Efi Pylarinou: Why sustainability investing?

from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL

On this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VdL interviews FinTech and Blockchain Advisor Efi Pylarinou about why sustainable investing is so important, her view on the state of FinTech (and what the insurance industry can learn from it), sustainability in the context of Digital Transformation, what the emerging risks are, and more. KEY TAKEAWAYS Switzerland is one of the largest hubs for Blockchain in Finance, emerging from Crypto Valley. It’s an example of how an ecosystem works: You need the regulator, the private sector, the capital, and an international outreach for the recipe to work, and that’s what has happened in the crypto sector, but it hasn’t happened in FinTech. Having said that, the crypto sector in Switzerland is more in the RegTech sub-vertical, which is related to data analytics and so on. That’s the high level at which Switzerland stands. There’s something that worries me: an indicator that we’re early, with the insurance industry interested in climate, carbon footprint, and how companies and individuals can reduce their carbon footprint. But we’re seeing many businesses and startups offering services to trade for credits. We need to get over that. A company can get a high ESG ranking on the climate front, but that might be completely negated because they’re doing something on another front in terms of labour practices, for example. The ball has started rolling in the public markets, and BlackRock is leading and making big announcements. But in the public markets, this has to start from the seed, when the company is born: Is the company thinking sustainably, and what does it mean? How do you treat your team? Is your mission completely segregated from society and nature? No, it isn’t, but we don’t think like that yet. Going forward, we’ll see more incumbent banks partnering with sustainable FinTechs to integrate them into their lending practices, corporate finance, and commercial banking processes, for example. BEST MOMENTS ‘Innovation gets adopted, but before that happens, there needs to be a shift in the narrative. This is what is currently happening with sustainability. Still, we’re early in the journey.’ ‘In December 2020, ESG net inflows surpassed £ 1 billion, a record number.’ ‘Corporates still operate and make decisions in silos. Think about your borrowing needs; they are still separate from your investing needs. We haven’t put the whole picture together. Yet, centralized financing has to be part of the new culture, which is why it needs to start from the startups.’ ‘We’re seeing a trend where digital banking and finance apps take advantage of the lifestyle appeals, whether they’re giving rewards to people or gamifying their offerings due to the fact that people care more about the environment.’ ABOUT THE GUEST No.1 independent Global Woman Influencer in Finance & Data, a seasoned Wall Street professional with a Ph.D. in Finance, with over 200,000 followers across channels. Work at the intersections of Business Development, Marketing, and PR for Brands involved in Digital transformation in various industries. Thought leadership campaigns through strategic collaboration are one of my sweet spots as a B2B domain expert influencer with a passion for innovation. Domain expertise in financial services; Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence are two main disruptive technologies that I focus on. Efi's global audience (c. 200,000 across all platforms) values her multimedia daily curation. I am a prolific writer, a host of weekly audio and video content, a creator of weekly visual content, and a passionate speaker. Efi's passion is creating content that supports her clients' strategic business goals. You can connect with Efi on the platforms below Medium: https://efipm.medium.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/EfiPylarinou Twitter: https://twitter.com/efipm Website: https://efipylarinou.com/ ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]

What this episode covers

Sustainability is not a side strategy. It is a capital allocation revolution. In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden speaks with global FinTech and Blockchain advisor Efi Pylarinou about why sustainable investing, digital transformation, and ecosystem thinking are converging — and what this means for financial services and insurance. The conversation begins in Switzerland’s Crypto Valley — a case study in how ecosystems succeed. Regulatory clarity, private sector innovation, capital access, and international outreach created a thriving blockchain hub. The lesson? Innovation does not scale in silos. Yet when it comes to sustainability, we are still early. ESG inflows are breaking records. Public market leaders like BlackRock are setting the tone. But Efi cautions that real transformation must start at company inception — when mission, governance, culture, and incentives are formed. Sustainability cannot be bolted on at IPO. It must be embedded from day one. There is also a growing tension. Climate initiatives are gaining attention, and insurers are increasingly focused on carbon footprints. But the rapid growth of carbon credit trading raises concerns. A company may score highly on climate metrics while failing on labor or governance practices. ESG is holistic — and fragmented thinking risks undermining credibility. This is where digital transformation plays a critical role. FinTech and digital banking apps are leveraging behavioral design — gamification, rewards, lifestyle alignment — to influence sustainable choices. Consumers increasingly expect financial institutions to reflect their environmental and social values. That behavioral shift is powerful. At the same time, traditional financial institutions still operate in silos. Borrowing decisions are separated from investing decisions. Risk assessment is disconnected from sustainability impact. The whole financial picture remains fragmented. The future demands integration. Efi anticipates deeper partnerships between incumbent banks and sustainable FinTechs — embedding ESG analytics directly into lending, corporate finance, and commercial banking processes. The same logic applies to insurers assessing climate and transition risks. This episode is essential listening for: Financial institutions navigating ESG strategy Insurers integrating climate and emerging risk models Executives building ecosystem partnerships Investors evaluating long-term digital and sustainability plays Because innovation does not get adopted until the narrative shifts. And sustainability is not just a narrative shift — it is a structural one. The question is not whether finance will integrate sustainability. It is whether institutions will redesign their business models early enough to lead.