Building Bridges 2025 affirms sustainable finance as sound business practice

illuminem, as a leading platform for sustainability information & data, is proud to bring you exclusive coverage from key industry events. We are glad to partner with Building Bridges, the world’s premier forum for sustainable finance.

Building Bridges 2025 saw three days of dialogue, collaboration, and innovation in sustainable finance, convening more than 2,000 leaders from finance, government, international organisations, civil society, and academia.

Now in its sixth edition, the forum's message resonated across panels and announcements; allocating capital for impact is an economic necessity.

A new narrative for capital allocation

From the opening session, leading voices framed the challenge and opportunity of the decade.

David Blood, co-founder of Generation Investment Management, declared:

“The key is proving to the world — to investors — that you can make money in this transition. This is the biggest economic transformation since the industrial revolution. The moment markets see the returns others are generating, money will move.”

Rhiann-Mari Thomas, CEO of the Green Finance Institute, emphasised that the path forward lies in systemic alignment:

“This has always been about risk-adjusted returns. The question is how we mobilise capital into areas where it currently isn’t flowing — and the answer lies in coordinated ambition, policy incentives, and de-risking mechanisms that make returns comparable to business as usual.”

John Kerry, former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, captured the mood with a call to pragmatism:

“We have to change the narrative. The narrative of morality — powerful as it has been — brought us part of the way. Now we need the power of investability: showing people that you can invest, have money come back, and drive solutions at scale.”

Key announcements and launches

Throughout the week, Building Bridges served as a launchpad for initiatives that will shape global capital flows in the years ahead:

•  IFAD marked a milestone in sustainable bonds, underscoring the rising role of multilateral organizations in mobilizing private investment for development.

•  EIT Food announced the creation of a new Think-Do Tank on Resilient Agriculture.

•  The SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI) revealed winners of its 4th Innovation Window, spotlighting solutions advancing SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 8 (Decent Work), and 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

•  LeFil published two landmark reports on Impact-Linked Finance and Gender Mainstreaming, highlighting how inclusive finance strategies improve both impact and performance.

•  A collaboration between the University of Cambridge & Bloomberg introduced a bond index shifting focus from pure decarbonisation metrics to real-economy outcomes.

•  ImpactScope & Insig AI unveiled AI-powered platforms designed to combat greenwashing and accelerate IFRS sustainability reporting.

•  ENCORE partners (UNEP-WCMC, UNEP FI, Global Canopy) released new online tools to map nature dependencies and risks across value chains.

•  The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges (UN SSE) launched new model guidance on nature-related disclosures for stock exchanges worldwide.

Broadening the ESG lens

While climate and nature dominated many conversations, the forum also spotlighted the often-overlooked “S” in ESG.

Joy Zhang, Head of Responsible Investment at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, reflected:

“Inspired by the rich discussions on nature and climate at Building Bridges, I reflected on the ‘S’ in ESG. Too often framed around risk mitigation, I believe social factors should also be seen as opportunities for value creation and investable assets. To enable this, social data must go beyond baseline assessments to focus on real outcome impact. This is where investors’ contribution is essential — and why through the Workforce Disclosure Initiative, we at Thomson Reuters Foundation strive to keep data accessible, comparable, and transparent, so it can truly inform and support collective progress.”

Her remarks highlighted a growing recognition: investors must treat social outcomes not as peripheral risks, but as investable opportunities.

The bridge ahead

As the forum closed, one message stood out: the transition to economic logic is well underway. With capital markets beginning to view sustainability as a driver of resilience, innovation, and returns, the challenge now lies in scaling solutions and aligning incentives at a global level.

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