Transition finance that enables the economy and finance to move towards Net Zero and other sustainability-related goals is a significant opportunity for businesses and investors.
Global climate finance, which supports activities that are already green, reached $1.9 tr in 2023 and is estimated to have exceeded $2 tr in 2024. These figures constitute a mere fraction of the investment needed to bring along the rest of the world – i.e. those parts of the economy that are not already ‘green’ – and stay on a pathway to achieving Net Zero by 2050. As a result, there is a significant funding gap, estimated to range from $4.5 tr to $7.8 tr annually based on current spending. As net-zero deadlines approach and decarbonisation urgency intensifies (especially for ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors), a growing share of sustainable capital is expected to be directed towards transition finance.
This Guide is written for issuers across all sectors, including hard-to-abate industries and fast-growing, energy-intensive digital sectors, seeking practical direction on:
- Why qualifying for transition finance matters
- The transition-finance market and how it is developing
- How to best position your business to take advantage of emerging and evolving transition-finance opportunities
- What is next for transition finance
Webinar: On 9 March 2026, Rona Nairn, Manager, Regulatory Affairs, The World Federation of Exchanges, was joined by Vanessa Harvard-Williams OBE, Co-Chair, Transition Finance Council; Adam Kostyál, President, Nasdaq Stockholm & Head of European Listings, Nasdaq; and Filip Elland, Chief Sustainability Officer, Castellum. Watch a recording of the webinar (9 March 2026).
Read the presentation slides.