From Vision to Scale: Impact Investing in Action – CFC and Global Leaders Call for Financial Ecosystems Rooted in Inclusion and Sustainability at FfD4
Seville, Spain – July 2, 2025 – At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), held in Seville, Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), delivered a powerful keynote that galvanized global momentum around scaling impact investing as an economic imperative.
Speaking at the session titled “Impact Investing: From Pioneering Innovations to Scalable Solutions”, Amb. Belal urged public and private leaders to harness capital with purpose, patience, and people at the core. Drawing on CFC’s work in over 100 countries, he highlighted how innovative blended finance mechanisms can unlock transformative impact—from empowering rural communities to building resilience against climate shocks.
“Private capital must lead – but with purpose, patience, and people at the core of every decision,” said Ambassador Belal. “When finance is aligned with local priorities, even small innovations can scale into national transformation.”
The discussion shed light on the full lifecycle of impact investing - from early-stage pilots to investment-ready models - across a range of instruments, asset classes, and sectors. It also explored the broader enabling ecosystem needed to sustain and scale impact.
The session, organized by UN DESA as part of the FfD4 International Business Forum, featured an outstanding lineup of experts who shared proven models and systemic strategies for advancing impact finance across geographies and asset classes.
The session was moderated by Mr. Sean Gilbert, Chief Investor Officer of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), who guided the dynamic discussion. Panelists included Sylvain Goupille, Founder and Managing Director at Octobre, who presented high-impact SDG-aligned investment models; Tanja Havemann, Co-Founder and Director at Clarmondial, offering insights on financing for climate-smart agriculture; and Krisztina Tora, Managing Director at GSG Impact, who emphasized the importance of global-local ecosystem strategies in scaling impact.
Also on the panel were Sébastien Duquet, Head of Relations with DFIs at Mirova (Natixis Investment Managers), who highlighted strategies for financing frontier markets; Stephen Liberatore, Lead Portfolio Manager at Nuveen, who discussed scaling impact through fixed income instruments; Arsalan Mahtafar, Head of the Development Finance Institution at J.P. Morgan, who spoke on shaping enabling environments for development finance; and Bernard de Longevialle, Global Head of Sustainable Finance at S&P Global Ratings, who explored the evolution of risk frameworks to support sustainable investment.
The conversation spanned from grassroots innovation to institutional reform—calling for systemic investment ecosystems that are locally rooted and globally supported.
“Resilience isn’t built from the top down—it starts at the community level,” Amb. Belal emphasized. “It’s at the intersection of local knowledge and strategic capital that enduring systems are born.”
As the development finance landscape evolves, FfD4 underscored the critical need for inclusive, just, and scalable financial models to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Common Fund for Commodities reaffirmed its commitment to championing this transformation—investing not only in projects, but in people.
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[CFC Media Relations Team]
[Email: managing.director@common-fund.org]
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