April 3rd, 2023

Panel: Promoting Net Zero and Carbon Neutral Commitments in the Asia-Pacific region

Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL, participated as a panelist in the workshop on Promoting Net Zero and Carbon Neutral Commitments for the Asia-Pacific region, organized by USAID and APEC. The series of conferences were held in Honolulu, Hawaii where experts from different sectors of the economy presented and discussed the topic of decarbonization. Kurt discussed barriers and enablers to implementing carbon reduction projects from a sustainable financing perspective.

March 17th, 2023

Event: GCA Masterclass on Mainstreaming Climate Resilience into Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Africa

Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL, participated as a panelist in the second edition of the Global Center on Adaptation's Masterclass on Mainstreaming Climate Resilience into Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Africa. The event was held in a hybrid format in Accra, Ghana. Kurt conducted a masterclass on thematic instruments and sustainable finance in which he discussed the role of the market and the situation in Africa for the public and private sector.

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January 2023

Publication: Green Bonds in the Water and Sanitation Sector in Colombia (in Spanish)

HPL Consultants, María Teresa Grez, Yvonne Vogt, and Valeria Cantú, co-authored a report alongside the Inter-American Development Bank regarding the issuance of green bonds in the water and sanitation sector in Colombia. The report presents the opportunities of issuing green bonds within the water and sanitation sector by highlighting the consultancy that HPL led with two public water companies in Colombia in their preparation of a Green Financing Framework.

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November 10th, 2022

Event: Galicia - The Legal 500 Green Summit Mexico 2022

Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL, participated as panelist in the Green Summit Mexico 2022, the first Latin America-based event of the Global Green Guide Initiative. Kurt Vogt was part of the second panel "The role of GCs when it comes to sustainable practice and strategy", where he exposed the essential elements a business needs to integrate ESG as well as the importance of the General Counsels in order to do so. Kurt was joined by some of the most high-profile experts in various sectors of the Mexican economy.

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October 12th, 2022

Event: VI Latin American Sanitation Conference (LatinoSan) 2022

Daniela Canevaro, Associate at HPL, participated as a panelist at the VI Latin American Sanitation Conference held in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Moderated by Maria Eduarda Gouvêa Berto, IDB Water and Sanitation Specialist, Daniela presented the "Practical Guide to Innovative Financial Instruments for the Water and Sanitation Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean" prepared by HPL and IDB. In particular, she spoke about the role of thematic bonds and sustainability-linked bonds in the water and sanitation sector.

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March 30th, 2022

Event: Latin America ESG Market Summit

Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL moderated a panel session entitled "DFIs: Underpinning ESG Markets Region-Wide" at the Latin American ESG Markets Summit hosted by New Energy Events. Gathering lessons learned from leading DFIs in the region from panelists Maria Netto, Chief, Financial Institutions and Markets, New Development Bank; Carole Sanz-Paris, Head of Debt Capital Markets, IDB Invest; Jesús Alan Elizondo Flores, Director General, Fideicomisos Instituidos en Relación con la Agricultura (FIRA); and Manuel Valdez, Head of DCM Funding and Derivatives, CAF; the session explored initiatives underway and new approaches to unlock ESG-linked capital.

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March 22nd, 2022

Workshop: Tendencias actuales en el mercado Latinoamericano - Proceso de emisión de bonos temáticos: principales características

In March 2022, Kurt Vogt and one of HPL's Consultants delivered an in-person workshop and Q&A session at the Panamanian Stock Exchange (Latinex Holdings) regarding the step by step process to issue thematic bonds for public sector issuers in Panama. The workshop was moderated by Christian Schneider, Senior Financial Markets Specialist at IDB. Patricio Sepúlveda, from Chile's Ministry of Finance, Lizeth Camila Erazo, from Colombia's Ministry of Finance, Juan Carlos Pacheco, CFO at Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), and María Paola Carvajal from Bancoldex participated sharing their experience as thematic bond issuers in LAC.

February 23rd, 2022

Publication: Practical guide to innovative financial instruments for the water and sanitation sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (in Spanish)

In collaboration with the Water & Sanitation team of the Inter-American Development Bank, HPL drafted a practical guidance document on innovative financing instruments and mechanisms that water and sanitation companies in LAC could use as an alternative or complement to their traditional financing sources. The Guide delves into these instruments' added value, explains their concept and implementation process, and offers practical recommendations on their structuring, as well as representative case studies that exemplify their application by other entities in the sector in LAC and globally.

