Prof. Dr. Vedat Akgiray, Chairman of the Board of CARF, discussed the role of payment systems in sustainability at a panel held on September 4 as part of the Istanbul Climate Finance Summit at the Istanbul Financial Center, organized in collaboration with Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye and Türkiye Ödeme ve Elektronik Para Kuruluşları Birliği.
A key perspective highlighted in Akgiray’s presentation was to look beyond payment infrastructure simply as a means of transferring money: as a sensing layer that can use transaction data to help estimate the carbon footprint of consumption, and as an actuation layer that can translate green incentives and SME transition finance into action. In this way, payment systems can serve as a bridge between understanding environmental impact and financing the transition.
However, digitalisation alone does not equate to sustainability. Payment infrastructure must also reduce its own environmental footprint while remaining economically sustainable, inclusive and resilient.
The goal is not simply to move money faster, but to turn climate commitments into measurable and accountable financial action.
#CARF #SustainableFinance #PaymentSystems #GreenTransition
