About this episode
The transition to a low-carbon economy will require significant investment in energy infrastructure — for everything from building wind, solar and nuclear facilities to electricity grids to charging stations for electric vehicles. In this week's episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we talk to the Chief Executive of HSBC's Infrastructure Finance and Sustainability unit, Sir Danny Alexander. Danny was the keynote speaker at the annual summit that S&P Global Sustainable1 hosted in London April 30. We sit down on the sidelines of the event to hear how HSBC, one of the world's largest banks, approaches financing for energy infrastructure. "We see the commercial opportunities that come from net-zero transition and the infrastructure that's needed to deliver that, but also that's coming from digital transformation from datacenters," he says. "[W]e are going to substantially increase our business in that space." Prior to joining HSBC, Danny was a Vice President at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Beijing-headquartered multilateral development bank. He was also formerly a politician in the UK. In the interview, he explains why infrastructure investment is a theme that resonates around the world. "We need infrastructure to live our daily lives, to grow our economies, to achieve all kinds of both public and private goals that countries and companies and individuals have," Danny says. "[F]or all the sustainable investment, the core is the commercial opportunity. And so driving infrastructure investment that is commercially viable, that will lead us to many of the sustainable solutions that we're discussing today." Learn more about the S&P Global Sustainable1 Summit in Singapore June 26, 2025: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/events/sustainable1-summit-2025 Read the latest research on climate physical risk from S&P Global Sustainable here: For the world's largest companies, climate physical risks have a $1.2 trillion annual price tag by the 2050s | S&P Global Learn more about S&P Global's Energy Transition data here: Sustainable1 Solutions: Energy Transition | S&P Global This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global. Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global DISCLAIMER By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST. lib