Unlocking private capital to meet global challenges
The Blended Finance Lab is a practitioner-driven initiative based at LSE and focused on developing practical solutions to scale blended finance. It brings together investors, policymakers, development banks, and academics to strengthen the blended finance marketplace, enhance practices and education, and generate more investable opportunities.
Our Approach
The Blended Finance Lab is a hands-on platform dedicated to addressing the real-world barriers that prevent blended finance from reaching its full potential. Although blended finance is widely recognized as a critical tool for achieving sustainable development and climate goals, the current ecosystem remains small, fragmented, and inefficient.
The Lab was established to change this. Rather than publishing more reports or repeating known diagnostics, it brings together key actors to co-design solutions, build trust, and accelerate learning across sectors.
Its work is focused on four core activities:
- Create a forum for practitioners to work in a practical way on analysing and finding solutions to the blockages.
- Act as a conduit between other blended finance initiatives.
- Raise the profile of blended finance within the City of London.
- Support research and teaching in blended finance.
Meet our team
Tom Gosling
Director, Initiative in Sustainable Finance
Tom is a board advisor and academic with over two decades of experience in corporate governance and responsible business. Formerly a Partner at PwC, he is now Professor in Practice at the LSE’s Financial Markets Group and leads the Sustainable Finance theme within the Global School of Sustainability. He also serves as Executive Fellow at ECGI and advises investors, companies, and regulators on governance and sustainable finance. Read full bio
Harald Walkate
Senior Advisor, Blended Finance Lab
Harald is a founding partner and advisor of Route17, an independent blended finance advisory firm. He is also a Senior Fellow at the University of Zurich Center for Sustainable Finance & Private Wealth and a Member of the ESG Advisory Committee of the Financial Conduct Authority, UK. Previously he was the Head of ESG and Member of the Executive Committee of Natixis Investment Managers, and the Global Head of Responsible Investment at Aegon Asset Management. Read full bio
Robert W. van Zwieten
Senior Advisor, Blended Finance Lab
Robert is a founding partner of Route17, an independent blended finance advisory firm. He is a research fellow of the Transition Investment Lab at NYU Stern School of Business Abu Dhabi, and a former adjunct professor in Finance with the Asian Institute of Management. He previously worked in senior executive positions at Emerging Markets Private Equity Association, Asian Development Bank, Singapore Exchange, General Electric and ABN Amro. Read full bio
Workstreams
The Lab organises its activities through targeted workstreams and collaborative spaces that convene practitioners from different parts of the blended finance ecosystem. Each group addresses specific barriers or blockages within its constituency and co-develops outputs that contribute to a more scalable and functional blended finance market.
Asset owners
This workstream convenes representatives from pension funds, insurers, and sovereign wealth funds to explore how institutional capital can better engage with blended finance. Participants discuss practical issues like risk and ratings, regulation, mandates and asset allocation, and collaborate with peers and other ecosystem actors to identify solutions that could help direct more capital toward sustainable and impactful investments.
Asset Managers & Banks
This workstream brings together professionals from investment firms and banks to explore how blended finance can be scaled within mainstream financial markets. Participants discuss practical challenges (like standardisation, structuring deals, or ensuring liquidity) and collaborate with development banks, policymakers, and others to design solutions that make blended finance more accessible and effective.
Research & Education
This workstream brings together academics and researchers to strengthen the knowledge base and teaching of blended finance. Participants map existing research, identify gaps, and explore how to better connect academic insight with the needs of practitioners and policymakers. The group also works to integrate blended finance into graduate-level economics and finance education, helping to build future expertise across the ecosystem.
Development Banks & DFIs
This workstream convenes representatives from multilateral and development finance institutions to explore how their capital and mandates can be better used to mobilize private investment. Discussions focus on practical ways to scale blended finance through risk-sharing tools like guarantees and first-loss capital, improved coordination, and a shift from “investing directly” to enabling markets.
NGOs & Foundations
This workstream brings together foundations, NGOs and philanthropic organizations to explore how their resources (capital, technical assistance, networks) can unlock greater private investment in sustainable development. Participants share experiences, identify where their interventions can have catalytic effects, and collaborate with other actors to strengthen the enabling environment for blended finance.
Governments
This workstream engages policy makers, public officials and regulators to discuss how laws, incentives, and financial architecture can support the scaling of blended finance. Topics include regulatory barriers, fiscal tools, MDB mandates, and how governments can design smarter interventions to crowd in private capital.
Get Involved
Why join
Join an applied, cross-sector community that shapes real solutions to scaling blended finance. Contribute to diagnostics, co-creation, and field-building.
What it involves
Most workstreams meet online two to three times a year, with an additional working session on the day of the annual Blended Finance Symposium. Preparation and active participation are expected. There is no participation fee.
Who can join
Investors, development finance actors, NGOs, academics and government representatives.
