His Majesty King Charles III met with a delegation of sustainable finance experts during his visit to Guernsey.
The King, accompanied by representatives from the Sustainable Markets Initiative, was briefed on Guernsey’s role as one of the top names in sustainable finance and the environmental initiatives implemented on the island.
During a meeting organised by Guernsey Finance, the island’s promotional agency for financial services, His Majesty engaged with the island’s financial services regulator to discuss the Guernsey Green Fund and Natural Capital Fund designations, both recognised as global firsts in environmental finance.
The King also explored the provision of solar energy in the UK with representatives from NextEnergy Group and Carey Olsen, and the environmental impact of investments in British Sustainable Infrastructure Strategies (BSIF) with representatives from Gresham House and Ocorian.
Present at the meeting were Noel Quinn, global head of HSBC, and Emmanuelle Bury of BNP Paribas, both part of The King’s Sustainable Markets Initiative.
Launched in 2021, the Sustainable Markets Initiative, also known as the Terra Carta, aims to build a coordinated global effort to enable the private sector to accelerate the achievement of climate, biodiversity, and Sustainable Development Goal targets. The Terra Carta outlines guiding principles that prioritise People, Planet, and Nature in global value creation.
Rupert Pleasant, chief executive of Guernsey Finance, expressed the significance of the visit, highlighting Guernsey’s credentials as a leader in sustainable finance.
“As the founder of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and someone who has championed the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss for many decades, The King is extremely knowledgeable in this area. Guernsey Finance and the Sustainable Markets Initiative have agreed to further discuss ways in which Guernsey's financial services sector can participate in the variety of Sustainable Markets Initiative task forces and raise awareness of the Terra Carta to financial services firms that use Guernsey and which are committed to sustainability,” Pleasant said.
NextEnergy Solar Fund, established in Guernsey in 2014, aims to accelerate the growth of the solar sector in the United Kingdom.
The fund, an accredited Guernsey Green Fund and part of the FTSE250 index on the London Stock Exchange, owns 100 solar plants across the UK, providing power to over 300,000 homes annually.
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