Australian Sustainable Finance Institute CEO Kristy Graham was the guest speaker at KINETIK’s inaugural Climate Finance Dialogue.
The aim of the dialogue is to convene a range of climate finance experts from public, private and philanthropic sectors to share insights and develop partnerships aimed at accelerating investment in the green economy in Indonesia.
Ms Graham told the Dialogue that ASFI’s work is focused on getting large pools of capital – from pension funds, to banks, insurers and government – to invest in assets that will create environmental and social outcomes.
ASFI was established three and a half years ago at the behest of Australia’s largest banks and insurance companies who were facing questions from European investors about how they were managing environmental, social and climate related risks.
Ms Graham said the growth of sustainable finance in Australia had required policy and regulatory settings and the use of blended finance to accelerate the flow of capital towards sustainable opportunities.
The role of Indonesia’s sustainable finance taxonomy in helping the nation achieve its goals of 8 per cent economic growth and energy self-sufficiency was raised in several discussions during Ms Graham’s visit.
Sixty per cent of all European mutual fund and Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) capital is allocated to green funds, Ms Graham said, and attracting foreign capital would support Indonesia’s growth objectives.
She said the taxonomy is a rule book that credibly demonstrates to international investors what is green in the areas of the economy critical to Indonesia’s growth.
With a background in sustainable finance and impact investing across the public and private sectors, Ms Graham led the Australian Government’s work with private and institutional investors to mobilise capital for climate and social impact in Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
In this role she established the Australian Government’s first impact investment fund, now called Australian Development Investments, which was designed to build sustainable and inclusive financial markets in Southeast Asia.
For more information on Ms Graham’s work read a profile on her here:
The inaugural Climate Finance Dialogue was opened by Rebecca Valentine, Counsellor Climate and Infrastructure at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and hosted by KINETIK Technical Director Robert van Zwieten, who moderated a Q&A with Ms Graham and Dialogue participants.
KINETIK would like to thank everyone who participated in an energising discussion, and we look forward to the next event.
