What should a global financial institution's 2030 sustainability report say? What actions must financial institutions have taken (and reported on) between today and 2029 to put them on a path to achieving their 2050 net-zero goals? This panel of sustainable finance practitioners will map the history of the future, discussing what sustainability reports will need to look like. The session will explore what activities firms should report and highlight best practices in the market today. Panelists will also outline the challenges they currently face in reporting, as well as cases where sustainability reporting exercises have influenced corporate strategy.

As sustainability disclosure standards evolve, so must the reliability of ESG data to meet the high degree of rigor and integrity demanded by investors. Companies are rapidly retooling their governance, controls and assurance processes to accommodate the injection of ESG data into every level of the corporation from risk oversight and M&A decisions at the board level to contracts up and down the value chain. This session will look at how companies are reducing reporting siloes and bringing financial rigor to data. Investors will learn what to look for in sustainability governance at portfolio companies as well as the different levels and flavors of assurance.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with Chair Gary Gensler at the helm, has been unequivocal in its intention to bring transparency and credibility to ESG investments in the U.S. There are now three significant proposals in play: ”The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors,” “ESG Disclosures for Investment Advisers,” and “Investment Companies and Amendments to the
Fund Names Rule” to include funds indicating that investment decisions incorporate one or more ESG factors.

There is now little doubt that the SEC means business in its aim to crack down on how ESG funds are compiled and marketed. How are companies and investors going to be able to adopt the new disclosure requirements into existing frameworks? And what needs to be done to meet new climate disclosure requirements?

What is the current state of the ESG assurance landscape? What is the role of the auditor now and how will it change over the next few years? Public company auditors have an important role to play in the assurance landscape. Just like the audits of public company financial statements, third-party assurance from a public company audit firm enhances the reliability of ESG information presented by companies to investors and other stakeholders.

More than half of the world’s economic output is moderately or highly dependent on nature. How can we manage the associated business risks and opportunities?

The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is an essential tool for addressing this question. For the past two years, science, finance and business stakeholders at TNFD have drafted a risk management and disclosure framework to shift global financial flows toward nature-positive outcomes. Once operational, the framework will allow financial institutions and companies to incorporate nature-related risks and opportunities into their strategic planning, risk management and asset allocation decisions.

How will this new initiative impact your organization? What do you need to do to get ready? Get a behind-the-scenes look at TNFD and learn from companies and financial institutions currently piloting its draft framework.