Refreshing Perspectives on Marine Financial Investments
The global financial landscape is witnessing a shift towards sustainable ocean financing, with various institutions adopting innovative strategies to manage ocean-related risks and unlock investment opportunities that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, "Life Below Water."
One such initiative is the 2025 Ocean Investment Protocol, which serves as a practical roadmap for financial institutions, insurers, and development banks. This framework provides a guide for managing ocean-related risks, ensuring investments align with SDG 14, and unlocking sustainable investment opportunities. Institutions like Deutsche Bank have incorporated due diligence policies based on such frameworks and participate in alliances, such as the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, to support risk mitigation and responsible investment.
The Ocean Panel, comprising 18 leaders of maritime states, has identified five priorities for sustainable ocean financing: sustainable seafood production, climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, economic recovery from shocks, and holistic ocean management. Financial institutions are addressing these priorities by adopting and operationalizing global frameworks such as the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles and the 2025 Ocean Investment Protocol.
Financial innovation plays a crucial role in making ocean investments more attractive to mainstream capital. Strategies like loan guarantees, blended finance, and project aggregation are being employed to encourage investments in the ocean economy. For instance, the Korean Ocean Business Corporation successfully issued a US$300 million blue-bond, demonstrating that investors respond to a convincing rationale for ocean-related investments.
The marine biotechnology market is projected to reach US$6.4 billion by 2025, underscoring the potential for profitable investments in sustainable ocean sectors. Fisheries sustain 600 million people, mostly in developing countries, providing a significant opportunity for sustainable seafood production.
The ocean is critical to the global economy, with trade in ocean goods and services reaching record highs of US$900 billion and US$1.3 trillion in 2023, respectively. However, the Global Ocean Health Index dropped sharply in 2024, with marked declines in measures of habitat, species, and iconic species. This underscores the need for continued efforts to protect and conserve the ocean.
To this end, there are growing calls for government and regulatory signals to catalyze private finance, recognizing blue finance as essential and increasingly profitable, especially in maritime infrastructure and ports. Transnational calls, such as those by the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, aim to support projects in digital ocean monitoring, climate-smart sea-use planning, sustainable fisheries, and resilient coastal communities.
Additionally, efforts are underway to protect 30×30 coastal waters through funding and stewardship initiatives, supporting biodiversity and tribal leadership in conservation. International commitments, including the ratification of treaties, increased funding for coral reefs and small island developing states, and moves to eliminate harmful subsidies, demonstrate alignment of policy and finance towards sustainable ocean use.
Claudio de Sanctis, Head of Private Bank and Member of the Management Board at Deutsche Bank, emphasizes the importance of financial innovation for ocean financing methods. The Asian Development Bank has established the Blue SEA Finance Hub to help Southeast Asian economies structure their blue-economy investments.
The challenge remains to scale these efforts, integrate ocean health fully into mainstream finance, and broaden stakeholder engagement. However, with the ratification of treaties like the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) and the International Maritime Organisation Cape Town Agreement, which enhance regulatory certainty and protect marine biodiversity, the future of sustainable ocean financing looks promising.
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