In the shadow of this year’s pandemic, is there a role for social, recovery and pandemic bonds, and are these instruments effective and fit for purpose? Beyond credit, what types of new vehicles will we see featuring in the financing of sustainable, social, humanitarian projects and what do Islamic finance structures offer? With Green bonds and Sukuk among the world’s fastest growing asset classes, what new and exciting opportunities do these structures offer corporate and sovereign issuers? What opportunities do green retail products offer? What disclosure and reporting demands are now placed on issuers of green structures, and how can issuers ensure ongoing compliance? What structures and opportunities are today’s ESG investors demanding, where and how can they invest and what does this mean for issuers? Are investors using green bond issuance as an indicative measure of an issuer’s low-carbon positioning, and how can organizations take advantage of this? We seek the views of a respected panel.

How do we revitalise approaches to identifying new and high priority asset allocation and investment strategies to help us address sustainable and environmental challenges? Is there a dearth of investment opportunities in key sectors, and have we seen asset price inflation? What asset classes and investment strategies represent tangible transition from high to low or zero carbon and from ‘at-risk’ to sustainable? How do investors manage rapidly changing taxonomies, sustainability reporting and disclosure requirements and keep track of what investments can be defined as sustainable in jurisdictions such as the EU? What are latest screening technologies, tools and frameworks for sustainable investing and how are these evolving? How are large, institutional investors playing a progressive role and what ESG demands are they making on investment managers? Are there touch points between Islamic finance and sustainable investment and where will we see examples of cooperation? What role does governance investing play, as well as criteria such as supply chain sustainability and human rights, as part of a responsible and ethical investment strategy, and is this changing? We ask an expert panel for their views.