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February 18th, 2022

Panel: The role of Multilateral Development Banks in promoting the Thematic Bond Market - Risk Management and Financial Sustainability in the Electricity Sector

Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL, participated as a guest panelist in a three-day course organized by the International Centre for Hydropower (ICH) and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) on risk management and financial sustainability in the electricity sector. Kurt presented on a panel session on the role of multilateral development banks in promoting the thematic bond market in Latin America and the Caribbean alongside César Restrepo, Director of the Costa Rican Stock Exchange, Sylvia Larrea, Energy Lead Specialist at the Inter-American Development bank, and José Alfaro, Director of Global Engagement and Assistant Professor of Environmental Practice at the University of Michigan. The session was moderated by Guillermo Zúñiga, Former Minister of Finance of Costa Rica.

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February 16th, 2022

Course: Sustainability Linked Bonds - Risk Management and Financial Sustainability in the Electricity Sector

Yvonne Vogt, Consultant at HPL participated as a guest lecturer in a three-day course organized by the International Centre for Hydropower (ICH) and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) on risk management and financial sustainability in the electricity sector. Yvonne's lecture focused on structuring Sustainability-Linked Bonds for issuers in the electricity sector, providing practical guidelines on how to select relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and ambitious Sustainability Performance Targets (SPTs). At the end of the class, participants were provided a case study to develop their own KPIs and SPTs, which were presented during an interactive group session.

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December 1st, 2021

Workshop: Generación del Cambio - Sustainable Finance Edition

HPL was hired by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to design and deliver a workhop on sustainable finance for Peru Sostenible a Peruvian NGO that promotes sustainability within the private sector. This workshop was organized within the project financed by the Government of the United Kingdom, through its UK PACT program in Peru. The workshop covered topics such as the global and regional climate finance context, sustainable debt instruments, gender equity and social inclusion matters in project formulation, gender lens finance and ESG integration in the corporate strategy. Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL, Isabel Montojo, Consultant at HPL, and Cristina L. Mayher, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Expert delivered a one hour and thirty minute workshop addressed to CEOs and CSOs from a wide range of sectors in Peru. Micaela Rizo Patrón, General Manager at Peru Sostenible and Alberto Dante Maurer Fossa GGGI's Country Representative in Peru delivered the opening and closing remarks. Aldo Ferrini, Director at Perú Sostenible and CEO at AFP Integra (SURA) moderated the Q&A session with the audience.

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November 11th, 2021

Workshop: Morning Business Talks (Special Edition) - Sustainable Finance: An essential component for economic recovery.

HPL was hired by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to design and deliver a workshop on sustainable finance for ESAN Graduate School of Business (Lima, Peru), within the project financed by the Government of the United Kingdom, through its UK PACT program in Peru. The workshop covered topics such as the global and regional climate finance context, sustainable debt instruments, gender equity and social inclusion matters in project formulation, gender lens finance and ESG integration in the corporate strategy. Kurt Vogt, HPL's Managing Director, Isabel Montojo, Consultant at HPL, and Cristina L. Mayher, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Expert delivered a one hour and fifty minute workshop addressed to CEOs and CFOs from a wide range of sectors in Peru. Professor Marco Vinelli, Director of the Master in Agribusiness Administration at ESAN and Alberto Dante Maurer Fossa GGGI's Country Representative in Peru participated as co-hosts and moderators during the event.

November 9th, 2021

Webinar: Knowledge Week of IDB's Water and Sanitation Division 2021 - New frontiers of Innovative Financial Instruments

Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL, participated as an expert panelist alongside Carole Sanz-Paris, Head of Debt Capital Markets & Structured Finance at BID Invest; Isabelle Braly-Cartillier, Senior Financial Specialist at IDB; and Alma Agustí, Senior Associate at Instiglio, in a panel hosted by IDB's Water and Sanitation Division, and moderated by Lucio Javier García, Water and Sanitation Specialist at IDB. In this session, Kurt presented and discussed the applications of climate finance in the water and sanitation sector in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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October 28th, 2021

Webinar organized by PYMO: ESG – As a survival model in your company

Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL, participated as an expert panelist alongside Alberto Gómez-Obregón, Managing Partner, at CO Capital; Daniela Calleja, Head of New Issuers and Entrepreneurs at BIVA; and Cristian Jaramillo, Sustainability & Risk (ESG) Senior Manager at PWC, in a webinar hosted by PYMO, a Mexican startup dedicated to connecting companies with the best NGOs in Mexico. In this session, Kurt discussed the impact of ESG and how it should be incorporated within company's mandates.

