Episode 2: The current state of blended finance with Joan M. Larrea, CEO, Convergence

In our second episode, we hear from Joan Larrea, who has helmed Convergence since its inception and has been instrumental in establishing it as a leading independent authority on blended finance. Convergence is dedicated to blended finance ecosystem development globally and they do this by generating blended finance data, intelligence, and deal flow to increase private sector investment in developing countries. Here are links to some key resources that Joan talks about in the episode: State of Blended Finance 2023 Convergence Design Funding program Grant windows mentioned: Catalytic Climate Finance Facility Asia Climate Solutions Design Grant SDG Impact Finance Initiative Time Stamps: 2:35: Joan’s background and why Convergence was created 7:00: Why focus on blended finance and how it is perceived by different stakeholders 11:10: Typical of blended finance structures and how they work 16:35: Alignment of goals amongst stakeholders participating in blended finance transactions. Example: Samridh blended finance facility 20:20: State of blended finance globally - sectors & asset classes 23:45: Scaling of blended finance structures that have worked and innovating to cater to new themes and issues such as nature-based solutions and climate credit mechanisms among others 27:30: Convergence design grants and the leverage associated with investing in the pre-investment stage 32:55: Thoughts on the Indian market and Convergence’s plans for the market 36:20: How does blended finance grow from billions to trillions? 40:35: What’s next for Convergence?