ASFI has taken time to reflect carefully on where the organisation can add the most value in the First Nations and Finance space in 2026.

This year-in-review reflects the twelve key system signals observed through ASFI’s engagement, analysis and collaborative work across 2025, highlighting where momentum is building, where challenges remain, and what these signals mean for 2026.

ASFI and a consortium of Australian and Chinese partners have convened the third workshop in the Australia-China sustainable finance dialogue series in Hong Kong SAR.

Australia and New Zealand have signalled a renewed commitment to regional cooperation on sustainable finance, following a joint statement from Ministers Chris Bowen and Simon Watts.

A new Actuaries Institute report strengthens the case for expanding the Australian taxonomy to include adaptation and resilience, aligning with ASFI’s market insights that credible criteria are needed to guide investment into Australia’s long-term climate resilience.

The Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) says Australia must now shift its focus to practical delivery after Türkiye was confirmed as the host of COP31, warning the real work lies outside the formal negotiating agenda.

Transition finance dominated COP30, and ASFI returns with new insights to strengthen credible, science-based pathways for Australia’s transition.

ASFI’s annual Member Delegation to Parliament House brought senior representatives from Australia’s largest financial institutions together with key policymakers to advance dialogue on unlocking private capital for Australia’s transition.

The event reinforced ASFI’s role as a trusted, non-partisan convener between finance and policy.

The Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) has appointed Professor Deen Sanders OAM as a Board Advisor and Cultural Governance and First Nations Leadership Advisor.

The appointment reinforces ASFI’s commitment to embedding First Nations leadership, Indigenous Knowledge and economic self- determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within Australia’s financial system.

ASFI, UK Finance and UKSIF convened members from both countries for a roundtable on credible transition finance. The conversation highlighted how Australia and the UK are taking different paths toward the same goal; aligning finance with science-based transition strategies that can deliver real-world impact.

Financial institutions join a growing push to expand the sustainable finance taxonomy beyond green bond use, to unlock global investment in Australian sustainable projects.

Speaking the same language in sustainable finance is about more than definitions, it’s about unlocking cross-border capital flows by making frameworks comparable. This was the focus of ASFI’s recent visit to Beijing, for an expert panel session and workshop discussion.

Australia has now set out its 2035 climate target and long-awaited net zero plan, a significant step that will require strong policy frameworks and market alignment to translate ambition into delivery.

ASFI welcomes the Government’s announcement of a 2035 climate target in the 62-70% range as a credible step that strengthens Australia’s international standing, but says success depends on clear policy frameworks to ensure targets translate into investment and resilience.

The Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) has today released Integrating Nature into Finance, a new research report commissioned by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) with strategic support from the Treasury and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).

ASFI is reinforcing calls for a coordinated Green Exports Strategy after participating in the World Economic Forum and Greenhouse-hosted Green Iron Workshop in Adelaide last week.

Last week we had the privilege of bringing together hundreds of passionate finance, policy and sustainability leaders for the Australian Sustainable Finance Summit. Not to rehash the challenges we face, but to focus on the actions that come next. 

The Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) welcomes the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) authorisation of aspects of its work, supporting collaborative action across the finance sector to unlock private capital for Australia’s climate transition and other critical sustainability and social objectives. 

As the dust settles on London Climate Action Week 2025, the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) delegation returns home energized and inspired. Over four packed days, the delegation engaged with global leaders in sustainable finance, sharing Australia’s progress and learning from international peers.