Fishbowl discussion: How can Jersey accelerate financing the transition?
PwC Channel Islands were delighted to be headline sponsor of the inaugural Jersey Finance Sustainable Finance Summit, which ran from 10 - 14 March 2025. As headline sponsor, we were pleased to host our own event which took place at the Freedom Centre on Tuesday 11 March as part of the Summit's week-long series of events.
Islanders joined for what was not a typical seminar or panel discussion! We trialed a moderated “fishbowl discussion”. We started off by introducing topics to a core circle of industry leaders and experts for some fast-paced discussion and reflection. Everyone attending had the opportunity to contribute to the discussion if they wished to, in a safe environment, and under the Chatham House Rule.
Despite global geopolitical headwinds, the size of the global sustainable finance market continues to expand at a remarkable pace, with global ESG assets under management expected to reach USD34 trillion by 2026. So far, Jersey has an estimated £78bn of ESG-oriented assets under management, which is great progress, but there is more to do to ensure we capture our market share.
How can we accelerate pace and scale? Building on the first two Jersey Finance plenary sessions, which explore the case for action and the financing opportunity at a strategic level, our PwC session dived deeper into practical examples of how Jersey’s finance industry is already successfully applying its product suite to finance sustainable development, and where the best opportunities are from here.
Topics we covered
- On the banking side, how is Jersey’s banking sector approaching financing the transition, and how does this connect to the island’s wider sustainable finance ambition?
- On the funds side, what examples do we already have of applying Jersey’s product suite to finance sustainable development?
- Where are the big opportunities for accelerating pace and scale? Is this thematic (e.g. transition finance), or by asset class (e.g. venture capital), or by approach (e.g. blended finance, or innovative financing mechanisms), or regional markets, or something else?
- What innovations could be beneficial for Jersey’s product suite in this context?
- Where do we go from here? What further commitments and collaborations do we need to be successful?
Speakers
We were joined by a range of industry leaders and experts, including PwC UK’s Sustainable Finance Partner, Elena Amirkhanova, and PwC Channel Islands Sustainability Director, Ali Cambray.
Elena Amirkhanova
Elena Amirkhanova is a Partner in Sustainability Strategy Practice in PwC UK. With over 20 years of experience spanning sustainability consulting and international development, Elena has held various senior roles including the Global Sustainable Finance Lead and EMEA Banking and Development Finance Director.
Elena has actively engaged with various players within the financial ecosystem, providing expert guidance on investor ESG requirements. Her involvement with industry forums and associations such as the Equator Principles Association, City of London, IPFA, UN PRI, ICMM, IPIECA, and SPE has been instrumental in advancing ESG strategies for numerous clients. Her recent work has focused on embedding sustainability into companies' strategies, operations, and investment processes.
Elena's diverse background includes short-term engagements with a gold mining company, UNEP, and UNDP. She holds a Master's in Geography and an Executive MBA from Warwick Business School.
Who attended?
The event was targeted at senior finance industry representatives involved in banking and the funds industry, and other key stakeholders. However, we were keen for broad representation, and welcomed all who attended.
We hope the outcomes of the session were a useful platform upon which to build further collaboration, and could also begin to further inform any industry priorities for product development under Jersey’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan.
Our Virtual Reality Experience
We were delighted to be running our Sustainability Virtual Reality Experience in the margins of the plenary events and our PwC event at the Freedom Centre. Islanders tried out this fantastic format during the week to immerse themselves in why action on the nature and climate crises is now so critical, the key role of finance and what actions they can take.
Photo gallery
Contact us
Marketing and Communications Director, PwC Channel Islands
Tel: +44 7700 838353
