The Global Sustainable Finance Conference (GSFC) 2026 will bring together senior leaders from development finance institutions, commercial banks, central banks, regulators, industry and the wider investment ecosystem for a high-level strategic action forum focused on one of the defining development finance challenges of our time:

How development finance institutions can mobilise and deploy capital more effectively into productive sectors, infrastructure and scalable investment opportunities critical to sustainable growth, competitiveness and high value creation.

 Taking place on 27–28 August 2026 in Karlsruhe, Germany, GSFC 2026 comes at a time when the global economy is being fundamentally reshaped by geopolitical uncertainty, shifting capital flows, energy transition pressures, technological disruption and changing industrial dynamics.

Across Africa, these developments are creating both significant challenges and major strategic opportunities. As economies seek to strengthen industrial capacity, expand infrastructure, improve energy security and enhance regional competitiveness, development finance institutions are increasingly expected to mobilise capital, strengthen investment pipelines and help shape bankable opportunities capable of supporting sustainable growth, industrial competitiveness and high-value investment.

Held under the theme:

“Turning Global Disruption into Investment at Scale”

 The conference will examine how financial institutions, policymakers and development finance leaders can reposition themselves to mobilise capital more effectively into productive sectors, strategic industries, infrastructure and scalable growth opportunities.

At a time when significant global liquidity continues to struggle to reach productive sectors and scalable opportunities, GSFC 2026 focuses on the practical institutional and market changes required to accelerate capital deployment into the real economy.

Designed as a strategic action forum, GSFC 2026 moves beyond general discussion and reporting frameworks to focus on strengthening business and investment strategies, capital deployment and scalable execution.

Key areas of discussion will include:

• Geopolitics, geoeconomics and the implications for African economies and development finance institutions
• Why large-scale capital is still not reaching productive sectors and infrastructure projects
• Strengthening development finance institutions for greater resilience, competitiveness and impact
• Building scalable pipelines of investment-grade opportunities
• Strengthening alignment between finance, industrial development and real-economy priorities
• Mobilising capital for sustainable growth, infrastructure and economic competitiveness

GSFC 2026 will bring together senior decision-makers including Board Chairs, Presidents, CEOs, regulators, institutional investors, development finance institutions, public authorities and business leaders.

Participation is by invitation only to ensure a focused, high-level dialogue among institutions directly engaged in financing, investment and policy implementation.

The conference is organised through a partnership between the Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI), the European Organisation for Sustainable Development (EOSD), the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), and the Association of National Development Finance Institutions in Member Countries of the Islamic Development Bank (ADFIMI), together with the host city of Karlsruhe, Germany.

GSFC 2026 will also host the Karlsruhe Sustainable Finance Awards 2026, recognising financial institutions and senior leaders demonstrating excellence in advancing sustainable banking, investment and responsible finance.

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are invited from member national development finance institutions wishing to participate in the conference and related strategic proceedings.

Conference Queries: info(@)adfi-ci.org | mail(@)eosd.org

GSFC 2026 — Where Global Disruption is Translated into Real Investment Outcomes at Scale.