The Accelerating Sustainable Finance initiative was launched on 23 May 2017. It was established by Deutsche Börse Group along with major stakeholders from the Frankfurt/Main financial centre. At the launch conference, topics of discussions included the future viability of the financial system, and new structures for sustainable economic activity. The participants signed the Frankfurt Declaration, a general letter of intent about the creation of sustainable infrastructures in the financial sector.

Zoom

The impetus for the initiative was the conviction that current global challenges – such as climate change and the ongoing process of digitisation – are calling for an innovative and solution-oriented approach. One of the key conditions for the development and implementation of such solutions is the transition to a more sustainable financial system at both the local and global levels.

The Frankfurt Declaration demonstrates the signatories’ intention to define the framework conditions for sustainable finance and to put concrete initiatives in place in the Frankfurt financial centre. These are directed towards the identification of innovative business areas and the responsible handling of risks, among other things. The potential of sustainable finance infrastructures must therefore be fully encouraged in order to support positive economic and social development founded on unconditional protection of the natural basis of life.

Since April 2018, the Accelerating Sustainable Finance initiative, together with the Green Finance Cluster of the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs, has been continued within the new “Green and Sustainable Finance Cluster Germany”. The aim of the new cluster is to further promote sustainable development and its transformation process in the financial sector. In doing so, the cluster uses the consolidated financial market expertise to make financial market structures future-proof – both nationally and throughout Europe.