While headlines question the future of ESG and climate finance, Professor Lisa Wilson is building something remarkable. This globally renowned academic-turned-practitioner has just launched what she calls a 'world first' - an actively managed certificate providing institutional investors liquid access to investment-grade carbon assets.
Her timing might seem bold. With political headwinds growing and many reassessing climate investments, Wilson is targeting $500 million for her AMC by September 2025. But as she puts it: 'There is no slowing down.'
Her confidence isn't wishful thinking. It's built on solving one of the most practical problems in climate finance...": how do you turn a fragmented, opaque market of disparate carbon credits into something a Swiss paying agent will actually custody? The answer, it turns out, required building an entire ecosystem from scratch.
I spoke with Professor Wilson about why she believes we're at the beginning, not the end, of the climate investment opportunity - and how she's using blockchain technology, digital custodians, and traditional financial engineering to make it accessible to institutional capital for the first time.
For more information:
Shire Capital: shirecapital.co.za
Orpheus Capital: orpheus-capital.com
Carbon Capital Corporation: carboncapitalcorporation.com
SECDEX: www.secdex.net
GenTwo: www.gentwo.com
Key Topics Covered
The "shoebox full of receipts" problem - Why carbon credits were uninvestible at institutional scale, scattered across 20-30 different registries and jurisdictions with no unified custody solution
Building the trust infrastructure - How Wilson spent two years creating a regulated ecosystem connecting traditional Swiss finance with digital carbon asset custody through SECDEX and blockchain technology
The contrarian investment thesis - Why she believes carbon markets are entering a massive growth phase, with forecasts suggesting prices could surge from $7-20 today to €150+ per ton by 2030
De-risking through the "brick analogy" - Wilson's framework for separating asset risk (is this carbon credit real?) from process risk (can institutions actually buy, hold, and trade it safely?)
The four-strategy framework - Her multi-pronged approach including spot credits, forward contracts, Article Six sovereign agreements, and deeply discounted rights issuance for maximum growth potential
"De-emotionalizing" climate finance - How she deliberately repositioned carbon credits as "investment-grade carbon assets" to focus conversations on returns rather than environmental impact
The virtuous cycle discovery - Why traditional climate finance tools (debt swaps, bonds, funds) aren't reaching the projects that need capital most, and how her AMC creates a different pathway
Blockchain as the "trust layer" - The technology infrastructure enabling "source to sale" provenance and transparency that institutional investors require for confidence
About Our Guest
Professor Lisa Wilson is a preeminent international business leader recognized as one of the top thought leaders and influencers globally for her work in climate, ESG, blockchain and emergent technology. She currently serves as Global Head of Strategic Partnerships at Green Bond Corporation and Carbon Capital Corporation. Professor Wilson has led initiatives across different industry segments and global markets, working with governments and tier-one companies including the European Commission, the UN, and the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. Her industry-based professorship reflects her unique position bridging academic rigor with practical financial innovation, and she has been pioneering the intersection of traditional finance and climate technology for over a decade.
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