UNEP FI & PRI Roundtable: Transition Planning & Financing in the Financial Sector

From Transition Planning to Real-Economy Financing

EDHEC Climate Institute will participate in the UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) roundtable, Transition Planning & Financing in the Financial Sector, held during Zurich Climate Week.

Zurich Climate Week is Europe’s leading business-driven climate platform, bringing together business leaders, policymakers, researchers, creatives and innovators to co-create and scale climate action.

As financial institutions move from climate commitments to implementation, transition plans are emerging as a key tool for aligning portfolios with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The event aims to foster a cross-sector dialogue between financial institutions and international organisations, focusing on emerging practices, case studies and the business case for financing the transition in the real economy.

Bringing together investors, banks, insurers and international organisations, the roundtable will explore how transition planning is being operationalised across the financial sector, and how coordination between finance and policy can support implementation.

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Agenda — UNEP FI & PRI Roundtable
May 7, 2026 | 08:00 – 11:30 | Zurich Insurance Group Office, Zurich

• 08:00 – 08:30 — Registration and networking coffee
• 08:30 – 08:40 — Welcome remarks (Zurich Insurance Group)
• 08:40 – 08:50 — Opening (UNEP FI & PRI)
• 08:50 – 09:00 — Climate Pathways Navigator Tool: Live demo
• 09:00 – 09:45 — Panel 1: Aligning transition across banking, investment, and insurance underwriting
• 09:45 – 10:00 — Q&A
• 10:00 – 10:45 — Panel 2: Bridging the Gap: Finance, policy, and transition in the real economy
• 10:45 – 11:00 — Q&A
• 11:00 – 11:30 — Synthesis and closing remarks

On May 7, Frédéric Ducoulombier, Programme Director for Climate Regulation and Policies at EDHEC Climate Institute, will participate in the panel “Bridging the Gap: Finance, policy, and transition in the real economy.”

The discussion will focus on the links between finance, public policy and the transition in the real economy. It will also draw on recent contributions by EDHEC Climate Institute to the policy debate on transition finance and the reform of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

Related insight from Férédric

SFDR reform: from compliance to coherence
Published in Sustainable Views and The Banker, the article argues that the proposed revision of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) risks increasing the very greenwashing it seeks to address. While SFDR has improved transparency, it remains complex and difficult for investors to navigate. The reform introduces streamlined disclosures and product categories backed by eligibility rules, but its composition-based logic does not ensure a credible link between sustainability objectives, investment strategies and support for the transition. The article calls for a coherence test across all sustainability-labelled products, warning that without it, portfolio-based approaches may be treated as equivalent to those delivering real-economy outcomes.

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