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September 20th, 2021

Webinar hosted by KfW and ALIDE: The EU Taxonomy - Potential relevance for sustainable finance in Latin America and the Caribbean

HPL supported KfW and ALIDE in organizing and hosting a seminar on the EU Taxonomy and its potential impacts in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). HPL worked with KfW and ALIDE to select the seminar's topics, design the event's minute, and prepare the hosts, keynote speaker, and panelists for the event. HPL's Managing Director, Kurt Vogt, acted as a moderator during the session. Claudia Arce, Director of LAC at KfW Development Bank and Edgardo Alvarez, Secretary General of ALIDE acted as hosts. A Keynote on the EU Taxonomy was delivered by Caroline Wellemans, Head of Unit Sustainable Finance Policy at the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG-INTPA) of the European Commission. The experts in the panel included Bianca Nasser, CFO at the National Bank for Economic and Social Development in Brazil (BNDES); Cesar Arias, Director of Public Credit and National Treasury at the Ministry of Finance from Colombia; Alfredo Mordezki, Head of Latin America Fixed Income at Santander Asset Management; Maria Netto, Financial Markets Principal Specialist, Connectivity, Markets and Finance Division at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); and Claudia Arce.

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June 30th, 2021

Webinar organized by IDB Invest and ANBIMA: Investing in Sustainability – A Five-Step Guide to Thematic Bonds Issuance and Investment

HPL's Consultant, Yvonne Vogt, participated as an expert in a Webinar hosted by IDB Invest and ANBIMA on the main steps to structure thematic bonds and sharing experiences on sustainability in the brazilian capital markets. The experts in the panel included Alexandre da Rosa, Chief Strategy Officer at IDB Invest, Carlos Takahashi, Director at ANBIMA, Sergio Gusmão, President at Development BAnk of Minas Gerais (BDMG), Fabiana Silva, Financial Institutions at Banco ABC Brazil, and Luiz Maia, Senior Consultant at Brookfield Asset Management. The event was moderated by Gabriel Azevedo, Chief Social, Environmental and Governance Division at IDB Invest and Marcia Groszman Faria, Lead Investment Officer for Brazilian Financial Institutions at IDB Invest.

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June 14th, 2021

Webinar organized by IDB Invest: Investing in Sustainability – A Five-Step Guide to Thematic Bonds Issuance and Investment

HPL´s Managing Director, Kurt Vogt, participated as an expert in a Webinar hosted by IDB Invest, discussing the key steps companies can undertake for structuring thematic bonds. The experts in the panel included Gema Sacristan, Chief Investment Officer at IDB Invest, Carole Sanz-Paris, Head of Capital Markets at IDB Invest, Colin McKee, ESG Lead Officer at IDB Invest, and David Grey, Sustainability and Communications Manager at Banco Bichincha. The session was moderated by Bloomberg News Senior Editor James Crombie.

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June 3rd, 2021

Webinar organized by HSBC Mexico: Gender Lens Finance

HPL´s Managing Director, Kurt Vogt, moderated a webinar hosted by HSBC Mexico on Gender Lens Finance in Latin America. The panel of experts included Eusebio Garre, Head of Funding at IDB Invest, Anoushka Mehta, Head of Gender Lens Finance at HSBC, and Leticia Robles DeLas Fuentes Institutional Relations and Business Development Director at Konfio. The session was hosted by Aidee Olmos, Head of Corporate Sustainability at HSBC Mexico.

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May 28th, 2021

Webinar organized by Birdlife International: Forestside Chat - Sharing Aspirations and Feeling Inspired

Hosted by Birdlife International, HPL´s Managing Director participated in the conference’s closing session. Kurt and Piera Waibel, a former Sustainability Manager at Lindt & Sprüngli, had an interactive conversation about forest conservation and its contribution to the finance and corporate sectors at the Accelerator Online Conference 2021.

