Unlocking private capital for a sustainable transition
About the Sustainable Finance Observatory
We focus on removing barriers to private financing
Specialised expertise in Transparency, Impact, and Bankable Sustainable Solutions.
The Sustainable Finance Observatory is an international independent think tank specialised in unlocking private finance for a sustainable transition.
Since 2025, our organisation is the result of the merger between the international think tank 2° Investing Initiative - 2DII, a pioneering organisation supporting private financiers on climate alignment and impact investing since 2012 - and the Observatoire de la finance durable, set up by the French Minister of Economy and Finance in 2019 to monitor the ESG commitments of the Paris Financial Center. Our work relies on robust financial expertise supported by former experienced bankers, sustainable finance analysts and lawyers in our team and a Scientific and Expert Committee composed of some fifty senior academics and practitioners.
The President of our board is François Gemenne, lead co-author of the 6th IPCC report.
Our activities aim to remove barriers to private financing around three fundamental pillars: Transparency, Impact and Bankable Sustainable Solutions.
Supply
Transparency
Financial institutions
Barrier
Lack of accountability for and comparability of net zero commitments, targets and broader ESG practices
- We monitor and evaluate financial institutions' practices and commitments
Impact
Financial products
Barrier
Green/impact washing and lack of consideration for retail investor sustainability preferences
- We assess the impact of financial products on the real economy using robust methodologies
- We contribute to the reorientation of financial flows towards sustainability
- We support retail investors in evaluating and choosing investments aligned with their investment preferences, while identifying greenwashing and impact washing
Demand
Bankable solutions
Real economy
Barrier
Lack of SDG and climate aligned bankable projects and creditworthy investment vehicles meeting financiers' risk-return requirements
- We develop bankable solutions and financial models to scale up project pipelines that meet investors' risk-return profiles through financial engineering
Supply
Demand
Transparency
Financial institutions
Barrier
Lack of accountability for and comparability of net zero commitments, targets and broader ESG practices
- We monitor and evaluate financial institutions' practices and commitments
Impact
Financial products
Barrier
Green/impact washing and lack of consideration for retail investor sustainability preferences
- We assess the impact of financial products on the real economy using robust methodologies
- We contribute to the reorientation of financial flows towards sustainability
- We support retail investors in evaluating and choosing investments aligned with their investment preferences, while identifying greenwashing and impact washing
Bankable solutions
Real economy
Barrier
Lack of SDG and climate aligned bankable projects and creditworthy investment vehicles meeting financiers' risk-return requirements
- We develop bankable solutions and financial models to scale up project pipelines that meet investors' risk-return profiles through financial engineering
Our objective is to act on both Transitioning finance and Financing the transition.
Our areas of expertise
We help addressing the financing gap all along the financial value chain
Our programs driving the transition
Our contribution to shaping the international agenda
Discover our analyses and videos on
and
Annual Report SFO 2024 - Unlocking Private Capital for a Sustainable Transition
