Reflections from the day
“We’re operating in a world fragmenting economically and politically, and that’s reshaping whether climate commitments can hold. What this day showed is that the conversation between research, industry, and policy is more necessary than ever — and that there’s real appetite to have it honestly. I was especially moved by Margot Wallström’s keynote, which reframed sustainable finance as part of how we imagine and finance a peaceful, greener future under real geopolitical strain,” says Mark Sanctuary at KTH and SFL centre vice-director.
“To solve today’s societal challenges, we need to collaborate across themes and combine the perspectives of researchers, the financial industry, and corporates. While autonomy and independence are important, they should not limit the collaboration and dialogue necessary to shape the future we all aspire to be part of. It was truly energizing to connect with everyone at the event, and I was especially inspired by the relevant research insights shared. Finding innovative solutions to pressing challenges remains a key priority for us in Nordea’s Group Sustainability team. I’m excited to build on the momentum from the day and look forward to continuing the conversations with both familiar and new acquaintances,” says Anja Hannerz at Nordea Bank. Anja is also a member of the SFL board.
“Sustainability risks manifest themselves in many different forms and often interact with each other. They affect many different parts of society, and broad cooperation is needed to find solutions to manage these risks. Working within credit risk, this is a topic that is high on the agenda. Thus it is highly welcome to have broad discussions about all types of ESG risks in forums with both researchers and representatives from the financing sector. The seminar provided many angles on everything from the ongoing ecocide in Ukraine to the question of whether a company can be “too green” for green financing. The concluding panel discussion could dismiss concerns that “sustainability is out of fashion”, and pointed to several good signs that the issue continues to be taken seriously by the financial sector,”, says Sara Bargholtz Melcherson at Handelsbanken.
“Sustainable Finance Lab Partner Day was a truly valuable event, bringing together diverse actors and connecting the dots between relevant research and financing practice. The discussions – spanning Ukraine, biodiversity dependencies across value chains, and the implications of today’s shifting geopolitical landscape – highlighted both the complexity and urgency of staying focused on long term sustainability goals. For us at Swedfund, this translates into bridging research and investment practice: using research to identify the most impactful investment opportunities, strengthening how we assess risks, and translating insights into concrete portfolio strategies and investment decisions. Ultimately, this enables us to scale impact for development in line with our mission,” says Johanna Raynal at Swedfund.
Presentation slides and article
Linda Hällerstrand: SFL Partner Day Presentation (coming soon)
Hjalmar Funke: SFL Partner Day Presentation
Nurit Nobel: Research article in Nature Human Behaviour
Short films
Mattias Frumerie, Sweden’s Climate Ambassador, shares messages from the Sustainable Finance Lab’s Partner Day 2026. The key message to investors is to raise their voices about what they need to accelerate investments in the transition to net zero globally.
Åsa Persson, KTH Climate Action Center, shares messages from the Sustainable Finance Lab’s Partner Day 2026. The key message: What is really needed now is determination and sticking to the policies and initiatives that have proven effectiveness.
