Iraq has introduced a Green Climate Fund Country Programme to accelerate climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in critical sectors. The initiative is intended to steer project development in line with national priorities and facilitate the implementation of Iraq's climate commitments. Following approval of a $39m project to improve agricultural resilience, the programme aims to strengthen water management, boost the adoption of renewable energy and enhance food security for vulnerable populations that are increasingly exposed to climate risks.

Proparco, the private sector arm of France's development finance institution, has established a strategic partnership with the Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator, joining British International Investment as a funding partner. The collaboration will support the next phase of the Aria initiative by expanding operations from five to seven countries with the addition of Guinea and Togo, as well as increasing technical assistance for businesses. The platform aims to improve co-ordination between development finance institutions and stimulate investment in frontier markets in Africa, where access to capital remains constrained.

Luxembourg's Appui au Développement Autonome says its Farmer 2.0 programme in Senegal, which combines digital tools with on-site support to expand rural farmers' access to finance, has enabled nearly 12,000 farmers to receive €7.5m in loans for crop inputs and storage since 2020. The programme seeks to improve small farms' profitability and reduce risk for lenders, and Ada is establishing a local company to support its long-term sustainability. The initiative links microfinance institutions, co-operatives and insurers, aligning loans with agricultural cycles and providing climate-based index insurance.

The European Innovation Council, an EU body supporting breakthrough innovation, has awarded €1.9m to Sparxell, a Cambridge University spin-out developing biodegradable, non-toxic pigments to reduce the environmental impact of textile dyeing. Good Fashion Fund, an investment fund focused on boosting sustainability in fashion supply chains, has extended a $1.75m loan to Sharadha Terry Products, an Indian textile manufacturer, to establish a resource-efficient rug production facility using renewable energy and advanced water recovery systems. Both initiatives seek to address the textile sector's significant issues with greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

Based on research into the first smart sustainable Brazilian city, a study has introduced the concept of Intelligent Nature-based Solutions, a new approach that brings together nature-based solutions with intelligent systems. By integrating advances in machine learning, data analytics and robotic automation, the paper argues that the new concept offers a wide range of benefits, particularly in urban environments. For example, the study argues that the integration of advanced technology with ecological restoration practices can deliver environmental benefits including improved air and water quality, greater biodiversity and the mitigation of urban heat islands.

British International Investment, the UK government's development finance institution, and Standard Chartered have launched a $100m trade finance facility intended to improve access to funding for Kenyan and Tanzanian businesses in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and infrastructure, with a focus on those led or owned by women. According to the partners, the programme is expected to stimulate more than $450m in trade transactions and extends previous joint efforts to promote economic growth and gender equality in East Africa.

Four European development finance institutions — the Netherlands' FMO, British International Investment, Sweden's Swedfund and Switzerland-based Sifem — have collectively pledged $80m to BluePeak Private Capital Fund II at its initial close. The fund aims to support Africa's underserved mid-market businesses by offering flexible credit solutions, with an emphasis on ESG standards and gender inclusion. The institutions say investments will focus on sectors including food production, pharmaceuticals and financial services in order to address the continent's financing gap and boost sustainable economic development.

Belgian impact fund manager Incofin Investment Management has raised €61m at the final close of its Water Access Acceleration Fund. The fund was launched in 2023 to raise private equity funding and blended finance for projects delivering clean drinking water to underserved communities in Africa and Asia. Venture capital fund Danone Communities, launched by the French food multinational Danone, is the fund's lead investor.

BPCE Group subsidiary Crédit Coopératif has launched a private banking business with a focus on impact investing, aiming to expand into the more profitable high net worth segment while remaining aligned with its social impact values. The French co-operative bank says it plans to support business owners that seek meaning in the use of their assets, with a minimum requirement of €1m for individuals and €300,000 in annual cash flow for businesses. Crédit Coopératif has recruited a team of 25 private banking and wealth management advisers and expects to double its headcount quickly.

The International Finance Corporation and Mongolia's Financial Regulatory Commission have renewed their partnership through a memorandum of understanding on promoting sustainable finance and launched the second phase of the IFC Green Finance Market Development Project. Mongolia's government and the IFC have agreed to draw up regulations for innovative thematic financial instruments, including blue bonds, sustainability-linked bonds and sustainable bonds, and will work to align the country's ESG reporting framework with the International Financial Reporting Standards' Sustainability Standards 1 and 2.

Triodos Investment Management, the asset management arm of Netherlands-based Triodos Bank, and index provider Stoxx have launched the iStoxx Triodos Developed Markets Impact Index, designed to help institutional investors align their portfolios with social and environmental impact goals. They say the index has been developed in response to increasing demand for impact investment benchmarks to facilitate institutions' systematic alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Unlike conventional sustainability indices, the iStoxx Triodos benchmark supports active management strategies involving measurable impact and targeted investment themes.

De Nederlandsche Bank has proposed a method for evaluating the climate alignment of sovereign bond portfolios using temperature scores based on current national climate policies rather than long-term targets. The Dutch central bank says its approach is intended to improve transparency and comparability to help asset owners assess climate-related risks. Efforts to incorporate historic emission data and a 'fair share' principle reflecting the responsibilities of wealthier countries have been abandoned because of their excessive complexity. The central bank advises rounding temperature scores to the nearest 0.1°C.

The US Federal Reserve has dissolved several internal committees established to examine financial stability risks associated with climate change. Among the panels disbanded are the Supervision Climate Committee and the Financial Stability Climate Committee, both established in 2021 to assist the central bank's analysis of climate-related vulnerabilities. Two other teams focused on economic activity and climate data have also been abolished amid a shift away from the Fed's previous focus on climate risks under the Biden administration.