Euronext announced a partnership with JA Europe, the largest non-profit in Europe dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship, to promote the Blue Economy by encouraging financial literacy amongst European youth across seven of its main countries. The programme aims to inspire students about sustainable finance whilst helping them develop core skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and entrepreneurial skills. Through this collaboration, Euronext underlines the important role of the financial sector in boosting the Blue Economy by contributing to the promotion of financial literacy and innovation among students aged 16 to 18. In this regard, the JA Company Programme provides a unique opportunity for engagement in the area of mentoring and coaching the next generation of European citizens. Starting in February 2021, 175 JA Company Programme students from 7 countries (Belgium, France, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) will participate in a series of activities providing exposure to the Blue Economy, including the promotion of financial literacy, and culminating in a final European-level competition. The Euronext Blue Challenge will include thematic e-mentoring and webinars provided by Euronext volunteers in two key areas:

• Blue Economy (oceans, seas, and marine resources): with all participating countries adjacent to the ocean, it is vital to protect the resource base on which economic activities depend. Euronext’s goal is to be a leader in advancing the Blue Economy in order to address the threats to the oceans and contribute to enhanced coastal resilience.
• Financial literacy: as a market infrastructure, Euronext is at the center of financial markets and communities. Improving the financial knowledge and skills of young Europeans will impact the broader community of stakeholders at the local level, including businesses, teachers, parents, and the school community at large.

Furthermore, in April-May 2021, JA Europe will organize national selections from a pool of 35 applicants, resulting in one mini-company per country competing in a final online challenge on World Oceans Day, 8 June 2021. For the first time, Euronext will give the “Blue Innovation Award” to the mini-company that best embodies a sustainable use of the ocean resources for economic growth. Salvatore Nigro, CEO JA Europe said “Our new collaboration with Euronext allows young people in Europe to tackle one of the biggest challenges of our times through an entrepreneurial approach”. He added that “the combination of entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills for the benefit of the Blue Economy is a win-win for the future generations, our planet and our economies”. Stéphane Boujnah, CEO of Euronext, said: “The Euronext Blue Challenge is a unique programme that equips youth across Europe with concrete business skills and inspires them to innovate and strive to protect marine. It represents one of the major ESG community initiatives we want to develop within the Sustainable Finance pillar of our Let’s Grow Together 2022 strategic plan.  With the support and commitment of our volunteers, this partnership with JA will help ensure the new generation develops the financial literacy needed to successfully contribute to and advance the Blue Economy in the future.”

SSE Partner Exchange 

As an Official Supporter of the United Nations’ Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative since 2015, Euronext is firmly committed to the UN’s “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, being one of the Sustainable Development Goals embraced in its ESG roadmap: “Goal 14: Life Below Water”. On 2 June 2020, Euronext became the first exchange to sign the nine Ocean Principles with the ambition to take a leading role in advancing the Blue Economy. Euronext contributed to the UN Global Compact Sustainable Oceans Business Group formalizing the UN Blue Bond principles, available since April 2020.  

Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles

To help guide the crucial role that banks, insurers and investors can play, the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles were unveiled in 2018. The principles provide a guiding framework for financing a sustainable ocean economy, and were developed by the European Commission, WWF, the World Resources Institute and the European Investment Bank. Building on the momentum of these principles, UNEP FI hosts the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative; a new platform bringing together financial institutions to work with scientists, corporates and civil society. The Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles are the foundational keystone to invest in the ocean economy. Launched in 2018, they are the world’s first global guiding framework for banks, insurers and investors to finance a sustainable blue economy. They promote the implementation of SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and set out ocean-specific standards, allowing the financial industry to mainstream sustainability of ocean-based sectors. More details here and here. The initiative is growing fast and its 50+ members already include leading banks and insurance companies such as BNP Paribas, AVIVA Investors, Willis Towers Watson, the World Bank, EBRD, the Asian Development Bank, and many more.