Europe’s journey with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing has been nothing short of transformative. In the early 2020s, a wave of sustainable finance swept the continent, with investors, institutions and policymakers rallying behind ambitious net-zero targets, climate-focused funds booming and regulatory frameworks like the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) setting the pace for global markets. But the landscape is shifting. Initial exuberance is giving way to a more pragmatic approach. Nonetheless, in the face of intensifying pressures such as climate shocks, the integration of ESG considerations into investment decision making has become all the more pressing, in order to manage risks and maintain competitiveness and future-readiness.

In partnership with the University of Liège, DPAM has launched the second iteration of the Paris performance ranking. This edition tracks the progress of 34 OECD countries, in comparison to 23 last year, in meeting their commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Over the past twenty years, emerging markets have experienced a significant growth spurt: their policies are stronger, their financial systems are steadier, and their behaviour during global stress looks far closer to that of developed markets than it once did. The following seven graphs serve to illustrate the increasing convergence between both markets.