Tools, Networks, and Policies for Transformative Finance.
The Transformation Finance Lab mobilizes capital, ideas, and alliances to finance a just and sustainable future.
The Transformation Finance Lab is TUM’s platform to rethink the role of finance in driving the green transition.
As global commitments fall short, the lab brings together innovators from finance, policy, and academia to design the tools, policies, and alliances needed to accelerate sustainable economic transformation, from Munich to the world.
Why we exist
The shift to a low-carbon economy is urgent. Yet, climate and nature investment gaps persist globally, nationally and locally.
Leveraging technological progress, there are massive opportunities to invest in the green transition if private and public actors collaborate.
The Transformation Finance Lab believes finance can be a force for good, if we equip it with the right instruments, knowledge, and coalitions.
How we work
The Transformation Finance Lab brings together actors who rarely share the same table: investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and researchers co-create investment and policy strategies to deliver transformation in the real economy.
The lab’s work is grounded in empirical research and powered by collaboration. Whether through convenings, public policy engagement, or data-driven tools, we push for transformation at scale.
What we do
- Build Communities of Practice: Through curated gatherings we connect change-oriented actors in the financial sector.
- Shape Policy: We work with policymakers to develop frameworks that unlock capital for green and just transitions.
- Create Tools: We build analytical tools to make climate finance flows measurable and transparent.
- Advance Local Innovation: We co-create and pilot solutions in local contexts, including Munich.
- Think Global: We contribute to international initiatives like the Systemic Investment Summit to scale our impact.
- Lead the Discourse: We lead policy debates on local, national and international level to push the boundaries.
“Fundamentally, we ask the question: How can finance be a force for change and help build sustainable economies and societies? I believe that such change requires data and tools, but above all collaboration.“ - Florian Egli, Transformation Finance Lab.
How to get engaged
Join our community, collaborate on projects or contribute your expertise! For more information contact patrick.zeitinger@tum.de .
Local Financing Facility Munich
The Local Financing Facility Munich project co-designs an innovative financing mechanism that mobilises public, private, and philanthropic capital for Munich’s transition to climate neutrality by 2035. Its goal is to unlock local investment potential and create new forms of collaboration between city government, the financial sector, academia, and civil society.
The project is led by the Transformation Finance Lab at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in close collaboration with the City of Munich, particularly the Department of Climate and Environmental Protection / Climate-Neutrality Mission Unit. Partners include Endeva and a team of international experts. Funding is provided through the European NetZeroCities programme under the EU Mission “100 Climate-Neutral Cities.”
Running from September 2025 to April 2026, the project consists of two main phases: During the Co-Creation Phase, key financial actors in Munich collaborate to identify opportunities, enablers, and structural options for a Local Financing Facility. In the Prototyping Phase, financial models will be developed and tested for selected climate action projects—such as in the heating transition or municipal building sectors—to prepare for institutional implementation.
