June 5, 10:00 am to 6:30 pm
Followed by a networking dinner (invite-only)
Why Attend?
Focus on adaptation and mitigation finance
Sponsored by the Gates Foundation, the event will cover risk-return strategies in climate finance, scaling first-of-a-kind finance, green industrial policy and innovative public-private partnerships.
High-level participants
Engage with policy makers, academics and investors (including development finance institutions and foundations.)
Opportunity for networking
Taking place the same week as Super Return Berlin, Europe's largest venture capital and private equity gathering.
Register here!
This year's agenda
10:00 -11:00: Registration and welcome coffee
11:00 – 11:15: Opening remarks
Jörg Rocholl, President, ESMT Berlin
Olga Almqvist, Senior Manager, Societal Impact Financing Initiative, ESMT Berlin
Moderation of the day by Ogbogu Kalu, Entrepreneur in Residence, Institute for Deep Tech Innovation, ESMT Berlin
11:15 – 12:00: Opening panel: Climate Investments and Competitiveness: Risks, Returns, and Realities
Session chair: Jörg Rocholl, President, ESMT Berlin
Nicola Beer, Vice President, European Investment Bank
Margarita Cabrera, Head of Climate Business, Operations Guarantees, MIGA, World Bank Group
Melanie Kehr, Member of the Executive Board, CIO & COO, KfW
Fritzi Köhler-Geib, Member of the Executive Board, Deutsche Bundesbank
12:15 – 12:30: Academic keynote: The Economic Case for Climate Finance at Scale
Alissa M. Kleinnijenhuis, Visiting Assistant Professor of Finance, SC Johnson College of Business
at Cornell University
12:30 – 13:00: Expert Forum Insights: Implications of geopolitical developments on climate investments
Session chair: Carolin Albrecht, Managing Director, Berlin Global Dialogue
Sima Kammourieh, Executive Director for Climate, Finance for Development Lab
Brunno Maradei, Global Head of Responsible Investment, Aegon Asset Management
14:00 – 14:30: Investor keynote followed by Q&A: Unlocking Private Capital for Climate Action
Jean Jacques Barbéris, Deputy CEO, Amundi AM
14:30 – 15:00: Deep Dive: Green Guarantees: Mobilizing Private Capital for Sustainable Development
Session chair: Lars-Hendrik Röller, Chairman of the Green Guarantee Group, Founder & Chair, Berlin Global Dialogue
Martin Ewald, Project Lead, Hamburg Sustainability Platform
15:30 – 16:15: Leaders’ Discussion: Financing Resilience by Unlocking Capital for Climate Adaptation
Session chair: Hans Peter Lankes, Managing Director and Deputy Chief Executive, ODI
Thomas Bayerl, Global Head of Illiquid Assets und Member of the Board of Directors, MEAG KAG
Alice LeGrix de la Salle, Head of Impact & Regenerative Financing, AXA Climate
Anja Langenbucher, Europe Director, Gates Foundation
16:15 – 17:00: Policy Spotlight: Green Industrial Policy: Scaling the Industries of the Future
Session chair: Joanna Radeke, Director of the ESMT Institute for Sustainable Transformation, Director of Sustainability, ESMT Berlin
Isabelle Canu, Partner, Green European Tech Fund
Morgan Sheil, Head of Impact, World Fund
17:30 – 18:30: Book reading followed by Q&A: Capitalism broke the Climate. Now it can fix it
Akshat Rathi, Senior reporter for Climate, Bloomberg Green, Author of „Climate Capitalism”
19:00 – 21:00: Networking dinner (by invitation only)
We will offer a guided tour of the historical ESMT building, which used to be the State Council building of the former German Democratic Republic, from 18:30 – 19:00
Previous years' events
Europe's future prosperity hinges on decisive decisions we make today to foster competitiveness by investing in climate action and innovation. This upcoming panel with the EIB, World Bank, KfW, and Bundesbank is the right discussion at the right time to emphasize how to unlock investment that strengthens Europe’s competitiveness and climate leadership by addressing investment risks, returns, and new realities.
Green industrial policies are strategic to drive sustainable economic transformation by investing in clean and circular solutions that are economically attractive and environmentally friendly. By scaling innovative startups, investors decarbonize our industries and enhance energy security to strengthen the competitiveness and long-term resilience of the European economy.
Advancing competitiveness and climate protection in the current geoeconomic environment requires improving the risk-return-profile of the necessary investments. With regards to in-vestments in decarbonization, results from Bundesbank surveys suggest that substantial climate investment gaps persist. Only a minority of companies and households are planning sufficient increases in decarbonisation investment over the next few years. That although the German banking sector can meet its share of financing of the green transformation in Europe, as further Bundesbank research illustrates.
With climate extremes increasingly part of our lived experience, resilience and adaptation have moved up the priority list. Now we must get better at designing commercial solutions by turning loss avoidance into bankable revenue.
Succeeding in scaling a green technology requires supportive government policies, substantial public and private investment, and empowering entrepreneurs.
Closing the climate finance gap is crucial to ensuring a successful, resilient, and just transition. Green Guarantees can play a significant role in scaling up climate financing by de-risking investments in environmentally sustainable projects, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, or climate-resilient infrastructure.
European climate tech faces a growth investment crisis. We must bridge the gap and fund scalable technologies for a regenerative future.
Contact
Olga Almqvist
