Rashad Iskandrni 

 

The Pearl Initiative and Amaly Legacy concluded Innovation26 (I’26) in Abu Dhabi last month, bringing a three-day Impact Journey to a close. The journey began with the Gulf Philanthropy Forum, hosted by Pearl Initiative.

Held under the theme "Innovation for Natural Capital", the event convened senior decision-makers from sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions, family offices, corporate investors and governance institutions.

With the support of Bayer as a key partner, I’26 also featured contributions from Bayer’s senior global leadership, who shared perspectives on how innovation, investment and corporate action can support natural capital and resource security.

I’26 examined how stronger governance, investment frameworks and collaboration can translate innovation into investable opportunities, build confidence among capital providers and mobilise capital towards solutions that strengthen natural capital and long-term resilience across areas including food security, water and resilient infrastructure.

The programme also considered how the investment landscape is evolving, from the growing role of impact capital and corporate venture investment to the potential for structured corporate giving to generate measurable returns alongside social and environmental value. A Venture Demo Day featuring ventures from the IRENA NexGen Accelerator further connected emerging solutions with investors and strategic philanthropists, reinforcing the focus on moving innovation towards capital and scale.




Innovation26-Majlis Nabe’ Al- Amān formed the final day of the three-day Impact Journey, which opened with the Gulf Philanthropy Forum on the first day and continued with Amaly Legacy’s Majlis Nabe’ Al Amān on the second. Across the three convenings, senior leaders considered the complementary roles of philanthropy, capital and innovation in advancing the Gulf region’s long-term priorities.


These perspectives were further reflected in remarks from Bayer’s senior global leadership. Julia Duncan, VP Head of Global Development Finance at Bayer stated: “Innovation26 reinforced that the challenge is not a lack of promising ideas, but creating the conditions that enable those ideas to attract investment and scale. Strong governance, credible business models and collaboration across sectors are critical to closing that gap. This closely aligns with Bayer’s mission of ‘Health for all, Hunger for none’ and our commitment to innovation that strengthens food systems and contributes to lasting, sustainable impact.”

The Forum’s Roundtables further examined the barriers to moving innovative solutions from development to investment and scale, with a focus on governance, investment readiness, transparency and access to capital.

As a collaborator on I’26, Amaly Legacy brought valuable perspectives on natural capital investment and capital mobilisation. Wahid A. Kamalian, Managing Partner of Amaly Legacy stated:

“Through our convenings, we bring together diverse viewpoints from across the capital spectrum. What we are seeing is philanthropic capital providers innovating with new structures, funding mechanisms and approaches that derisk investments and draw in private capital… This collaborative convening … connected diverse funders in the funding stack to engage in much needed dialogue to seed and scale natural capital solutions”.

For the Pearl Initiative, the Forum reaffirmed the importance of advancing corporate governance across the Gulf as a foundation for stronger investor confidence, better decision-making and more sustainable investment and innovation.