A summary of the morning sessions at the annual SFi AFIS summit.
Bravery and the willingness to pivot are crucial in impact investing. Trying new things and adapting to new challenges define our path forward.
The second edition of the Sustainable Finance Impact Summit (SFi) held in Hong Kong brought together 120 thought leaders, investors, and innovators to explore the intersection of capital and purpose. The summit began by underscoring the urgent need for sustainable finance solutions to address pressing global challenges such as climate change, poverty alleviation, and technological innovation.
Katy Yung set the tone by emphasizing the power of impact investing in transforming the Asian financial landscape. She highlighted the region’s impressive growth in impact investments, which is now part of a USD1.2 trillion global market.
Katy stressed the need for passion and commitment in impact investing, likening it to the fervor of Taylor Swift’s fanbase, and encouraged participants to leverage their financial resources to drive positive change.
Key Highlights - AM Session
APAC Landscape Trends
This session by Tasos Zavitsanakis of UBS outlined unique opportunities and challenges in the Asia Pacific region. The speaker emphasized the area’s significant potential due to its large population, extensive coastlines, and financial resources including the region’s vulnerability to climate change impacts and the crucial role it can play in driving impactful climate solutions. He urged stakeholders to harness their expertise and resources to lead the way in sustainable development.
Optimism & Outrage
This session featured an interactive and live survey. Follow the SFi newsletter to get the survey results later this summer. Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/hss10H
Navigating Your Journey to Action
This panel focused on translating sustainability goals into actionable strategies. Panelists shared their personal journeys and the lessons they’ve learned along the way, including the importance of building ecosystems and the impact of scaling these initiatives. One example covered the key transition from private investment to public transparency. A key takeaway is the need for humility, bravery, and the willingness to pivot in response to new information.
Investing Boldly in Uncertain Times
This session explored the necessity of making bold investment decisions amidst global uncertainties. Panelists emphasized innovative approaches and risk management strategies that can drive sustainable impact. They discussed the critical role of investor bravery and adaptability, underscoring the importance of taking calculated risks to achieve long-term sustainability goals.
Moonshot Ideas
Both speakers underscored the need for leveraging technology and changing behaviors to create significant, scalable impacts:
How can AI be used to amplify social impact, in specific, scalable ways?
Venture capital is crucial for innovation but often biased. Sophyia Chiang shared how AI can democratize access to capital by improving how deals are sourced and screened. She stressed the importance of AI in creating a more equitable and diverse innovation economy.
How can behaviour-oriented circular solutions lead to systemic change
Tim Parker discussed how behavior-oriented solutions can drive systemic change. He emphasized the importance of integrating circular economy principles to foster sustainability. He showcased real examples and advocated for circular solutions that engage and change consumer behavior.
On Sustainability
Sustainability is no longer optional; it's a business imperative that drives long-term value.
If you can envision this future and work towards it, then it is possible. We need to shift from climate anxiety to climate optimism and focus on practical steps to achieve it.
Asia Pacific will bear the brunt of climate change impacts, but also holds enormous potential in terms of expertise, people, and finance to drive significant change.
On Innovative Approaches
We create a structure, build a habitat, add food, and you have the beginning of an ecosystem. Doing this at scale can have a massive impact.
We need to use all the tools in our toolbox to address global issues; this includes activating all types of capital from philanthropic to market rate returns.
We’re seeing incredible potential in areas like water infrastructure and renewable energy, which are not just low risk, but essential for sustainable development.
On Purpose and Risk
The real challenge is not just having the products and due diligence, but truly understanding what motivates us and how to strategically express this across our investment portfolios, businesses, and philanthropy.
Bravery and the willingness to pivot are crucial in impact investing. Trying new things and adapting to new challenges define our path forward.
We've got the lack of impact data and the complexity of non-standard ways of measuring impact, but we must push forward.
Visit the summit website to view the full gallery: https://www.sfiimpactsummit.com/gallery
So in the words of Katy Yung, “What will be your one big, hairy, audacious impact goal in the next year?”
Let’s harness our collective momentum to achieve even greater impact by 2025.
If you are a Senior Executive or Principal of a Family Office, Family Foundation or NextGen looking for support and a community to join you on your impact investing journey, contact us for a 1:1 Member Consultation:
To view the whole 2024 Asian Family Impact Summit agenda and speakers: https://www.sfiimpactsummit.com/agenda
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