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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

• Civil society activity has grown in sustainable finance but is low compared to other fields. • Civil society activities so far had limited impact in affecting sustainable finance legislation and practices.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Highlights • Transitions require substantial investment in new technologies and infrastructures. • Moreover, changes to the rules of the finance system itself are required. • We investigate the strategies civil society actors use to affect finance transitions.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

🚨📣NEW PAPER OUT NOW!!!🚨 Check out our latest article "‘Kicking the shin and extending a hand’: Which strategies do civil society actors use to affect transitions to sustainable finance?" on civil society strattegies to influence finance within the green transition. 💹🍃🌳🌿💲 doi.org/10.1016/j.ei...

doi.org

Redirecting

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Solveig Degen @solveigdegen.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Great piece by @proufos.bsky.social on the historical trajection of central bank independence! 🏦 👇Read below to understand why we should not defend it as the base of economic stability and democracy

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Jopin our launch event of our [tra:ce] Working Paper No. 6 exploring how European financial institutions respond to stranded asset risks! 🔗 Register for the event: www.uni-wh.de/launch-des-t... 📄 Read the paper: ssrn.com/abstract=568... Looking forward to seeing all of you!

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Klaudia Prodani @kprodani.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

🚨New article🚨 Why has the promise of universal ownership been broken, as @benbraun.bsky.social has suggested? Our argument: because the Big Three are hardly universal. They mainly invest in those that can insulate themselves from environmental harm - big tech & financials in the Global North. 🧵

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

As the revision of the #SFDR comes to an end, I am joining @reclaimfinance.org and +120 experts in calling on the @ec.europa.eu exclude companies developing new fossil fuel projects a minimum criterion across all #SFDR product categories. There's no room for new fossil fuels in sustainable funds!

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Reclaim Finance @reclaimfinance.org · 30/09/2025

📣 Avec plus de 120 organisations, experts, chercheurs et entreprises, nous appelons la Commission européenne à garantir l'exclusion des entreprises développant de nouveaux projets d'énergies fossiles des futures catégories du SFDR afin de lutter efficacement contre le greenwashing. Lire la lettre ⤵️

reclaimfinance.org

There is no room for fossil fuel developers in any sustainable finance categories - Reclaim Finance

The review of the SFDR is coming to an end with the publication of the proposal for a revised regulation by the European Commission announced for Q4 2025.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

Once again a cery interesting, thought provoking and inspiring Finance and Society conference @finandsoc.bsky.social - looking forward to next year (whereever it's going to be)! Thanks to numerous colleagues for intense discussions and critical questions!

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Jacobin @jacobinmag.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

On September 11, 1973, Chile’s socialist president Salvador Allende was overthrown in a CIA-backed coup. In this 1971 interview, published in English for the first time in Jacobin, Allende expressed his fears of destabilization and US interference.

jacobin.com

What Salvador Allende Feared

On September 11, 1973, Chile’s socialist president Salvador Allende was overthrown in a CIA-backed military coup. In this 1971 interview, published in English for the first time, Allende expressed his fears of internal destabilization and US interference.

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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

13/ “Beijing is offering cheap, clean power, employment, trade and a route to prosperity. Washington is offering tariffs, policy chaos, White nationalist memes and South Korean workers in shackles after a raid on an EV battery factory.” ht @davidfickling.bsky.social bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

The paper is part of a special issue on sustainable finance entitled "Puzzling, powering, profiting: The politics of sustainable finance in Europe". We are grateful for the kind guidance and support from the guest editors @danmertens.bsky.social and @nataschavanderzwan.bsky.social!

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

📌 Examining these articulation strategies helps reveal the political dimension of the relationship between financial capital and sustainability, highlighting efforts to engage various stakeholders, privileging some and sidelining others.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

📌 By proposing the political strategy of ‘playing the capital market’, the paper emphasizes the strategic malleability of market-related ideas by EU institutions, but also the necessity to relegitimise them in the name of a common good.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

📌 In addition, they attempted to reconcile the tension between the goal of redirecting financial flows to meet environmental targets and the need to enhance the competitiveness of the European financial and industrial system.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

📌 By introducing sustainable finance into the EU agenda 'as part of' the CMU project in 2016, their strategy sought to ease the tension between the short-termism and volatility of market-based finance, in order to mobilize for investment purposes, and the long-term nature of green investments.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

📌 The paper explores how the European Commission and the ECB have simultaneously sought to relegitimise the Capital Markets Union (CMU) and mobilise market-based finance for green investments.

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Joscha Wullweber @jwullweber.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Our #policy #paper has just been published: "Financing the #green #transition: Increasing #bankability, phasing out carbon investments and funding 'never bankable' activities". We ask: Why does a large green financing gap persist? What policies do we need to change it: www.uni-wh.de/en/your-camp...

uni-wh.de

[tra:ce] Policy Report

Financing the green transition: Increasing bankability, phasing out carbon investments and funding ‘never bankable’ activities

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Jan Fichtner @janfichtner.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

🚨 Do check out this very timely Policy Report on "Financing the green transition" 👇

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Joscha Wullweber @jwullweber.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Figure from our #policy #report: 1. The main barrier to #financing the necessary activities for the sustainable transition is their lack of #bankability 2. High GHG-emitting activities remain #bankable and thus continue to attract financing from banks and shadow banks www.uni-wh.de/en/your-camp...