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May 26th, 2021

Publication: Financing Sustainability through Capital Markets - A Practitioner's Guide and Toolkit for Thematic Bonds

Alongside IDB Invest, HPL co-authored a Thematic Bonds Guide, which provides a roadmap for banks and companies in Latin America and the Caribbean looking to integrate ESG investing into their business strategies. The report outlines the five key steps companies can undertake for structuring thematic bonds. The guide is avaialble for download in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

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June 1st, 2021

Workshop 6: Lessons Learned in introducing Sustainability into the Business Process

Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL coorganized and participated in a capacity building session on sustainability integration (lessons learned) together with Latinex: Bolsa Latinoamericana de Valores (Panama's Stock Exchange), IDB Invest and UN Global Compact Panamá (Sumarse).

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May 25th, 2021

Workshop 5: Principles - UN Global Compact and PRI

Isabel Montojo, Consultant, at HPL hosted and moderated a capacity building session for the corporate sector in Panama on universal sustainability principles for corporates and investors: UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and UN Global Compact.

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May 18th, 2021

Workshop 4: TCFD - Roadmap for Companies

HPL, together with Latinex: Bolsa Latinoamericana de Valores (Panama's Stock Exchange), IDB Invest and UN Global Compact Panamá (Sumarse) organized a capacity building session on climate-related financial disclosures for companies and financial institutions in Panama.

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May 11th, 2021

Workshop 3: Tools for the Disclosure of ESG factors - SASB and GRI

Isabel Montojo, Consultant at HPL, hosted and moderated a capacity building session for the corporate sector in Panama on ESG disclosure standards: Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

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May 4th, 2021

Workshop 2: Use and Implementation of the Guide for Voluntary Reporting and Disclosure of ESG Factors

Isabel Montojo, Consultant, and Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL cohosted and moderated a capacity building session for the corporate sector in Panama on how to use the Guide for Voluntary Reporting and Disclosure of ESG Factors. The session included a discussion panel, moderated by Mr Vogt with the participation of CIFI's ESG Head and Fondo de Ahorro de Panama.

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April 27th, 2021

Workshop 1: The Sustainability Business Case - Integrated Value Creation

HPL, together with Latinex: Bolsa Latinoamericana de Valores (Panama's Stock Exchange), IDB Invest and UN Global Compact Panamá (Sumarse) organized a capacity building session on the business case for sustainability addressed to the corporate sector in Panamá.

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April 19th, 2021

Launch Event: Guide for Voluntary Reporting and Disclosure of ESG Factors in Panama

Isabel Montojo, Consultant, and Kurt Vogt, Managing Director at HPL cohosted and moderated the publication launch event of the Guide for Voluntary Reporting and Disclosure of ESG Factors, held virtually by Latinex: Bolsa Latinoamericana de Valores (Panama's Stock Exchange), together with IDB Invest and UN Global Compact Panamá (Sumarse). Ms Montojo moderated a discussion panel with Panama's Capital Market Regulator and a Panamanian Investment Bank.

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April 19th, 2021

Publication: Guide for Voluntary Reporting and Disclosure of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Factors

Alongside IDB Invest, HPL developed a Guide for Voluntary Reporting and Disclosure of ESG Factors for Latinex: Bolsa Latinoamericana de Valores (Panama's Stock Exchange). The objective of this project was to influence the corporate sector of the country to implement sustainability practices; to inform investor decision making; and create a benchmark that could overtime be adopted by the regulator as national best practice. The guide is avaialble for download in English, and Spanish.

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December 17th, 2020

Blog Post: ESG Factors - How Emerging Markets Can Benefit

This blog post, co-authored by Isabel Montojo, Associate at HPL; Olga Cantillo, CEO Bolsa de Valores de Panama; and Susana del Granada, Environmental and Social Officer IDB Invest, explores how disclosure and transparency on the management of ESG factors provide companies with added value, as many investors are building investment portfolios with ESG factors where only companies that meet certain criteria are eligible.

(Image Source: Schroders)

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December 8th, 2020

Blog Post: ESG Factors - What's in it for you if you are in the Emerging Markets?

