The Gulf’s sustainable finance market has hit $35 billion, and the region isn’t slowing down. In this interview, Dr. Jelena Janjusevic, Deputy Global Head of Department at Heriot-Watt University Dubai and MFTA member, joins Raghda Ibraheem on Fintech TV to break down what’s really driving this shift.
Topics covered:
- What sustainable finance actually means, and why it’s not about sacrificing profit
- The three pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social
- Why Saudi Arabia issued nearly $20 billion in sustainable finance in 2025, and how Vision 2030 is fueling it
- Whether the UAE’s target of 1 trillion dirhams by 2030 is realistic
- What mandatory emissions reporting means for businesses operating in the UAE
- Lessons from Dr. Janjusevic’s 20 years with the World Bank, IFC, and UNDP
- The question every investor asks: does sustainable investing actually pay off?
Dr. Janjusevic makes the case that sustainability data is becoming as important as financial data, and that long term returns and long term impact can go hand in hand.