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Discover how nature itself is becoming the new infrastructure shaping our future. In this episode, experts from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank reveal how wetlands, mangroves, and forests are not just scenery but powerful tools for climate resilience and sustainable economic growth. We discuss innovative finance solutions mobilising private capital, the challenges of valuing natural assets, and why protecting nature is critical for survival, economics, and smart planning.

REF: INVESTING IN NATURE AS INFRASTRUCTURE

ABOUT ERIK: Erik Berglof is the Bank’s inaugural Chief Economist. He sets the vision and strategy for the Economics Department and leads the planning, implementation and supervision of its work plan in support of the Bank’s mandate. Prior to joining AIIB in September 2020, he was Director of the Institute of Global Affairs, London School of Economics, and Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 2006 to 2015, where he was part of creating, and co-led, the Vienna Initiative, a European crisis response team credited with mitigating the impact of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. He is an expert in transition economics and institutional transformation through private sector development. He holds a PhD in Financial Economics and an MA in Business and Economics, both from the Stockholm School of Economics. Berglof is from Sweden.

ABOUT JP: Jang Ping Thia joined the AIIB in 2016 and is currently the Lead Economist and the Manager of the Economics Department. The department is responsible for economic analysis at AIIB, covering country macroeconomics, debt sustainability analysis, review of project economics, to support investment operations. The department is also responsible for AIIB’s flagship publication, the Asian Infrastructure Finance report, which highlights infrastructure development and financing issues. He was previously with the Singapore Ministry of Finance, covering expenditures on security, sports, community and telecommunication infrastructure. With a PhD from the London School of Economics, he also held a stint as the Economics Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, overseeing economic forecasting, research and the development of the Economist Service. Working on trade and geography, infrastructure development and finance related issues, his research has been published in various journals.

FEEDBACK: Email Host | HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30-50 Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | Ep51 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G, Movement I (Allegro), BWV 1049 Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License