ICAO launches Finvest Hub to channel capital into clean aviation. Like a bird cannot fly with one wing, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production will never take off the ground until being properly funded. To infuse more capital into sustainable aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has launched the Finvest Hub. The global financial platform kicked off at the ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium (GISS) in Abu Dhabi on 12 February 2025.
Finvest Hub is set to directly connect aviation sustainability projects with investors worldwide. The matchmaking platform will create dedicated pathways for funding sustainable aviation fuel production facilities, clean energy infrastructure, and other aviation decarbonisation initiatives. This will provide critically important support to the aviation sectors’ efforts, including the urgent need to scale up SAF production and deployment to meet demand. “The success of aviation’s environmental transition depends on strong partnerships and accessible funding, particularly for developing States,” said ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano.
The establishment of the Finvest Hub exemplifies the power of international cooperation in addressing our shared environmental responsibilities. Through this platform, we are acting on our commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while implementing the Global Framework for Sustainable Aviation Fuels adopted in Dubai.
ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano
The challenges of meeting ambitious decarbonisation targets are enormous: The expected SAF volume required by 2050 to match the net zero emission target is 380 to 490 MT. Production in 2024 was only 1 MT. Although this is double the 2023 volume and four times the 2022 volume, meeting the 2050 target remains challenging and will require strong international cooperation.
Internation PtX Hub – an active contributor to the Finvest Hub
The Finvest Hub provides an excellent opportunity to connect project developers in our partner countries with investors,
Frank Mischler, Director Policy of the International PtX Hub
In Abu Dahbi, Director Policy of the International PtX Hub, Frank Mischler, welcomed the launch. Mischler also outlined how the PtX Hub will support the Finvest Hub. “We will contribute to the platform by identifying and showcasing SAF projects in our partner countries to potentials investors. We will leverage the expertise of the Finvest Hub’s public and private investors to support project developers in partner countries to develop bankable projects. Countries such as Brazil, Morocco and South Africa have high potential for cost-competitive eSAF production and should be at the top of investors’ lists.”
The International PtX Hub’s commitment to the Finvest Hub has been formalised through a Letter of Intent signed in Abu Dhabi by Frank Mischler with ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar and Bertrand de Lacombe for Airbus, Mildred Troegeler for Boeing and Antoinette Li for GenZero. At the GISS, the Finvest Hub was a topical focus at regional roundtables, with Frank Mischler co-facilitating the discussion on Africa together with Rapporteur Hiwot Deressa and Munyaradzi Waniwa, Representative of Ethiopia and Zimbabwe respectively to the ICAO Council.
Accelerating financial provision
The road map to net zero emission in aviation by 20250 is clear. Substantial financial resources must be capitalised to establish adequate SAF production. Collaboration with development banks and financial institutions is essential to create viable funding channels. On the GISS panel on Financing Sustainable Aviation Fuels Projects, PtX Hub Director Frank Mischler emphasised the need for collaboration. And he pointed to a general pain point:
Project developers often reach out to investors at a late stage of project scoping, risking to being turned down because a reliable assessment of the financial risk is no longer feasible due to advanced project complexity.
Frank Mischler
Acknowledging that the production of aviation fuels based on oil and gas follow a much more linear process than the production of SAF, Mischler emphasises the importance of bringing together all important stakeholders as early as possible. “SAF producers, offtakers, government and regulators, certifiers, carbon suppliers and other stakeholders along the value chain need to get involved early on to get the best possible product. The International PtX Hub has expertise, international networks, and is present in existing and emerging markets. We can function as the intermediate who gets everyone necessary to the table, organise dialogue and knowledge transfer, and help reach solutions in favour of the global advancement of SAF production,” says Mischler.