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

How can political decision-makers strengthen sustainable and climate-friendly investments - and at the same time effectively prevent climate-damaging financial flows? The latest [tra:ce] Policy Report takes a closer look at this question. Further information: www.uni-wh.de/en/your-camp...

uni-wh.de

[tra:ce] Policy Report

Financing the green transition: Increasing bankability, phasing out carbon investments and funding ‘never bankable’ activities

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

We are thrilled to announce the public launch of our policy paper: "Financing the green transition: Increasing bankability, phasing out carbon investments and funding 'never bankable' activities" Monday 30.06.2025, 11:00 (CET) via Zoom. Please register here: www.uni-wh.de/die-finanzie...

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Ratschläge aus der Zukunft gesucht! Wir suchen inspirierende, innovative & kreative Antworten auf die Frage „Was rät die Zukunft dem Heute?” Stell dir vor: Es ist das Jahr 2070 und du lebst in einer nachhaltigen und gerechten Welt. Spread the word! :) www.uni-wh.de/euer-campus/...

uni-wh.de

Jugend-Kreativpreis Nachhaltigkeit 2025

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Check out our second [tra:ce] working paper! This time, we zoom in on the role of banks in sustainable finance: "The green banking gap: how bankability, business models, and regulations challenge banks' decarbonisation". *Join our public paper launch on Monday, 26 May, 11h (CET)*!

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Anna Zech @asezech.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Interesting read.

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Matthias Kranke @mattkranke.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

📢 Job announcement – 1 PhD researcher in my "Global Sustainability Governance" research group Please share this opportunity within your networks and encourage suitable candidates to apply (or consider applying yourself)! Happy to answer questions! Deadline: 4 June 👇 www.uni-due.de/karriere/ste...

uni-due.de

Stellenausschreibung

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

We argue that shadow carbon financing may increase climate-related systemic risks in various ways (see Figures). Consequently, financial regulation must address shadow carbon financing to avoid a "climate Minsky moment"

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

All forms of shadow carbon financing have in common that they enable the continuance of carbon financing ‘by other means’, respectively the circumvention of regulatory attempts to steer financial flows away from carbon-intensive activities.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

We define "shadow carbon financing" as the obfuscation and/or redirection of carbon financing flows via alternative financial actors, entities, and instruments that are part of the offshore-shadow-banking nexus.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

(1) loan securitization, (2) emissions risk transfers, (3) bond financing, (4) carbon asset partitioning, (5) offshore corporate wealth chains, (6) private credit, and (7) proved developed producing reserves securitization.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Drawing on qualitative expert interviews and financial market data, the paper explains how the offshore-shadow-banking nexus hampers the green transition by introducing the concept of ‘shadow carbon financing’, which can operate through the following seven channels:

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

These blind spots seriously undermine regulatory efficacy because offshore finance enables the obfuscation of financial flows, while shadow banking facilitates alternative financing to high carbon-emitting firms.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Recent years saw regulatory efforts to steer the financial system towards financing the transition to a net-zero economy and phase out carbon financing. However, EU regulation has left the nexus of offshore finance and the shadow banking system untouched.

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

🚨 New Working Paper published: Out of the light, into the dark: how ‘shadow carbon financing’ hampers the green transition and increases climate-related systemic risk 🛢️💸🏝️ papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... A 🧵 with our main arguments:

papers.ssrn.com

Out of the light, into the dark: how 'shadow carbon financing' hampers the green transition and increases climate-related systemic risk

Recent years saw major regulatory efforts to steer the financial system towards financing the transition to a net-zero carbon economy and phase out carbon finan

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Simon Schairer @simonschairer.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

There's a quite similar funny game at the Bank of England museum (see my profile banner) - you should give it a try, too ;)

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Jan Fichtner @janfichtner.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

We argue that in the dominant "derisiking" green macrofinancial regime (@danielagabor.bsky.social & @benbraun.bsky.social) utilizing all available channels of influence in sustainable finance is a necessary – albeit insufficient – condition to advance the green transition. 🧵 END.

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Jan Fichtner @janfichtner.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

We provide a conceptualization of each channel of influence according to its domain or logic (financial risk–return, corporate governance, and amplification/support) and order them acc. to specificity versus breadth of their sustainability impact.

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Jan Fichtner @janfichtner.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

We identify ten channels of influence concerning sustainable finance: (1) initial financing; (2) refinancing; (3) (re)insurance; (4) ratings; (5) climate-litigation; (6) company engagement; (7) divestment; (8) reputation; (9) coalition-building; and (10) standard-setting.

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Jan Fichtner @janfichtner.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

We introduce the conceptual framework of ‘channels of influence’, which are are different strategies and mechanisms used by private actors that influence the behavior of financial and non-financial corporations to increase financial flows to sustainable productive investments.

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Jan Fichtner @janfichtner.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

In fact, most sufi actors & instruments cannot directly advance sustainable productive investment. We thus argue that sustainable finance is not exclusively about investing or providing finance, but crucially also about changing corporate practices toward greater sustainability.

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Jan Fichtner @janfichtner.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Since the Paris Agreement "sustainable finance" has grown rapidly. However, we don't see strong growth in real-world financial flows that mitigate climate change. Why? Because most of sufi creates *financial assets* and not *productive investment* which drives decarbonization.

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