Green sovereign bonds: What role can they play in the transition to net zero?

Last autumn, the UK government launched the first-ever 'Green Gilt'. The government raised £15bn via this innovative bond issuance, with the proceeds supporting a range of green projects across the UK.

Hosted by the Qatar Centre for Global Banking & Finance and the Climate Law & Governance at King's College London, this webinar will bring together experts on climate finance. They will discuss the design of these instruments, their role in supporting the transition to net-zero, and how the market needs to evolve in future to fulfil these goals.

Speakers:

• Prof David Aikman, Qatar Centre for Global Banking and Finance
• Matteo Bigoni, Climate Executive, CDC Group
• Dr Megan Bowman, King's College London
• Prof Sarah Bracking, King's College London
• Mario Pisani, Deputy Director, HM Treasury
• Phil Smith, Director, LDI Investment Strategies, BlackRock

David Aikman joined King’s Business School in April 2020 as Professor of Finance and Director of the Qatar Centre for Global Banking and Finance. Previously, he spent 17 years working as an economist at the Bank of England – most recently in the role of Technical Head of Division in the Financial Stability Strategy and Risk Directorate where he led the Bank’s work on various macroprudential issues.

Between 2013 and 2015, David was seconded to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington DC, where he worked as an advisor in the Division of Financial Stability. In 2008, David was a Visiting Scholar at the Bank of Japan’s Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies. David has represented the Bank in various international fora, including meetings of the Financial Stability Board, the Basel Committee, and the European Systemic Risk Board.

Matteo Bigoni is Climate Executive with the Climate Change Team at the CDC Group – the UK development finance institution. He focuses on Adaptation and Resilience and has extensive experience with Capital Markets in both Africa and Asia. Prior to joining CDC, he was Senior Climate Finance Specialist at FSD Africa, a developing agency focusing on strengthening green capital markets in Africa, where he focused on green bond development and green portfolio reviews. He also worked at the Climate Bonds Initiative as Heads of the Certification.

Dr Megan Bowman is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Law and Director of the Centre for Climate Law and Governance at King’s College London. She also leads the King’s/United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) partnership on Legal Readiness for Climate Finance, consults to national governments and prominent NGOs on implementing the Paris Agreement, and is a Visiting Professor at Université de Paris-Dauphine on EU Corporate Law.

Dr Bowman is a qualified barrister and solicitor of the High Court of Australia and Supreme Court of Victoria with a double degree in Arts/Law (Hons) Monash University), an LLM in International Law (McGill) and a PhD in regulatory theory (Australian National University).

Sarah Bracking is a Professor of Climate and Society at King's College London. She is a political economist who researches a range of issues in international development and financial geography. Sarah is currently researching climate and development finance, climate insurance and the coproduction of finance and power in market structures. 

Mario Pisani is a senior civil servant at HM Treasury, the UK’s finance and economics ministry. Between 2016 and 2021 he was Deputy Director for the Debt and Reserves Management Team, in which role he led the development and delivery of the UK Government’s Green Financing Framework.

Since joining Treasury in 2005 he has worked in a range of roles in international finance, economic policy, forecasting and communications. Between 2008 and 2011 he was Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mario holds degrees in economics and is a qualified accountant. He is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London.

Phil Smith is Head of Research, Innovation and Sustainability in the EMEA Liability Driven Investment (LDI) business at BlackRock. Phil is responsible for researching and developing innovative and sustainable investment approaches and capabilities for liability-driven investors. Phil also drives LDI thought leadership and engagement with key pensions stakeholders and industry bodies.

Phil has held several roles at BlackRock since joining the firm in 2008. Most recently he was a LDI Client Portfolio Manager, working with some of BlackRock's largest and most complex LDI clients. Prior to that, Phil worked within the Portfolio Analytics Group at BlackRock, where he maintained and developed risk reporting and analytics for fixed income and cash portfolios. Phil earned a BSc degree, with first class honours, in physics from Imperial College London in 2007. Phil is a CFA charter holder.