Blue Carbon, Natural Capital & The Ocean

Edition II

Unlocking Capital for a Regenerative Blue Economy

Lisbon, December 12, 2025

On 12 December, Lisbon once again became a hub for ocean finance. The second edition of Ocean Wealth & Blue Finance gathered a packed room of investors, scientists, policymakers, and innovators committed to accelerating capital into ocean solutions. Hosted at the historic Vasco da Gama Aquarium, now transformed into a living Marine Carbon Capture Laboratory, the event delivered something rare: tangible pathways for investment in regeneration, not extraction.

Ocean Community is proud to be one of the three founding organisations that brought this platform to life, together with United by the Sea Associação and Island Innovation.

A decisive global milestone

This year’s edition arrived at a defining moment for the ocean finance landscape. The International Finance Corporation (IFC – World Bank) unveiled the new Blue Finance Guidelines 2.0, setting the global benchmark for responsible investment in coastal and marine ecosystems. The guidelines frame the ocean as a strategic economic asset and position natural capital not as an abstract concept, but as measurable value.

A clear message resonated throughout the day: the ocean is entering the capital markets era, and investors are ready to engage.

Key perspectives from the day

Across expert panels and keynote sessions, participants explored the conditions needed for finance to flow into climate-smart, science-backed innovation.

Featured speakers:

• José G. Pires, IFC – World Bank

• Gonçalo Calado, Universidade Lusófona

• Pierre Rousseau, Blue Alliance MPA

• Ana Agostinho, OverSea Business Consultant

• Cristina Melo Antunes, Banco Santander

• Nuno Gaspar, CEO, NBI

From natural capital valuation to scalable science pipelines, the conversations converged on a single truth: blue finance is no longer theoretical. Real mechanisms exist, and Portugal is increasingly positioned to lead.

Program themes that shaped the dialogue

• Biodiversity and ecosystem function as recognised financial value

• Blue bonds, climate claims, and blended finance instruments

• Nature-based solutions ready to move from research to deployment

• Evidence of Portugal emerging as one European hub for ocean-centred finance

Accelerating innovation in blue finance

A clear trajectory is emerging across the blue finance landscape: financial instruments are evolving beyond traditional grants and equity investment. We see stronger interest in blue bonds tied to measurable ecological outcomes; impact-linked loans, where interest rates adjust based on environmental performance; and ocean carbon credits that recognise verified sequestration in coastal and marine ecosystems. Blended finance structures are helping de-risk early-stage innovation, opening the door for institutional investors, while revenue-sharing models linked to ecosystem services are creating new, long-term value streams. Together, these instruments are shaping a more sophisticated marketplace, one that defines regeneration not as cost, but as return.

A collaborative platform for action

This event is the direct result of partnership and community energy. It was organised by the Lisbon Ocean Professionals Network (LOPN) and powered by United by the Sea Associação, Island Innovation, and Ocean Community - with deeply appreciated support from:

• Portuguese Navy – Marinha Portuguesa

• Banco Santander

• OverSea Business Consulting

• Universidade Lusófona

• NBI – Nature-Based Solutions

• Blue Alliance MPA

Ocean Community was created to help drive exactly this kind of transition: turning knowledge into action, ideas into opportunity, and dialogue into momentum.

Where we go next

As we reflect on the success of Edition II, one thing is clear: the conversation has shifted. The focus is no longer on whether finance can support

regeneration, but how fast and how effectively it can be deployed.

Our role now is to continue building the bridges between investors and innovators, between science and markets, and between global insights and local action.

The ocean is not only a victim of climate change; it is one of the most powerful solutions available. With the right capital, the right science, and the right governance, a regenerative blue economy is within reach.

This is only the beginning. Ocean wealth is value for society, today and for generations to come.