Swiss Impact with Banerjis

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee.
Topic: Walden Platonia: Bridging Finance and Forest Conservation
Guests: Patrick R. Oerer and Hendrik Hoelzer

This episode unveils the groundbreaking Walden Platonia Green Bond, a unique financial tool rallying resources against deforestation. Discover the Gran Chaco, one of South America's largest forested realms, and its alarming deforestation rates due to industrial agriculture.

Traditional economic views have underestimated our forests' worth, leading to devastating environmental aftermaths. But there's hope! Impact investing emerges as the modern strategic approach, merging the well-being of communities and nature for a sustainable future. With special guests from CEG Invest, gain insights into their innovative green bond initiative targeting tropical forest conservation in Paraguay.

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee.
Topic: Crisis in Artsakh: The World Must Not Look Away
Guest: Sheila Paylan

Over the past nine months, Artsakh has faced significant challenges, with reports of blockades and limited access to essential supplies, affecting the everyday lives of its residents. Our special guest today, Sheila Paylan, an expert in international criminal law with over 15 years of experience advising various United Nations-backed international criminal tribunals, provides insights into the current circumstances. Sheila shares her observations on the ground and discusses the broader context of international crises and the importance of global awareness. We explore the complexities surrounding the region, the need for diplomacy, and the importance of understanding the broader implications of global actions and investments.

This episode emphasizes the significance of international unity and the shared responsibility for sustainable futures.

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee.
Topic: Beyond the Peaks: The Vision of "We Are Our Mountains"
Guest: Ruben Vardanyan

Ruben Vardanyan is an Armenian and Artsakhi (Nagorno - Karabakh) politician who served as the State Minister of Artsakh, an unrecognized state in the South Caucasus, from 4 November 2022 until 23 February 2023. Following his dismissal from the post of State Minister he continues to work under programs of “We Are Our Mountains”, a territorial development agency that Ruben co-founded soon after his moving to the Republic of Artsakh.

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee.
Topic: The Ripple Effect of Alserkal
Guest: Maher Al Kaabi

Join us for a deep dive into the visionary world of Maher Al Kaabi, a seasoned leader with over 30 years of banking and IT industry expertise. As an advisory luminary to Al Serkal Group, co-founder of Blink, and board member of several thriving startups, Maher is the guiding force behind numerous prosperous enterprises.

In this episode, Maher shares his deep knowledge in Islamic banking, risk management, finance, operations, technology, and business development, offering insights into the generation and utilization of data sets and emerging technologies.

Learn about his integral role as the Group Head of Islamic Banking at Emirates National Bank of Dubai, where he pioneered the development of innovative Shariah-compliant products. We'll also touch on his tenure as the Chief Risk Officer at Dubai Bank, where he established a comprehensive risk management framework.

Maher's unique approach to digital transitions, future technologies, circular economy, and the sustainability of family businesses is nothing short of revolutionary. Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights from a man who embodies leadership, innovation, and strategic acumen. Tune in!

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee
Topic: New World Economic Order with FreeWater
Guest: Josh Cliffords 

The Free Water initiative aims to combat the global water crisis by donating 10 cents per water sold and encouraging 10% of Americans to drink one free water daily. Their goal is to donate over a billion dollars to charity annually and expand to free supermarkets with hundreds of essential products at no cost.

The initiative seeks to address the misuse and misappropriation of values in the modern economic world by implementing an alternative economic model that touches people's day-to-day lives. It utilizes an advertising model, partnering with advertisers for targeted distribution and donating a portion of the revenue to charitable causes.

Environmental sustainability is a key focus, disrupting industries by using aluminum bottles and striving to eliminate see-through plastic bottles and junk mail advertising. The project aims to create a greener and more profitable model by minimizing supply chains and unnecessary warehouses.

While facing challenges in balancing advertising requirements with ethical considerations, the initiative aims to promote responsible advertising without promoting harmful content.

The project's vision is to end global famine and make a positive impact on society. It invites individuals to subscribe, provide feedback, and join the global impact community to support their mission.

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee.
Topic: ESG Portfolio Management: Sustainability, Liquidity and Protection
Guest: Christoph M. Klein

The episode delves into the increasing importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investments amidst global environmental and social crises.

Guest Christoph Klein, a seasoned ESG portfolio manager, traces his journey in the sector from the inception of exclusion criteria to the arrival of ESG ratings and the focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Klein's company, ESG Portfolio Management, employs a stringent multi-step selection process for companies, starting with broad inclusion criteria, then imposing rigorous sustainability-based exclusions.

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee.
Topic: DeNetZero: Decentralized Science, Web3, and Climate Solutions.
Guest: Forester Yang, DeNetZero

In this episode, Sveta and Ben welcome Forrester Young, co-founder of the DeNetZero project. DeNetZero aims to connect science, climate, and artificial intelligence to accelerate the transition to a net-zero planet and build a climate-resilient future. Young explains that the project is focused on leveraging web3 and blockchain to release the potential of scientific research to fight the climate crisis more effectively.

Young shares his story, describing his journey from a computer science degree to working in computing and investment sectors before realizing the importance of carbon reduction and how technology can be used to address it cost-effectively. He believes that scientific research can be an essential part of this effort and that web3 and blockchain technology can make it more transparent and trustworthy.

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee.
Topic: Guardians of Balance: The Keystone Species Alliance.
Guest: Pooja Sharma, Director of Legal Advocacy and Policy at Keystone Species Alliance.

Pooja Sharma has been zealously advocating for marginalized voices since graduating law school in 2018. Her legal practice includes civil rights litigation, psychedelic advocacy, and building corporate governance structures for social enterprises. In each of these positions, she was emboldened to advocate for a more just society.

Pooja has shifted her focus to biodiversity protection and to advocate for nonhuman species' rights in their natural environment, all in support for a collective shift towards a more ecocentric worldview.

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee.
Topic: Investing in the Hope and in Dignity of Trafficking Survivors.
Guest: Ma. Cecilia Oebanda, Founder of "Voice of the Free".

Cecilia is an internationally acclaimed slavery fighter. Through Voice of the Free, she rescues, heals, and reintegrates survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Working together with partners they protected more than 30,000 at risk. Cecilia was instrumental in the enactment of pioneering laws in the Philippines to promote decent work for domestic workers, a law to eliminate the worst forms of child labor and anti-trafficking law amendments.

Hosts: Sveta and Ben Banerjee
Topic: The next generation AEM Electrolyser: The road to cheap hydrogen
Guests: Jan van Opstal & Jani Roland Holst

Jan and Jani, co-founders of ElecHydro, discuss the company's focus on producing clean energy through the use of Indian exchange membrane technology and their goal of paving the way to cheap hydrogen. The AEM technology used by ElecHydro is a low-cost and reliable system that combines the positive characteristics of alkaline and proton exchange membrane electrolysis. The company's electrolysis system can follow intermittent sources of energy, like solar or wind, and use little or no precious metals, making it cost-effective and sustainable. ElecHydro's business model is to produce electrolysis and sell it to customers who can transport it by ship, pipe, or lorry. The company has a demo project in the Netherlands that showcases its solution.