The Oxford Sustainable Finance Lab, announced today at the inaugural Oxford Sustainable Finance Summit, welcomes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as its founding partner.
Set to open its doors in autumn 2022, the new Lab will be embedded in the University of Oxford and located in the very heart of Oxford.
The Lab will be a physical space where Oxford researchers will co-locate with practitioners visiting from financial institutions, supervisory authorities, central banks, government departments, and civil society organisations.
‘Without urgent action from across the financial system, we will not be able to achieve net zero, reduce our climate fragility, or rehabilitate the natural world,’ says Dr Ben Caldecott, Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group and founder of the Lab.
‘The OSF Lab will be safe space to conceive, test, and scale urgently needed innovations in sustainable finance, where we will bring together world-class research with innovative practice.’
The Lab will nurture interactions between different parts of the financial system and break down barriers between them, providing a space for the global community to align finance and investment with global environmental sustainability.
‘I’m delighted the FCA’s ESG Division will be joining the Sustainable Finance Lab,’ says Sacha Sadan, Director of Environment Social and Governance at the FCA. ‘We’re looking forward to collaborating with ESG practitioners and with researchers to drive forward productive partnerships.’
‘In a fast-moving and challenging space, positive ESG outcomes will depend on sharing experiences and providing mutual support. This partnership is a great opportunity to contribute and collaborate to the advancement of knowledge in the ESG space, and we are so pleased to participate as a founding member.’
‘The Oxford Sustainable Finance Lab will become a hub for innovators and risk takers shaping the future of finance,’ concludes Dr Caldecott.