GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE FINANCE CONFERENCE 2026 CONVENED INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCE LEADERS IN KARLSRUHE, GERMANY

“Turning Global Disruption into Investment at Scale”

The Global Sustainable Finance Conference (GSFC) 2026 brought together senior leaders from development finance institutions, commercial banks, industry and the wider investment ecosystem for a high-level strategic action forum focused on one of the defining development finance challenges of our time:

How development finance institutions can mobilise and deploy capital more effectively into productive sectors, infrastructure and scalable investment opportunities critical to sustainable growth, competitiveness and high value creation.

Took place on 27–28 August 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany, GSFC 2026 came at a time when the global economy is being fundamentally reshaped by geopolitical uncertainty, shifting capital flows, energy transition pressures, technological disruption and changing industrial dynamics.

ADFIMI Secretary General Mr. İlhami Öztürk participated in the two-days Global Sustainable Finance Conference held in Karlsruhe, Germany. The conference was convened under the theme "Turning Global Disruption into Investment at Scale", and was organized through a partnership between the Association of National Development Finance Institutions in Member Countries of the Islamic Development Bank (ADFIMI), the European Organisation for Sustainable Development (EOSD), the Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI), and the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), together with the host city of Karlsruhe, Germany.

This annual conference brought together participants from across the globe. The event focused on innovative approaches to sustainable finance, with discussions centered on leveraging financial and technological tools to drive inclusive and resilient economic growth. 

The conference examined how financial institutions, policymakers and development finance leaders can reposition themselves to mobilise capital more effectively into productive sectors, strategic industries, infrastructure and scalable growth opportunities.

Key areas of discussion included:

Geopolitics, geoeconomics and the implications for IDB member countries and development finance institutions

Why large-scale capital is still not reaching productive sectors and infrastructure projects

Strengthening development finance institutions for greater resilience, competitiveness and impact

Building scalable pipelines of investment-grade opportunities

Strengthening alignment between finance, industrial development and real-economy priorities

Mobilising capital for sustainable growth, infrastructure and economic competitiveness

After the GSFC 2026, The Global Sustainable Finance Awards took place and ADFIMI Member PT SMI awarded;  

ADFIMI Member PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (PT SMI) represented by Mr. Arief Subekti received the international Best Innovation in Financial Services award from the European Organisation for Sustainable Development (EOSD) at the Karlsruhe Sustainable Finance Awards for its de-risking renewable energy investment mechanism.