F1ID 5055 - Sustainable Finance: the power of finance to do good. From its inception to current trends and futur

According to the World Bank, trillions of USD are needed each year to face developmental challenges, from climate change and clean water to education and peace. At the same time, there are insufficient funds in the public system to cover all the required financing. It is in this context that Sustainable Finance was born by using creative solutions to direct private finance into a specific set of global priorities.

The objective of the class will be two-pronged. The student will (1) become familiar with Sustainable Finance and its different applications, and (2) develop capacity to (i)think out of the box and be able to propose financial solutions for sustainability, and (ii) assess the level of sustainability of a certain project, investment or company.

Topics to be discussed in class include sustainable and climate finance, impact investing, monitoring reporting and verification. climate and carbon finance.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Identify and discuss the main financial characteristics of the most important sustainable financial tools
• Apply financial concepts to sustainability
• Evaluate the sustainability of a specific project and financial tool
• Design sustainable financial solutions

Professional Skills

• Analytical thinking and innovation
• Active learning and learning strategies
• Creativity, originality, and initiative.
• Critical thinking and analysis
• Tackling complexity
• Reasoning and problem-solving
• Leadership and Teamwork
• Public Speaking and Communication
• Organization and Planning
• Ethics

Oral feedback after presentation and discussion

• Class participation 10% (Students are encouraged to read the materials before the class and have an active participation with questions suggestions and comments)
• Individual Intermediate Quiz 35% (Multiple choice test about elemental principles of sustainable finance explained in class up to the quiz date)
• Group readings presentations 15% (Students will be divided into groups and present to the class some readings assigned by the professor)
• Group final project presentation and submission 40% The project should reflect the sustainability concepts built through the course

• Attendance: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 1.5 hours a week / 18 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 1.5 hours a week / 18 hours a semester.
• Other: ………………….: 1 hour a week / 12 semester