its resources to reach six million individuals by 2025. It is well on its way.

With a chief executive pushing sustainable finance from the very top, HSBC is leading from the front in the global banking industry’s response to the climate emergency.

It is not enough to have the data, banks also need to bring intelligence and financial analysis to bear in sustainable finance to keep progressing.