New frontiers in sustainable finance: from digitisation to resilience and nature

As sustainable finance evolves, investors are expanding their focus beyond decarbonisation to recognise the growing impact of digital infrastructure build-out, alongside rising climate resilience and adaptation needs and nature-related risks.

Climate adaptation and nature are becoming increasingly important considerations in asset allocation, risk management and corporate strategy, especially as demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digitisation drives investment in digital infrastructure. As digitalisation grows increasingly critical to our financial infrastructure, AI tools and digital innovation might support the needs of sustainable investors.

Financial institutions need to take a more deliberate approach to assessing physical risks, valuing natural capital and directing investment towards resilient infrastructure and nature-positive outcomes. Innovative fixed-income instruments, including niche areas such as blue bonds and debt swaps, continue to gain traction, albeit from a small base, and could over time support investment in resilient and more sustainable infrastructure.

This roundtable examines how investors, asset owners and technology companies are responding to these interconnected challenges. The discussion explores the investment case for sustainable digital infrastructure, the integration of resilience and nature into financial decision-making, and the data, standards and financing structures required to mobilise capital at scale.

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