Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

Recent sustainable finance publications

61 results

Resilience-Adjusted Credit Risk: Operationalising climate adaptation in financial decision-making

26 May 2026 – A report by CISL’s Banking Environment Initiative (BEI) outlines an approach to embed physical risk, insurance, and resilience into financial decision-making. Download the Resilience-Adjusted Credit Risk reportAbout The report, developed by CISL’s Banking Environment Initiative (BEI), highlights how physical climate risk is accelerat…
Insurability as a resilience signal

18 March 2026 - ClimateWise has published a new briefing outlining how insurability is one of the earliest signals of whether assets, sectors, and entire economies can survive the accelerating impacts of physical climate risk.Download the full briefingInsurability represents a threshold where insurance is available and affordable. When this signal …
Breaking Down Silos: Navigating the Intersection of Environmental and Social risks for Investors

11 March 2026 - Environmental and social risks are compounding across economies and portfolios, yet most risk frameworks assess them in isolation. This report provides a practical, systems-based approach to help investors understand how these interconnected risks amplify financial exposure – particularly in high-impact sectors like agrifood – and o…
The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2025

3 February 2026 - The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review for 2025 reveals momentum building on transition plans and a culture of continued improvement, despite a complex external environment.Download the ClimateWise Principles Independent ReviewAboutThe ClimateWise Principles have provided a framework for the insurance industry to disclose c…
Redefining Systemic Risk Governance in the Insurance Industry

4 December 2025 - A new report by ClimateWise provides a framework for insurers to drive co-ordinated governance to address financial system vulnerabilitiesDownload the reportAboutClimateWise has published a new report outlining the critical role of insurers in advancing systemic risk governance.The research warns that whilst physical climate impac…
ILG Co-Chair announcement

16 October 2025 - Sudip Hazra, Director First Sentire Group (FSG) has been appointed as Working Group Co-Chair for CISL’s Investment Leaders Group (ILG) alongside Victoria Leggett, Head of Impact Development and Equity Fund Manager, Union Bancaire Privée (UBP). We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Sudip Hazra, Director First Sentier Group…
Scaling Finance for Nature: A primer on what financial institutions are doing today

6 October 2025 – A primer by CISL and A-Track partners examines what financial institutions can already do – today – to scale action on nature Download the reportAboutNature (positive) finance is often narrowly perceived only as nature conservation finance, or ‘financing green’ with low financial returns, making it unsuitable and unattractive for p…
Beyond the Myths: From Perceptions to Practice in Scaling Blended Finance to EMDEs

10 July 2025 – Despite the promise of blended finance to mobilise private capital in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) at scale, persistent risk perceptions, ecosystem fragmentation, and structural barriers continue to hinder scale. This practitioner-led report distils insights from key stakeholders to unpack the current perceptions…
ClimateWise welcomes its new Programme Director

20 June 2025 - ClimateWise, the insurance industry leadership group facilitated by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), has announced that Felicity Hall is its new Programme Director. ClimateWise brings together the insurance industry into a member network which integrates sustainable leadership with world-lea…
The Business Case for Integrated Retrofit: How banks, insurers, and the government can support healthy, efficient, and resilient homes

18 June 2025 – A joint research between Banking Environment Initiative and ClimateWise examines the socioeconomic and resilience benefits of building retrofit, and proposes business case for banks, insurance companies, and the government. Download the reportAboutThe UK’s housing stock accounts for 12 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emission…
The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review 2024

5 February 2025 - The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review for 2024 represents a landmark year of reporting against an ambitious and challenging set of new Principles. Download the ClimateWise Principles Independent ReviewAboutThe ClimateWise Principles have provided a framework for the insurance industry to disclose climate-related risk and …
Investing in Tomorrow: A Guide to Building Climate-Resilient Investment Portfolios

15 January 2025 - The climate crisis demands immediate attention—not only to mitigate risks but to adapt and build resilience. This guide serves as a roadmap for investors to build climate resilience within their portfolios and invest in systemic resilience through engagement with the broader ecosystem. Download the guideDeveloped by the Investment…
Scaling Finance for Nature: Barrier Breakdown

15 October 2024 - Private capital can play a critical role in closing the US$700 billion annual biodiversity finance gap and addressing nature’s decline. The report uses the mitigation hierarchy as a lens through which to view how nature finance can contribute towards the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Read the reportThe Centre for Sus…
Nature-related financial opportunity use case: Debt-for-nature swap supported by credit insurance for marine conservation

5 June 2024 - CISL’s ClimateWise, in collaboration with MS Amlin, has published one of the first nature-related financial opportunities use cases, showcasing a debt-for-nature swap supported by credit insurance for marine conservation in Ecuador. Download the use caseMembers of ClimateWise worked with CISL and academic partners from the University …
Nature-related financial opportunity use case: The role of mangroves, coral reefs and seagrasses in supporting and protecting near-shore fisheries in Bolinao, the Philippines

5 June 2024 - CISL’s ClimateWise, in collaboration with Howden, the international insurance intermediary group, has published one of the first nature-related financial opportunities use cases, showcasing the role of mangroves, coral reefs and seagrasses in supporting and protecting near-shore fisheries in Bolinao, the Philippines. Download the use …