Financing Europe's Sustainable Future: Views from Frankfurt and Dublin

Frankfurt School, in partnership with the Irish Consulate General in Frankfurt, the Net Zero Banking Alliance Germany and further partners, hosted an event themed “Financing Europe's Sustainable Future: Views from Frankfurt and Dublin”. The event on 20 June 2023 brought together eighty participants from the financial industry, consulting companies, the ECB, regulators, and academia to discuss sustainable finance strategies for achieving Europe's net zero target by 2050.

Anne-Marie Flynn, Consul General of Ireland in Frankfurt, kicked off the event with her welcoming remarks, followed by Dr Matthias Catón, Director of Corporate Development at Frankfurt School, and Eric Menges, CEO of FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH.

The primary panel discussion saw insights from Irish and German financial authorities. Sharon Donnery, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, and Dr Stephan Bredt, Director General at the Hessian Ministry for Economic Affairs, shared their perspectives on the EU Sustainable Finance Agenda. They discussed how private finance could better serve the green transition and the crucial role of Europe's banks and capital markets in this endeavour.

A separate panel focused on the corporate perspective on sustainable finance and ESG. Prominent industry leaders Patricia Georgi of Hauck Aufhaeuser Lampe Privatbank, Robert Bluhm of Universal Investment, and Petra Sandner of Helaba Group offered their expert viewpoints, as did Nils Hums from the Net Zero Banking Alliance.

Frankfurt School's Karsten Loeffler moderated the event, fostering an engaging discussion and highlighting the importance of collaboration between various stakeholders in achieving a sustainable future.

The evening concluded with a networking reception, allowing participants to further discuss the sustainable finance path.