Sustainable Finance Hub
Our vision is of a resilient, just, and sustainable finance system that works for communities and the planet
SFH will use its independence and expertise to support policymakers and finance leaders to lift the ambition, coverage and equity of the sustainable finance transition.
Welcome to the Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH), a multidisciplinary initiative from Melbourne Climate Futures (MCF) and Melbourne Biodiversity Institute (MBI) at the University of Melbourne. We are a team of researchers and practitioners who are passionate about advancing sustainable finance in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Sustainable finance is the practice of integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into financial system decision-making. It aims to align the financial system with the goals of sustainable development and climate action, while also enhancing financial performance and resilience.
At SFH, we believe that sustainable finance can be a powerful driver of positive change for communities, governments and the economy. We conduct high-quality interdisciplinary research on sustainable finance and its impacts, develop tools and frameworks to support practitioners and policymakers, and engage and educate decision-makers to enable them to adopt science-informed approaches to sustainable financing.
We are eager to work with partners within and beyond the University.
What we do and how we do it will catalyse change in the sustainable finance system
Deepen understanding of distributional and systemic effects
Support Asia-Pacific capability and network building
Prioritise neglected and important actors
Model true interdisciplinarity: finance, law, climate science, biodiversity, energy, health++
Persistently focus on solutions that are appropriate to crises
Deploy cutting-edge research methods
Practitioner insights
Investment stewardship
Investment stewardship stands at a pivotal moment. The accelerating pace of climate change, the erosion of nature, and persistent social inequalities call for stewardship that is more ambitious, connected, and effective than ever before. While challenges remain, this is also an opportunity to reimagine and strengthen the foundation of effective stewardship and scale the practices that create lasting value.
Systems-informed stewardship applies a systems lens to stewardship and proposes three shifts to change the course of stewardship, as it is most commonly understood and practiced, towards a more sustainable future. The three shifts are:
- Embedding stewardship
- Designing for complexity
- Managing for effectiveness.
Three papers are in this series:
- Systems-informed stewardship: Reimaging stewardship for a sustainable future.
- Background paper 1: Viewing stewardship through a systems lens
- Background paper 2: Systems terms and concepts.
Systems-informed stewardship is an ongoing journey of learning, adaptation, and discovery. Rather than offering simple solutions, it invites us into a richer conversation about what effective stewardship could become. Creating a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future demands collaboration that goes beyond traditional boundaries, bringing together those directly involved in investment processes with those whose work shapes the broader context.
An invitation to join the conversation
We are at the beginning and invite you to join this evolving conversation and contribute your experience, insights, and questions. Please sign up to keep abreast of news and to participate in future discussions.
Please contact Dr Donna Loveridge to learn more about the research, join the conversation and discuss partnership opportunities.
About the author
For more than two decades, Dr Donna Loveridge has helped organisations worldwide translate ambition into measurable impact. A strategist and evaluator, she specialises in sustainable development, systems change, and making markets and finance more inclusive and effective. Donna has advised governments, multilateral organisations, investors, and foundations across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, shaping major initiatives and turning complexity into clarity through rigorous analysis and action learning. She holds a Doctorate in program evaluation and brings both technical depth and pragmatic insight to every partnership.