TO BE PUBLISHED December 2026
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This conference will consider next steps for climate-related transition finance in the UK. Areas for discussion include transition plan requirements, fostering credible and investable markets, approaches to supporting investment in transition, sector-specific and regional delivery, and priorities for reporting, assurance and regulation.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to consider the next phase of support for transition investment, as policy and regulatory frameworks develop and focus increasingly turns to implementation, market confidence and the availability of financeable opportunities.
The conference also takes place in the context of the anticipated government response to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s 2025 consultation on transition plan requirements for FTSE 100 companies and UK-regulated financial institutions. Delegates will consider the possible introduction of mandatory plans, including questions of scope and proportionality, and how any new requirements might relate to wider objectives for net zero, climate adaptation, clean energy investment and UK competitiveness.
Discussion will also draw on the Transition Finance Council’s first-year progress report and its work on guidance and sector roadmaps, alongside findings from the Financial Conduct Authority’s Transition Finance Pilot on barriers to investment in climate solutions. Attendees will assess what may be needed to strengthen the pipeline of investable opportunities, improve the matching of capital with transition activity, address information and capability gaps, and support confidence in the credibility of the market.
Transition plan requirements & implementation
In the context of the anticipated government response to DESNZ’s 2025 consultation on transition plan requirements for FTSE 100 companies and UK-regulated financial institutions, attendees will consider the possible introduction of mandatory plans and the practical implications of different approaches to scope and proportionality.
Areas for discussion include:
- policy framework: potential scope, timing and design of mandatory transition plans - proportionality for different firms - implications beyond those initially covered
- strategic alignment: links with net zero, climate adaptation, clean energy investment and industrial strategy - implications for corporate priorities and capital allocation
- plan credibility: development of measurable and investable plans - evidence of deliverability - approaches to demonstrating progress against commitments
- governance and capability: board oversight and internal accountability - organisational readiness - skills, data and resources needed for implementation
- investor assessment: evaluation of credibility and delivery - consistency and comparability of information - use in financing and investment decisions
Developing credible transition finance markets
Sessions will assess the role of the Transition Finance Council in supporting the development of a credible and competitive UK market, drawing on its one-year progress report and priorities for the next phase of its work. Further discussion is expected on collaboration between government, industry and regulators, wider adoption of transition finance guidance, and progress in developing sector roadmaps.
Attendees will consider how capital can be matched more effectively with investable climate solutions and transition activities, including measures to improve market transparency and address concerns about greenwashing.
Areas for discussion include:
- TFC priorities: implications of the one-year progress report - next steps for guidance and sector roadmaps - coordination between government, industry and regulators
- FCA pilot: findings on barriers to financing climate solutions - support for decarbonisation and transition activity - implications for market development
- investment pipeline: supporting climate solutions towards commercial maturity - improving the availability of financeable opportunities - matching capital with projects
- market information: addressing gaps in data, expertise and capacity - improving transparency across financial instruments - responding to greenwashing concerns
- finance instruments: transition bonds, sustainability-linked finance and blended structures - availability and suitability for different projects and sectors
- risk and monitoring: public-private de-risking approaches - use of insurance, technology and data - implications for assessment and investment decisions
- wider investment: role of the Transition Finance Lab - nature-based solutions and carbon markets - potential contribution to transition objectives
Sector pathways, industrial transition & investment delivery
Further sessions will examine how transition planning and finance frameworks can be applied across sectors and regions, including the particular circumstances of hard-to-abate industries such as energy-intensive manufacturing, transport and industrial production.
Delegates will consider what is needed to translate sector pathways into achievable and investor-ready plans at organisational level. Discussion will take account of resilience and adaptation, alongside decarbonisation, and the implications of industrial transition for businesses, workforces, places and affected communities.
Areas for discussion include:
- sector-specific implementation: credible routes for hard-to-abate industries - achievable investment and delivery timescales - implications for energy-intensive manufacturing, transport and production
- organisational delivery: translating sector pathways into entity-level plans - integration with business and investment decisions - governance and internal capability
- regional planning: links between sector transition, infrastructure and local economic development - coordination across national, regional and local bodies
- workforce and communities: skills and workforce implications - engagement with local authorities and affected communities - approaches to managing industrial change
- resilience and adaptation: integration of physical climate risks into transition planning - implications for investment priorities - relationship with decarbonisation objectives
Standards, regulation & capital markets
The conference will also consider the emerging framework for transition-related reporting, assurance and financial regulation. Attendees will assess how credible and consistent requirements can be developed while limiting duplication with wider non-financial reporting obligations.
Discussion will examine the relationship between transition planning and UK Sustainability Reporting Standards, ESG ratings regulation and the developing assurance framework. It will also consider international alignment and interoperability, and the implications for firms operating across more than one jurisdiction.
Areas for discussion include:
- reporting standards: implications of UK Sustainability Reporting Standards - interaction with transition plans and corporate reporting - avoiding unnecessary duplication
- assurance framework: development of credible sustainability assurance - implications of the Financial Reporting Council voluntary registration regime - consistency of practice
- ESG ratings: relationship between ratings regulation and transition information - transparency of methodologies - implications for investor confidence
- international alignment: interoperability between UK and overseas requirements - implications for firms operating across jurisdictions - avoiding conflicting expectations
- capital markets: integration of climate-related disclosures and transition information into UK regulation - implications for issuers and investors
- regulatory innovation: use of sandboxes and pilot programmes - testing new market and regulatory arrangements - learning before wider implementation
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; and National Wealth Fund.
