News in the spotlight: Pentagreen’s Green Investments Programme reaches USD 800mn
Pentagreen Capital’s Green Investments Partnership (GIP) has reached a total of USD 800mn after a second close, up from USD 510mn at first close. The programme is managed under the FAST‑P initiative and is designed to leverage blended finance to support sustainable infrastructure in Asia, with an initial focus on Southeast Asia.
Products and Services
Pentagreen’s Green Investments Programme reaches USD 800mn
Pentagreen Capital’s Green Investments Partnership (GIP) has reached a total of USD 800mn after a second close, up from USD 510mn at first close. The programme is managed under the FAST‑P initiative and is designed to leverage blended finance to support sustainable infrastructure in Asia, with an initial focus on Southeast Asia. The second close has brought in commercial capital providers including DBS Bank and Cathay United Bank, which have entered into senior tranche lending arrangements with GIP, alongside a new industry partner joining the junior tranche. Combined with development‑finance and shareholder capital, this structure aims to crowd‑in commercial lending into projects that would otherwise struggle to access traditional finance. For investors, the GIP platform offers exposure to a diversified pipeline of climate‑aligned infrastructure deals, concentrated in renewable energy, energy storage, clean transport, and water and waste management sectors. The growing capital base signals continued appetite for catalytic debt instruments that can scale up private‑sector participation in low‑carbon infrastructure markets.
Standard Life launches a Sharia Lifestyle Strategy
Standard Life has launched a Sharia‑compliant lifestyle strategy, the Standard Life Sharia Universal Strategic Lifestyle Profile, for members of its workplace pension schemes. The solution is fully certified to Sharia principles under the standards of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and is designed as a default‑style, Sharia‑aligned default option. The lifestyle strategy comprises two stages: the Standard Life Sharia Growth Pension Fund for members more than 15 years from retirement, and the Standard Life Sharia At Retirement Pension Fund as retirement nears. The latter introduces a sukuk fund, providing Sharia‑compliant income‑type instruments. The strategy is underpinned by the SL HSBC Islamic Global Equity Index Pension Fund and the SL Franklin Global Sukuk Pension Fund, both managed by HSBC Asset Management and Franklin Templeton. To ensure compliance, Standard Life has appointed an external Sharia adviser, iConsult Africa, and established a Sharia Supervisory Group chaired by Prof. Ziyaad Mahomed, which oversees the Sharia‑compliance elements of the underlying investment processes.
S2G Investments raises USD 1bn for Solutions Fund I to scale growth companies
S2G Investments has closed its Solutions Fund I at USD 1bn, marking its largest fund to date and a dedicated growth‑equity vehicle for commercial solutions in food & agriculture, energy, and ocean systems. The fund targets growth‑stage companies primarily in North America and Europe that can improve efficiency, resilience, and sustainability across these core sectors, including energy infrastructure, agricultural inputs, maritime transport, and industrial electrification. The strategy aims to tackle the “missing middle” financing gap between early‑stage venture capital and large‑scale infrastructure‑style capital, backing companies that already have commercial traction but need growth capital to scale. At final close, approximately USD 300mn has already been deployed across 10 portfolio companies, such as maritime battery supplier Echandia, hybrid power and energy‑storage developer ANA, and energy‑utility software firm Urbint. For sustainable‑finance investors, the fund’s focus is on technologies and models that can strengthen food and energy security, reduce system‑level emissions, and deliver measurable environmental and human‑health outcomes, all within a traditional growth‑equity risk‑return framework.
Schroders Greencoat buys Dutch biomethane platform in Europe push
Schroders Greencoat, Schroders Capital’s specialist renewables and energy‑transition infrastructure manager, has acquired a 100% stake in APF Energy, a Dutch biomethane platform, from SWEN Capital Partners and APF BV. The platform currently comprises six assets: three fully operational biomethane sites and three under construction, plus a late‑stage development pipeline. The plants produce biomethane from a mix of agricultural manure and food by‑products, helping to address nitrate and emissions issues linked to the Netherlands’ livestock sector while feeding into the country’s existing gas infrastructure. As a direct substitute for natural gas, the facilities support Dutch and broader European decarbonisation and energy‑security goals. For Schroders Greencoat, the deal strengthens its renewable‑gas footprint in Europe and adds a scalable, platform‑style asset with a clear development pipeline alongside existing anaerobic digestion and biofuels exposure.
