Held in Edinburgh, a city widely regarded as a hub for green and sustainable finance, the GEFI Summit 2025 marked its tenth anniversary last month, celebrating a decade of convening global leaders and driving meaningful impact.
Our Sustainable Finance Lead, Tom McKenna, was proud to attend and represent Jersey Finance at this milestone event.
1. Transforming the economic system for sustainability
Growth-first thinking must be flipped. Hans Stegeman urged that sustainability must be the foundation of economic design and embedded in institutions, policy, and finance.
2. From doom to boom: reframing the narrative
Andrew Mitchell emphasised that fear-based messaging (e.g. ‘We’ve lost 73% of wildlife’) paralyses action. We must shift to opportunity-driven storytelling that motivates and inspires.
3. Slingshot psychology: pause before progress
Amy Clarke and Lord Alderdice described the current moment as a ‘slingshot’, a necessary retreat and recalibration, before springing forward. Transition is not linear; think of an accordion, not an arrow.
4. Tipping points can be positive
Rather than fearing tipping points, we should seek and accelerate them, especially in finance. We’re nearing a momentum shift in sustainable investment and transition finance.
5. The data vs. the noise
Despite the narratives of retreat, the numbers tell a different story. In 2024, US$2.1 trillion was invested in renewables, the highest ever. Transition is quietly, but steadily, advancing.
6. Regulation must be purposeful and global
Regulation without alignment risks fragmentation. Malaysia is prioritising flexibility and incentives over mandates. Chris Hayward called for international interoperability, not isolated taxonomies.
7. Ethical finance: normalise, don’t marginalise
Ethical finance must become the norm, not the niche. Calling it ‘ethical’ implies everything else is unethical, and we need to redefine the mainstream.
8. Communications: brutal honesty, better storytelling
Politicians and business leaders must be honest about the pain of transition. As Humza Yousaf warned: vague ‘word salads’ won’t cut it. If we don’t shape the story, those driving anti-ESG rhetoric will.
9. Multilateralism at a crossroads
The global system is evolving from multilateralism to unilateralism – and now toward multipolarity. Multilateral efforts are under pressure, but not dead. New alliances and blended finance are key to inclusive green growth.
10. Leadership, courage and culture matter
Regulations and frameworks are only as strong as the cultures that enforce them. Change requires brave leadership, cross-party consensus and the humility to listen to opposing views.
Final thought:
“Just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” – Dr. Sarah Ivory
