Financial Innovation
Deploying the trillions needed to address global climate adaptation and mitigation requires more than just shifting investments. It requires novel ways to attract and deploy those investments with financial innovation.
CPI researches and develops innovative climate finance policies, financial instruments, and business models that create measurable impact and can scale quickly. It has particular expertise in combining blended finance models with early-stage technical assistance to ensure bold ideas move from concept to implementation quickly and with as little risk as possible.
Featured work
Publication
Climate Finance Innovation for Africa
Meeting Africa’s climate finance needs will require significantly higher levels of investment, especially from the private sector. This publication provides a framework for how financial and non-financial solutions can be efficiently deployed to overcome barriers to finance and capitalize climate solutions in Africa.
Publication
Cost of Capital for Renewable Energy Investments in Developing Economies
A credit guarantee facility could help address cost-of-capital issues for renewable energy, allowing countries with high solar potential to significantly increase their installed capacity.
Publication
The State of Green Banks 2025: Learnings from green financing structures around the world
Drawing on data from 51 public financial institutions across more than 20 countries, this new report provides a comprehensive review of how green banks can overcome key barriers to private capital mobilization.
Latest work
Publication
2025 Policy Bulletin: Climate Finance for Development
This policy bulletin summarizes key findings on how PDBs’ contribution to low-emissions and climate-resilient development can be accelerated and scaled to make progress toward the global agenda for sustainable development.
Publication
Energizing Private Capital: Innovations in Guarantee Offerings for Climate Finance
This policy brief identifies key barriers to the adoption of green guarantees and highlights existing solutions to address these challenges. The report also draws key takeaways and recommendations and lists policy-related questions for further consideration.
Publication
Building Financial Instruments for Climate Adaptation
Drawing on lessons learned from past instruments, the Lab has identified five key steps for structuring adaptation-focused financial instruments that deliver results.
Blog
Lab Alumni share insights on scaling climate finance
Learn how innovative climate finance solutions are scaling impact. This blog post features insights innovators on leveraging guarantees, standardizing approaches, and investing in nature-based solutions to address climate change.
Blog
Paul Bodnar: ‘Ten years ago, we could never have predicted the level of impact the Lab has achieved’
During the Lab Summit at New York Climate Week, Barbara Buchner and Paul Bodnar reflected on the Lab’s journey over the past decade.
Blog
Five key takeaways from the Lab Summit
The Lab Summit convened over one hundred climate finance experts and practitioners during New York Climate Week. The summit identified key trends, challenges, and opportunities in the field of climate finance, informing the broader climate finance investment landscape.
Blog
Green Guarantee Group
The Green Guarantee Group aims to produce solution-oriented recommendations for decision-makers, fostering a significant increase in the use of green guarantees. CPI will provide high-level advisory and produce reports identifying key challenges, innovative solutions, and recommendations for scaling green guarantees ahead of COP30.
