The Future of Finance: Reimagining Capital to Accelerate the Urban Net Zero Transition

On Day 2 of the Cities Mission Conference in Vilnius last week, the Climate City Capital Hub plenary, 'Financing the Future', brought together a diverse group of city leaders, finance specialists, public banks, private investors, and philanthropic funders – all essential to unlocking urban climate finance at scale.

The focus? Turning city climate plans into investable projects.

The session surfaced key takeaways on what is needed to accelerate the pace of transition:

- There is no shortage of public, private, or philanthropic capital, but most cities still lack the capacity and scale to structure and secure the investment needed for systemic change.

- We must scale up mature, commercially viable, and replicable climate solutions that meet investor expectations.

- Cities need support to align with the right types of capital – whether commercial, concessional, or catalytic – balancing returns, impact, and co-benefits.

Sharing lessons across the Mission Cities is critical to ensure the newest labelled cities benefit from pioneers such as the Bristol City Council and Limassol Municipality.

The Climate City Capital Hub is designed to bridge the investment gap – mobilising finance for urban climate mitigation and adaptation through a neutral, pan-European platform. The Hub is part of NetZeroCitiesEU, the implementing platform for the EU's '100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities' Mission'.

Explore how the Climate City Capital Hub is helping to close the urban investment gap: https://lnkd.in/dbhrQyfG