---
title: "Sustainability Stocktake (SDGs & ESG): Why Fintech Is Critical for Speed and Impact"
description: Explore the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals and discover insights from Dr. Amlan Roy on sustainability, technology, and finance for a better future.
---

[SFF 2024 Session Recordings ](https://39936595.hs-sites.com/sff-2024-session-recordings)

# [Sustainability Stocktake (SDGs & ESG): Why Fintech Is Critical for Speed and Impact](https://39936595.hs-sites.com/sff-2024-session-recordings/sff-2024-videos/sustainability-stocktake-sdgs-esg-why-fintech-is-critical-for-speed-and-impact)

 Written by [GFTN](https://39936595.hs-sites.com/sff-2024-session-recordings/author/gftn) | Nov 19, 2024 5:00:00 AM

 

**Key Highlights:**

1. Finance at the Core

- Emphasis on finance as the foundation for innovation, complementing technology.
- Four decades of expertise in education, finance, investment management, and consulting inform a data-driven approach.

2. **Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)**

- **Historical evolution:** Transition from Millennium Development Goals to SDGs in 2015, encompassing global priorities for poverty, hunger, education, health, and gender equality.
- **Current status:** Progress on SDGs is severely off track, with the global average score at 65%—far from the 2030 target of 100%.

 

3. Challenges and Opportunities

- Poverty and Hunger: High food insecurity and extreme poverty persist, with 590 million in poverty and 733 million facing hunger.
- Health and Education: Aging workforces and healthcare shortages highlight the need for global workforce mobility. Education deficiencies hinder human capital development.
- Gender Equality: Critical to achieving global progress; disparities in wages, job opportunities, and systemic gender bias remain.

 

4. ESG and Data Gaps:

- Challenges in measuring and integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics due to undefined indicators.
- The critical role of FinTech in improving data quality, transparency, and monitoring.

 

5. Big Data and Machine Learning Applications:

- Use in ESG integration, impact investing, health systems, insurance modeling, and even sports analytics.
- Potential for addressing systemic risks and improving investment strategies with advanced technologies.

 

**Strategic Initiatives:**

1. Improving Data Accessibility and Usability:

- Strengthen data collection for poverty, hunger, and education metrics.
- Develop FinTech solutions for better integration of ESG data and decision-making.

**2. Promoting Gender Equality**:

- Advocate for policies addressing systemic inequality in education, employment, and pay.
- Collaborate with global leaders to implement actionable strategies for equity.

**3. Fostering Sustainable Development through FinTech**:

- Innovate financial models that align with SDGs, leveraging big data for actionable insights.
- Use AI and ML to address healthcare gaps, carbon emissions, and climate risks.

4. Focus on Practical Applications:

- Implement stewardship dashboards for ESG compliance across investment portfolios.
- Develop sustainable insurance models leveraging advanced analytics for global applicability.

 

**Conclusion:**

Achieving SDGs requires an integrated approach prioritising **people, finance, and technology**. FinTech, big data, and machine learning are indispensable tools for addressing systemic challenges, but human-centric strategies must remain at the core. Progress is possible through collaboration, innovative policies, and continuous improvement in data and technology integration.

 

Watch Full Session

 

 

Speaker:

- Dr. Amlan Roy, Partner LCP, Research Associate LSE (FMG & SRC), Author “Demographics Unravelled”, LSE & LCP

  

  

[View full post](https://39936595.hs-sites.com/sff-2024-session-recordings/sff-2024-videos/sustainability-stocktake-sdgs-esg-why-fintech-is-critical-for-speed-and-impact)

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