This blog post, co-authored by Isabel Montojo, Associate at HPL; Olga Cantillo, CEO Bolsa de Valores de Panama; and Susana Del Granado, Environmental and Social Officer IDB Invest, explores the role of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) disclosure in the emerging markets.

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November 16th, 2020

Webinar: Green, Social and Sustainability Bonds as an Opportunity for COVID-19 Recovery

Our Associate Maria-Teresa Grez participated in a webinar panel alongside Maria Netto, Financial Institutions Principal Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank, and Jésus Alan Elizondo Flores, Managing Director, FIRA focused on the opportunity of using thematic bonds to support recovery efforts in the Paraguayan market.

(Image Source: IDB)

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November 11th, 2020

Blog Post: The Critical Role of the Debt Market in COVID-19 Response and Recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented situation that is severely impacting the daily lives of millions of people globally. In addition to health repercussions, economies and livelihoods all over the world are being challenged by changes in both supply and demand. Governments have scrambled to prepare fiscal stimulus packages and inject liquidity to keep economies afloat.

2020 has seen an explosion of fixed-income instruments, such as pandemic bonds and COVID-19-response bonds, as well social and sustainability bonds with coronavirus response use of proceeds. In order to uncover some market trends regarding these new instruments, HPL collected a representative sample of 100 thematic transactions representing USD 165 bn of social, sustainability, and other coronavirus related bonds issuances.

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August 12th, 2020

Webinar: ESG Disclosure Trends for Green Bond Issuers

Our Associate Yvonne Vogt participated alongside Fabio Zenaro, from the Brazilian Stock Exchange (B3), Maria Netto, from the IDB, and Sandro Damásio from Eletrobras in a webinar organized by the Inter-American Development Bank, CVM (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários), United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSE) and Laboratório de Inovação Financeira.

(Image Source: IDB)

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June 10th, 2020

Blog Post: Innovating Conservation Finance

Biodiversity is a key element to our natural world and the increased agitation of ecosystems in the last decade has posed a significant threat on natural areas and their vast contributions. While most conservation efforts have been funded solely by philanthropic efforts and grants in the past, there has been an emergence of innovative conservation finance instruments. Conservation finance is an emerging field that can unlock private capital and help to continuously scale conservation projects in ways that grants and donations cannot. In this thought leadership, we discuss examples of conservation finance instruments, the different stakeholders involved, and the common themes we have observed in this space.

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February 18th-19th, 2020

Event: HPL at the EIB Caribbean Roadshow in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Our Managing Director Kurt Vogt presenting at the European Investment Bank Caribbean Roadshow in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on the role of Multilateral Development Banks in Adaptation Finance.

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February 12th-13th, 2020

Event: HPL at the EIB Caribbean Roadshow in Kingston, Jamaica

Our Managing Director Kurt Vogt presenting at the European Investment Bank Caribbean Roadshow in Kingston, Jamaica on Climate Adaptation Finance.

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November 8th-9th, 2018

Event: HPL at the 5th Sustainable and Responsible Investment Gathering organized by Centro RS in collaboration with PRI and GRI

The event was held in Medellín, Colombia on November 8th and November 9th of 2018.

Our Managing Director Kurt Vogt discussed the state of sustainable finance in Latin America alongside panelists from Bancolombia and Celsia. HPL also conducted a workshop on how to develop a responsible investment policy. Listen to Kurt Vogt’s conclusions from the event.

(Image Source: IRS)

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In the News: Kurt Vogt, Managing Director of HPL, on the development of sustainable finance

HPL's Managing Director, Kurt Vogt, was also interviewed by Revista RS as part of this event. Take a look at HPL's insights on the development of sustainable finance practices in Latin America.

(Image Source: Revista RS)

April 12th, 2018

Event: HPL at the 2018 Sustainable Finance Conference in Mexico

The event was held in Ciudad de México on April 12th of 2018 and was organized by the British Embassy and MEXICO2.

HPL’s Managing Director, Kurt Vogt, moderated the panel “Challenges to Sustainable Finance”.

(Image Source: British Embassy and MEXICO2)

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April 12th, 2018

In the News: Kurt Vogt, Managing Director of HPL, on the goals of sustainable finance

Televisa interviewed Kurt Vogt in April of 2018 on the goal of sustainable finance and its relationship to climate change.

(Image Source: Televisa)

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