Despite the growing trend in global climate finance, emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) face a structural gap that domestic capital alone cannot fill. Domestic financial markets in many EMDEs cover only around half of what the climate transition requires. The question the panel addressed isn’t whether private investors care about sustainability and impact, but rather why capital that flows freely in mature markets still hesitates when the same projects cross into EMDEs.
This panel brought together leading practitioners from development finance institutions, asset management and banking to explore how capital is deployed in sustainable and impact investing in practice.
The discussion focused on real-world challenges in mobilising capital at scale, including financial structures, risk-sharing mechanisms and investment barriers in emerging markets, while also offering insights into career pathways in climate and impact finance.