The Finance for Impact Summit on Monday, 18 July 2022 brought together leaders of finance, business, governments and other institutions from around the world to discuss how we can better harness finance for the good of people and the planet. This one-day event was held in person at Mansion House in London, and streamed live to a global audience.
The Summit was held by the City of London Corporation along with its partners, the Impact Investing Institute and KPMG, and was sponsored by Schroders.
Hosted by The Rt Hon. the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Vincent Keaveny, the Summit announced initiatives that will enable finance for impact to scale. These included:
- An industry-led set of priorities for scaling finance that delivers positive and measurable social impact across Financial Services. The recommendations will also support the sector to be more ambitious in integrating social considerations into sustainable finance strategies, alongside environmental ones. Read the full report here.
- The Just Transition Finance Challenge for asset owners and managers. The Challenge will bring together investors committed to mobilising finance towards a transition to net zero that is inclusive and socially beneficial – i.e., a “Just Transition” – in the UK and globally. Among other initiatives, the Challenge will later this year launch a Just Transition Finance label recognising investments that advance a Just Transition globally. Find out more here.
The Summit also featured a series of keynotes and ‘In conversation’ sessions with high-level UK and international participants and marked a milestone for the Finance for Impact Initiative, which aims to build on the commitments made at COP26 and the work of the G7 Impact Taskforce.
The work of this Initiative is driven by a desire and a belief that the mobilisation of private capital will be crucial in addressing the environmental and social challenges we currently face. And in order to channel capital at scale, we need a vibrant finance for impact market, where investors can generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.