Unlocking the Potential of Biodiversity and Blue Finance
Date and Time: February 25th, 2025 8:00-9:00am EST
Biodiversity Finance and Blue Finance are emerging as powerful drivers of sustainable growth in global financial markets. However, mobilizing capital remains a challenge due to limited experience in emerging markets and the complexities of framework implementation.
Join us for Biodiversity and Blue Finance Webinar, part of the 2025 Webinar Series, featuring experts from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and People’s Bank of China (PBC). Gain insights into emerging trends, opportunities, and real-world experiences in Biodiversity Finance and Blue Finance, for integrating these financing mechanisms into national frameworks.
WHY ATTEND?
- Deepen your understanding of the economic and environmental relevance and opportunities of Biodiversity and Blue Finance for sustainable growth.
- Gain actionable insights on practical approaches for integrating Biodiversity and Blue Finance into national taxonomies and regulatory frameworks.
- Discover real-world applications and tools from peer countries to implement these strategies in your own financial system.
| Time | Activity | |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00-8:05am EST | Opening Remark and Introduction of Speakers Moderator: Rong Zhang, SBFN Global Coordinator | |
| 8:05-8:20am EST | Overview and Opportunities of Biodiversity Finance Speaker: Irina Likhachova, IFC Global Lead for Biodiversity and Nature Finance IFC’s expert will give an overview of global framework, discuss how to unlock opportunities in Biodiversity Finance, and offer a practical guide to integrating it through a structured approach. | |
| 8:20-8:35am EST | Overview and Opportunities of Blue Finance Speaker: Pushkala Lakshmi Ratan, IFC Global Lead for Blue Finance IFC’s expert will provide an overview of Blue Finance and its intersection with Biodiversity Finance, highlighting key approaches and opportunities. The session will also introduce IFC’s Guidelines for Blue Finance as a practical resource for advancing Blue Finance initiatives. | |
| 8:35-8:45am EST | Country Highlight: Real World Application of Biodiversity Finance Speaker: Mr. Wang Xin (invited), Director General of the Research Bureau, People’s Bank of China PBC will share their experience and insights on developing a national Biodiversity Finance Taxonomy, highlighting the key components, steps taken, and lessons learned. This will be an insightful session for countries considering framework development. | |
| 8:45-8:55am EST | Q&A session | |
| 8:55-9:00am EST | Closing | |
About Speakers
Irina Likhachova
Global Lead for Biodiversity and Nature Finance, IFC
Ms. Irina Likhachova is the global lead for Biodiversity and Nature Finance at IFC, member of the World Bank Group. She focuses on developing new business models and products to mobilize private sector investments for projects that generate positive outcomes for nature in mainstream economic activity, promote conservation and restoration of ecosystems, and integrate nature-based solutions into infrastructure projects. She spearheaded IFC Biodiversity Finance Reference Guide, the world’s first and only guidance on investment opportunities that contribute to protecting, maintaining, or enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services and support the transition towards nature positive goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss across economies. For this work, Irina was awarded Personality of the Year by Environmental Finance’s Sustainable Debt Awards 2024.
To further promote transparency and accountability in the growing biodiversity finance market, Irina oversaw the development of Biodiversity Finance Metrics for Impact Reporting as a practical tool to measure the impact of biodiversity finance investments. She also oversaw the development of catalogues of nature-based solutions for infrastructure projects and for municipalities to advance integration of natural infrastructure into privately financed projects.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/irina-likhachova-81731b12/
Global Lead for Blue Finance, IFC
Ms. Pushkala Ratan is the Principal Specialist and Asia Pacific Lead for Climate Investments in the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) for IFC, based in Singapore. She is the Climate Lead for several market firsts and co-leads the Global Blue Finance Program for FIG. She joined IFC in December 2017 and was previously Vice-President at German technical services leader, TÜV SÜD AG, Vice-President for Environmental Financial Products (Global Markets) at Deutsche Bank and Manager at Danish Wind Energy manufacturer, Vestas A/S. She has extensive experience, both in Investments and Technical aspects of Climate Finance. Pushkala graduated from the Executive Management Program (SEP’23) at the School of Business, Stanford University, has a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Madras) and a Masters from The American University, Washington DC.
Wang Xin
Director General of the Research Bureau, People’s Bank of China
Wang Xin is currently the Director General of Research Bureau of People’s Bank of China (PBC). He serves as the Co-chair of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group. Before the current role, Wang Xin assumed different capacities including, Director of General Affairs Division, Policy and Regulation Department at State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Deputy Director General of the Financial Research Institute of the PBC, Head of the PBC Representative Office in Frankfurt, Deputy Director General of the Research Bureau, President of the PBC Nanchang Provincial Branch, Director General of the Currency, Gold and Silver Bureau and Director of the State Council’s Joint Conference on Combating Currency Counterfeit. Wang Xin’s research focuses on Green Finance, International Finance, Financial System Reform, Fintech, and Social Security. He has published papers on domestic and foreign journals, including Journal of International Political Economy, China and World Economy, Journal of Financial Research. He has won Sun Yefang Best Economics Paper.
Global Coordinator of Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN), IFC
Ms. Rong Zhang leads IFC’s support to the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Networks and Thought Leadership. In her role, she manages ESG global advisory programs and knowledge products to provide technical assistance and build capacity of clients and ESG practitioners, and convene networks to support government and market over various issues such as sustainable and climate finance, ESG standards, disclosure and transparency.
Rong Zhang is instrumental to build and expand the IFC-supported Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) which is a public-private capacity building platform convening financial regulators and industry associations from emerging markets committed to advancing the sustainable finance agenda. She represents IFC and SBFN in various international sustainable finance fora and networks including the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (G20 SFWG), the EU International Platform for Sustainable Finance (EU IPSF), the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), and the Equator Principles Association (EPA).