This panel will serve as a platform to explore strategies for expanding financing in the bioeconomy.
The objective of the panel is to discuss a how to expand financing for investments in the bioeconomy, highlighting specific actions for low-, middle-, and high-income countries. It will draw on the latest examples of climate financing, derisking, and digital technologies for opening opportunities for the bioeconomy.
In order to support the development of the Bioeconomy in developing countries, access to financial services is key to transform the production systems, protect the environment, and improve the management of natural resources. Credit for bioeconomy is scarce and short-term in nature (financing only inputs with short repayment periods); while the transformation needed to support sustainable bioeconomy activities require medium to long term financing (i.e. helping transform forestry systems). Furthermore, new opportunities to expand financing for bioeconomy are creating opportunities to expand access by private sector actors and local communities, in particular: (i) the use of digital technologies to overcome barriers related to information and transaction costs, (ii) the availability of climate finance, reducing the cost of lending while achieving positive environmental impacts; and (iii) the new derisking instruments like insurance and guarantees.
Key areas of discussion will include (i) innovative approaches to climate finance, (ii) strategies and instruments for risk mitigation, such as insurance and guarantees, and (iii) the application of digital technologies to address barriers to credit access.
Panelists
Moderators & Panelists

Shobha Shetty
Global Director, Agriculture and Food Global Practice
World Bank

Firew Tegegne
Deputy Director General
Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute

Dominica Zavala
Board Member
Development Finance Agency Paraguay

Richard Piechocki
Lead Financing the Bioeconomy
Rabobank

Panos Varangis
Principal Operations Officer and global lead in agricultural finance
International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Alan Elizondo
Director General
FIRA