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Bridging the $15 Trillion Investment Gap

The launch of the FAST-Infra Label at the World Economic Forum 2025 marks a groundbreaking step toward aligning global infrastructure investment with sustainability goals. With a projected $15 trillion investment gap by 2040, the need for capital allocation to sustainable projects has never been greater. The FAST-Infra Label provides a globally applicable framework to assess and certify infrastructure projects, helping investors identify bankable, resilient, and low-carbon solutions.

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Constantin Cotzias, European Director, Bloomberg L.P., highlights the importance of a standardized approach:

Building a common language for quantifying and assessing performance is essential to enabling investors to understand the viability of sustainable infrastructure projects. That’s where the FAST-Infra Label comes in, building confidence in sustainable infrastructure investment through a commonly accepted, consistent global framework of high-quality data across asset types.

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Unlocking Infrastructure Financing with Reliable Data Solutions

Around 80% of infrastructure projects never reach financial closure, largely due to long preparation times, complex approval processes, and due diligence challenges related to environmental and resilience issues.

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Thierry Deau, Founder and CEO of Meridiam further explains this challenge:

Infrastructure projects tend to not come to fruition due to the long preparation time, the complexity of processes, and the extensive analysis and due diligence required—especially when it comes to environmental and resilience issues. This label is here to support both investors and governments. It's a two-way street: it helps governments in preparing their projects, while also making it easier for investors and lenders to actively participate in infrastructure development.

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The FAST-Infra Label provides a reliable framework that enables project developers to self-assess their infrastructure projects through a simple and streamlined labelling process.

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A significant development in the Label’s implementation is the Application Portal developed by Bloomberg. This centralized digital platform streamlines the submission and verification process, enabling projects worldwide to obtain certification more efficiently.

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The application portal will also enable investors to access and compare ESG parameters and key information across different projects, empowering them to make informed investment decisions

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Constantin Cotzias emphasis the benefits of the portal: 

With the Application Portal now live, projects around the world will be able to use the platform to submit applications and engage third-party verifiers to apply for a FAST-Infra Verified Label, helping to scale and accelerate sustainable investment globally.

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Enhancing Long-Term Resilience and Investment Confidence in Infrastructure

Sustainable infrastructure is not just about reducing emissions—it is about ensuring long-term resilience against climate risks. The insurance sector plays a crucial role in de-risking projects by offering long-term risk protection. 

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Veronica Scotti further emphasizes the challenge:

The insurance industry is one of the largest long-term investors. We have a natural alignment between our capital and the duration of infrastructure projects. However, we struggle to find enough well-prepared projects. If this label gains momentum, it could be a game-changer, providing geographical diversification and better exposure to sustainable projects.

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By building investor confidence and ensuring that infrastructure projects adhere to high-quality sustainability standards, the FAST-Infra Label helps de-risk investments and promote long-term resilience.

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FAST-Infra Label: Building Confidence and Mobilizing Capital for Sustainable Growth

The FAST-Infra Label is the result of a three-year collaboration involving over 200 organizations from the infrastructure investment sector. Initiated at the One Planet Summit, this public-private partnership is designed to mobilize capital, particularly for emerging markets, where infrastructure financing gaps are most severe. So far, projects across nearly 16 countries have earned the self-assessed label.

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Thierry Deau emphasizes the momentum behind the initiative:

If we all adopt the FAST-Infra Label as part of our business-as-usual approach, we can unlock the full potential of infrastructure investments globally. Last year, only four projects were assessed; this year, we’re already looking at 60. Growth will be exponential.

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By improving project transparency, streamlining due diligence, and creating a unified global standard, the FAST-Infra Label is poised to transform the infrastructure investment landscape. Its success will depend on widespread adoption by investors, lenders, governments, and industry leaders, making it the benchmark for sustainable infrastructure worldwide.

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Watch the full video from the event here.