ESG Data and Analytics
Novata launches AI-powered risk platform for portfolio and supply chain monitoring
Novata has launched Risk Atlas, an AI‑powered tool designed to help investors and companies identify, compare, and prioritize risks across portfolios and supply chains. The platform unifies fragmented risk signals into a single, customizable framework, giving users a consistent view of exposure across entities and investments. Risk Atlas uses AI‑driven intelligence from specialist providers to continuously surface, structure, and refresh signals across five key categories: reputational, cyber, geopolitical, physical climate, and transition risk. It lets organizations see where risk is concentrated or emerging, compare risk across companies and sectors, and understand how multiple risks combine into an overall exposure profile. The tool is designed to support the full investment lifecycle, from pre‑investment screening to ongoing portfolio oversight. Users can flag high‑risk exposures before capital deployment, track changes through automated updates, monitor portfolio‑level exposure at scale, and adjust risk thresholds and weightings to match their strategy.
La Caisse enters into strategic partnership with Novisto
La Caisse (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec) has entered into a strategic partnership with Novisto, a corporate sustainability‑management platform, and made an investment in the company. The deal aims to accelerate Novisto’s growth and expand access to technology that helps organizations manage sustainability‑related information as they move toward a low‑carbon economy. La Caisse’s entry into Novisto’s capital comes during a period of strong international expansion and reflects a shared view that data technologies are key to integrating climate and extra‑financial issues into business and investment practices. The collaboration will support further development of Novisto’s platform and its suite of sustainability‑data tools. The transaction aligns with La Caisse’s 2025–2030 climate strategy, which focuses on supporting companies through the energy transition and backing concrete climate‑solutions providers. It also builds on existing use of Novisto by several La Caisse portfolio companies, which rely on the platform to handle ESG data, reporting, and disclosure requirements.
Net Zero Commitments
BBVA reaches 99% global renewable electricity use
BBVA now covers 99% of its global electricity consumption from renewable sources, using direct power purchase agreements, guarantees of origin and on‑site solar generation across several countries. The bank is aiming to reach 100% renewable electricity by 2030 as part of its 2026–2030 Global Eco‑efficiency Plan. Since 2019, BBVA has reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 83% and cut per‑employee electricity consumption by 22%. It has also lowered energy, water, paper and waste intensity and is increasing the share of certified green buildings in its portfolio. For investors, the entry of BBVA’s own‑use footprint close to full renewable power signals that operational decarbonisation is largely achieved, with the remaining gap mainly a question of documentation and market‑specific supply rather than a structural reliance on fossil‑based electricity.
Leadership Announcements
ISS STOXX names Julia Leske to lead APAC sustainability business
ISS STOXX Sustainability has named Julia Leske as Head of Sustainability Business, Asia‑Pacific, strengthening its APAC sustainability and responsible‑investment offering. Leske joined ISS in 2019 following the acquisition of CAER, where she was CEO, and has most recently served as Managing Director and Senior Consultant for Sustainability Strategy, working with stakeholders across the responsible‑investment industry. In her new role, she will lead the development and expansion of ISS STOXX’s sustainability‑focused business in the region, including indices, data and analytics tailored to APAC market needs. The appointment signals ISS STOXX’s intent to deepen its on‑the‑ground presence and strategic relationships with investors, asset managers and regulators across Asia‑Pacific. For sustainable‑finance practitioners, the move means a more dedicated regional leadership node for ISS STOXX’s sustainability products, which could simplify access to ESG‑linked indices and regulatory‑aligned tools in a fragmented but fast‑growing market.