In an era increasingly defined by frequent adverse natural events and economic uncertainty, the European Union’s latest step toward integrating ecosystem restoration into market-based frameworks—the development of a Nature Credit system—marks a conceptual and regulatory shift with profound implications. Emerging under the stewardship of Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall and initially proposed by Commission President Ursula […]
Agroforum 2025: The Rural Economy as a Driver of Environmental, Social, and Economic Transformation
In an era of ecological urgency and demographic imbalances, the rural world occupies a central—though often underestimated—position in the global sustainability agenda. This insight was the guiding principle behind the second edition of Agroforum, a conference organized by IESE Business School and Alianza Rural, under the theme: “The Countryside: Driving Economic, Social, and Environment Progress.” […]
The Clean Industrial Deal: Europe’s Path to Sustainable Competitiveness
In response to intensifying geopolitical challenges, rising global competition, and the imperative of decarbonization, the European Union (EU) has launched the Clean Industrial Deal. This initiative represents a transformative policy framework designed to bolster Europe’s industrial competitiveness while ensuring sustainability and resilience. The Clean Industrial Deal recognizes that decarbonization is not merely an environmental necessity […]
The EU Omnibus Package: A New Regulatory Paradigm for Sustainable Growth
The European Union has embarked on a significant regulatory recalibration with the adoption of the Omnibus Package on February 26, 2025. This initiative represents a concerted effort to streamline the regulatory landscape governing sustainable finance, corporate sustainability due diligence, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting. The overarching objective is to balance climate imperatives with […]
Navigating the Financial Landscape for Biodiversity: Key Takeaways from COP-16 (Part 2)
At Finance & Nature, our central focus has always been identifying ways to secure funding for the conservation and restoration of nature. This topic took center stage once again at the second part of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-16), which resumed last week in Rome, building upon […]
The Growth of Sustainable Bond Issuances in Spain: A Beacon of ESG Resilience
Sustainable finance has emerged as a cornerstone in the global shift towards environmentally and socially responsible economic models. Within this dynamic sector, Spain demonstrated significant progress in 2024, showcasing substantial advances in the issuance of sustainable bonds. Findings from the annual report by the Observatorio Español de la Financiación Sostenible[1] (Ofiso), published on February 14, […]
Sustainable Investing and ESG in a Polarized World
The broader global economic and political realignments result in the polarization of sustainable investing across regions. The U.S. is retreating from environment, social and governance (ESG) commitments, Europe faces increasing regulatory and political ambiguity, and China is capitalizing on this uncertainty to establish itself as the global leader in a green economy. This geopolitical fragmentation […]
