News in the spotlight: Paraguay and J.P. Morgan launch USD 200mn Sustainable Forestry Platform
The Office of the President of Paraguay and J.P. Morgan Natural Capital have announced an approximately USD 200 million investment to build a large-scale sustainable forestry platform in Paraguay.
Products and Services
Achmea, and ILX Partner partner to launch impact investing platform
Achmea Investment Management and ILX Management are partnering on a new investment vehicle for Dutch pension funds that channels capital into loans originated by multilateral development banks and development finance institutions. The strategy targets emerging markets and developing economies, with the majority of the portfolio allocated to loans that carry explicit impact objectives and measurable contributions to societal development. Achmea IM, which reports around EUR 16 billion in impact assets, will apply its impact framework, due diligence and reporting processes, while ILX contributes its private-debt expertise and relationships with MDBs and DFIs across a portfolio exceeding EUR 1.5 billion. The partnership aims to meet institutional investors’ demand for strategies that combine financial returns with positive social outcomes, and to broaden access to ILX’s existing approach for a wider group of long-term investors. Executives from both firms describe the collaboration as a way to connect public and private capital more effectively to support sustainable economic development in emerging markets.
Paraguay and J.P. Morgan launch USD 200mn Sustainable Forestry Platform
The Office of the President of Paraguay and J.P. Morgan Natural Capital have announced an approximately USD 200 million investment to build a large-scale sustainable forestry platform in Paraguay. The initiative, developed with local partner Grupo Robinson, will focus on establishing commercial forests, restoring native forest areas and producing high-quality timber, carbon credits and wood products. Capital deployment is expected to begin in early 2027, with a long-term plan to advance local industrialization by processing timber in Paraguay and producing finished goods for domestic and export markets. The partners say the project aims to support regional development, create quality rural employment and strengthen local communities by combining international capital with Paraguayan expertise in agriculture and forestry. J.P. Morgan Natural Capital, which manages more than 1.5 million acres of forestland globally and recently closed a USD 1.5 billion forestry fund, describes the platform as a scalable, long-term investment in sustainable resource management and rural development.
Crédit Agricole launches division focused on natural capital
Crédit Agricole has launched Crédit Agricole Capital Naturel, a new division dedicated to the preservation, regeneration and enhancement of natural capital, with forests as its first operational focus. The unit will support companies, investors, forest owners and local authorities across the value chain, from strategic advice and project development to sustainable asset management, low‑carbon transition projects and dedicated investment solutions. It will draw on EcoTree, a developer and operator of nature‑based solutions, with which Crédit Agricole S.A. has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire a majority stake, and on a new Amundi fund, Arbora Nova, targeting EUR 200 million over time for reforestation and forest restoration projects in France and Europe. From 2027, the division plans to expand into other natural capital components such as water and biodiversity, coordinating expertise across Crédit Agricole’s retail banks, asset managers, insurers and corporate and investment banking units to offer advisory, financing, insurance and investment products. Timothée Jaulin has been appointed head of the Natural Capital division.
Cotierra secures USDmn n to scale biochar systems
Cotierra, a Zurich-based developer of decentralized biochar systems for agricultural value chains, has raised USD 3 million in a funding round led by PINC, the venture arm of food and beverage group Paulig, and co-led with Carbon Removal Partners. The capital will be used to move from pilot projects to commercial deployments, starting with coffee supply chains, where the company has already secured traction with traders and brands. Cotierra’s platform combines hardware and software to convert dispersed agricultural residues into biochar close to the point of generation, while enabling monitoring, traceability and reporting of deployments. The approach targets declining soil health, climate pressures on farmers and growing corporate demand for emission reductions and carbon removal in tropical commodity chains such as coffee, cocoa, cotton and citrus. Investors cite the potential for decentralized biochar to reduce emissions and improve resilience in coffee-growing regions as part of broader climate strategies for agricultural supply chains.
Regulations, Law and Frameworks
FCA shelves mandatory IFRS-based climate reporting plans
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has finalized rules requiring listed companies to report against the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS), the UK-endorsed version of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards, on a comply-or-explain basis. The changes replace existing TCFD-aligned climate disclosure rules with a broader sustainability reporting framework intended to give investors consistent, decision-useful information and improve international comparability. The requirements apply to issuers in the commercial companies, transition, non-equity or non-voting equity shares, and secondary listing or depositary receipts categories. Rules take effect for accounting periods starting on or after 1 January 2027, with first reports due in 2028; transitional reliefs allow a one-year delay for Scope 3 emissions disclosures and a two-year delay for wider sustainability disclosures under UK SRS S1. The FCA is consulting on a Technical Note to guide proportionate application of the comply-or-explain approach and will publish further supervisory guidance in the second half of 2027 ahead of the first reporting season.
ISO implements Paris Statement to strengthen climate action framework
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has adopted the Paris Statement, reaffirming the role of International Standards in supporting global efforts to build resilience, adapt to climate change and protect nature. Endorsed during ISO’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Paris, the statement positions standards as tools to strengthen cooperation, promote responsible innovation and turn shared global challenges into reliable, concrete solutions. It sits alongside ongoing work on net zero, including a public consultation earlier in 2026 on ISO 14060, a draft standard intended to provide globally consistent, independently verifiable guidance for organizations developing net‑zero pathways and transition plans aligned with the Paris Agreement. While the draft net zero standard did not secure sufficient approval to advance in its current form, ISO’s adoption of the Paris Statement signals continued institutional backing for standards-based approaches to climate action, resilience and sustainable development across sectors and borders.