ANZ and Pollination have announced a strategic partnership aimed at advancing the transition to net zero emissions in the Asia Pacific region. ANZ will invest US$50 million for a minority equity stake in Pollination, a global climate change investment and advisory firm.
The collaboration combines ANZ's institutional banking capabilities with Pollination's expertise in climate finance, asset management, carbon projects, and corporate advisory focused on environmental sustainability. The partnership will address the transition needs of ANZ’s customers globally in areas such as Sustainable Finance, Project & Export Finance, Carbon Markets, and Corporate Advisory.
ANZ's investment is expected to accelerate Pollination’s growth and expand its influence. This follows Pollination’s recent SAFE round and is part of its Series B fundraising efforts. As part of the agreement, ANZ will gain a seat on Pollination’s Board. Legal advice was provided by Ashurst for ANZ and Hamilton Locke along with BDA Partners for Pollination.
Mark Whelan, ANZ Group Executive Institutional, stated: “We’re pleased to be partnering with a team that has strong climate finance and investment expertise, deep relationships and commercial momentum. These credentials, combined with ANZ’s long-standing leadership position in sustainable finance and debt capital markets, will bring significant opportunities for our customers."
He added that this partnership supports ANZ’s strategy to aid customers in transitioning to net zero while reinforcing its status as a leading Environmental Sustainability bank in the region.
Martijn Wilder AM, Co-founding Partner of Pollination, commented: “Strategic partnerships are core to Pollination’s impact model – they extend our reach and scale far beyond what we could achieve alone. ANZ has a strong track record of delivering innovative sustainable finance products."
Wilder also noted that ANZ's investment would unlock capital to advance Pollination's own strategies and help deliver new sustainable finance products across Asia Pacific.
Pollination works with various clients to design and implement transitions towards net zero business models. Since its inception in 2019 by Tony O’Sullivan and Martijn Wilder AM, it has grown into an organization with over 120 experts across 13 countries.
ANZ is recognized as a leader in Sustainable Finance within Australia, New Zealand, and Asia Pacific. In 2021 alone, it participated in transactions amounting to AUD$119 billion.