CFA Institute has announced its role as a founding member of the Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI). CASI is a new global initiative that aims to provide quality learning programs, technical assistance, and best practices to support and accelerate the development of sustainable finance in emerging markets and developing economies.
As a founding member, CFA Institute said it will contribute its sustainability-oriented knowledge and educational offerings to help advance capacity-building efforts aimed at fostering sustainable finance development and green investment opportunities that bring long-term benefits to society.
CFA Institute will be represented on CASI’s Steering Committee by Paul Moody, Managing Director, Global Partnerships and Client Solutions, at CFA Institute.
CASI was established by the Global Green Finance Leadership Program, which is hosted by the Institute of Finance and Sustainability, and Dr. Ma Jun, former Co-Chair of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group. CASI seeks to equip developing economies with the capacity to develop domestic sustainable financial markets and originate bankable green projects. This work supports global efforts to implement the Paris Agreement and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
CASI will offer in-person training, online learning programs, and technical assistance to a diverse audience, including regulators, financial institutions, corporates, and services providers.
It aims to address key challenges and bottlenecks currently facing emerging markets, including green taxonomy, sustainability disclosure, financial products, policy incentives, carbon markets, and the origination of green projects. CFA Institute will collaborate closely with CASI to develop impactful joint initiatives to facilitate ESG-themed learning programs and events across the financial industry and participate in CASI’s overall strategy review.
Margaret Franklin, CFA, President and CEO, CFA Institute, said: “Creating sustainable growth is clearly one of the greatest challenges of our time. This cannot be achieved without capacity building in terms of talent development and education. It is crucial to develop more capacity, both at the institutional and individual levels, and we are deeply honored that CFA Institute is furthering our long-time collaboration with the Institute of Finance and Sustainability through CASI. Collectively, we can contribute to ensuring strong and sustainable growth, by helping build institutional and policy-making capacity.”
Dr. Ma Jun, Founder and President of the Institute of Finance and Sustainability, said: “The importance of capacity building in unlocking sustainable capital in emerging markets and developing economies cannot be overstated. The lack of training and technical assistance aimed at strengthening a government’s capacity to design and implement effective policies is impeding the mobilization of private-sector financing for climate actions and sustainability in the developing world. As a global aggregator and distributor of sustainable finance knowledge, CASI represents a meaningful step forward in the delivery of the Paris Agreement and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
Paul Moody, Managing Director, Global Partnerships and Client Solutions, at CFA Institute, said: “Accelerating the sustainable investing landscape requires a collective and concerted effort by all of us, through skills, disclosure, and data. CFA Institute research indicates that, globally, the skills gap between the demand for learning and the supply of talent is one of the biggest when it comes to sustainability. As a founding member of CASI, we are grateful that CFA Institute can further enhance and accelerate efforts to proactively support and contribute to capacity building, and I am optimistic that we can all further contribute to creating the positive impact we need to see.”
CASI was formally launched at the COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates and is set to be operational in early 2024.