“Green Finance: Opportunities and Challenges”

Webinar on resources, practices and solutions for accessing Green Finance Friday, September 12th, 2014 - 10 am CET

The opportunities represented by Sustainable Development, Green Growth and Green Economy are well known by stakeholders in both industrialised and developing countries, however the corporate and NGOs sectors are facing difficulties in accessing finance to improve their SCP performance and rendering projects self-sustainable.
The SWITCH-Asia Network Facility organises a webinar to present experiences, opportunities and resources related to “green finance” jointly with an interactive session for project representatives and interested parties.
This seminar will present two panels of about 45 minutes each, including 15 min Q&A sessions per panel.

First Panel: Corporate green financing
Main discussion points
- Analysis of financial tools: traditional instruments such as concessional debt, first loss guarantees, high risk capital investment, grants, and other financial incentives
- How financial tools can use public funds to catalyze private investment
- How SMEs can improve their competitiveness by improving energy efficiency and reducing energy costs through both financial and non-financial products
- Experiences from the private and financial sector (financial institutions and SMEs): Lessons learned and the need for innovation to be used in the design of green finance funds.

Speakers
· Ms Alexandra Tracy, President of Hoi Ping Ventures in Hong Kong and Chairwoman of the Board of the Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia: “Trends and resources in the Asia Pacific”
· Ms Mayte de Vries, Project Manager, SWITCH-Asia “MEET-BIS” Project: “Overview on SME landing and green finance mechanisms in Cambodia”.

Second Panel: Financial sustainability of green projects
Main discussion points
- Projects financial self-sustainability
- Green entrepreneurship and Crowdfunding platforms
Financial mechanisms and funds under UNFCCC and Kyoto protocol (Global Environment Facility - GEF - and the Green Climate Fund)

Speakers
· Mr Alexander Ablaza, Principal Advisor, Sustainable Infrastructure Finance and Investments - “Reinventing the Market for Green Finance in Asia”
· Mr Xiaochen Zhang, Climate Change Officer, World Bank Group: “Crowd-funding and the latest World Bank’s development on climate finance in Asia”

Target audience
- Representatives from SWITCH-Asia projects (both ongoing and completed projects)
- Project officers from the European Commission and European Delegations in Asia
- Representatives from financial institutions active in the field of sustainability, climate change, green growth and local banks active in SME lending
- Researchers in the topics of sustainable growth, green finance, energy-efficiency, etc.
- Any other interested party

Recommended Background: No previous background or knowledge of the subject is required; however a managerial, accounting or financial background could facilitate the comprehension of the webinar and a constructive interaction.

Duration: about 90 minutes

Technical platform: Adobe Connect Version 9.2

Technical requirements: A “meeting diagnostic check” is available here. Please note that the “add-in” is not necessary for regular participants.

Registration: The number of participants to the webinar is limited. To book your seat, please RSVP here by September 11th, 2014. Registration for this event is on a first come first served basis, with priority given to representatives from SWITCH-Asia projects.

Send your questions to the panel!
Do you have a specific question for the speakers or is there a particular topic you would like to see addressed during the webinar? We welcome submissions of questions and expressions of interest: email us on webinar@scp-centre.org by September 11h, 2014 and your comments will be included into the event discussion.

Contact
For queries and any more information on the webinar, please contact Mr. Giorgio Magistrelli, Webinar Coordinator - Green Finance Advisor at: webinar@scp-centre.org

Sponsor/exhibitor contact

Silvia Sartori
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