COP28 President Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber announced the launch of the Global Climate Finance Centre (GCFC), a new think tank and knowledge hub aimed at accelerating the development of global climate finance, including market design, frameworks and skills development.

Unveiled Monday at COP28, founding members of the GCFC include Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) ADQ, BlackRock, CIFF, GFANZ, HSBC, Masdar, Ninety One, and the World Bank Group. The organization will be headquartered at ADGM.

Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, said:

“BlackRock is delighted to participate in the launch of the GCFC. The future focus of the think tank speaks directly to a number of areas of interest for many of our clients around the world, as they seek the best data, analytics and insights to navigate the risks and capture the investment opportunities of the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

According to the founding members, the GCFC aims to support the scale-up of well-functioning green finance markets, in order to drive the growth of climate finance, catalyze international investment into low and zero-carbon initiatives, and address key barriers linked to financial frameworks that hinder investment flows.

The core functions of the new initiative will include Research, Policy and Innovation, including research and sharing of best practices, principles and solutions to align frameworks and build financial markets, and Advisory and stakeholder engagement, convening stakeholders facing impediments in order to develop recommendations and actions enabling the deployment of funds and the creation of bankable investment opportunities.

The GCFC will also house a Climate Finance Academy, which will provide training modules and tailored courses to build expertise and capacity in the UAE.

Noel Quinn, Group Chief Executive at HSBC, said:

“For the world to achieve its climate goals, it is absolutely critical that thinking continues to evolve, markets continue to develop, and countries continue to collaborate. HSBC is pleased to be a founding member of the Global Climate Finance Centre, which underlines the COP28 Presidency’s commitment to making this a COP of action while putting in place the tools needed to help deliver a net zero future.”