Staff Profile

Iftekhar Ahmed is an international expert in sustainable finance with extensive research and training in climate and inclusive finance for global development. Currently, he is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Sustainable Finance and the module leader for a brand-new postgraduate module in “Green Finance and Sustainability” at Newcastle University Business School (NUBS). Following successful completion of a PhD in Finance (specialising in climate finance and risks analytics) at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand), Iftekhar started his academic and research career at the University of Cambridge (Cambridge, UK), where he led a research project on "systemic resilience in investments" as well as supervised master’s dissertations. In this capacity, he led collaborations on systemic resilience topics with a global network of pension funds, insurers and asset managers, with over $9 trillion under management and advice. Prior to this, he also held academic and research positions at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand), Universiti Utara Malaysia (Sintok, Malaysia), Universiti Teknologi MARA (Shah Alam, Malaysia), and has held guest lectures on climate-related financial risks at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester (Manchester, UK).

Iftekhar has contributed research and policy insights to global organisations, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Currently, he is a Lead Author for the IPBES Nexus Assessment, focusing on financial mechanisms to address the intertwined global crises of biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change.

His research has been published in leading international journals, including Economics and Sociology, International Journal of Managerial and Financial Accounting and Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research. He has also contributed to a policy-relevant book chapter on "ASEAN energy policy" that has been published by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Additionally, he has been serving as a regular referee for several peer-reviewed journals.

He is pioneering systemic resilience analytics to advance practical solutions to cope with complex environmental and social risks. His research broadly focuses on different aspects of environmental and social risk analytics for resilient finance to address complex global challenges. Current projects try to inform and influence how the work of institutional investors, asset managers, financial intermediaries and financial supervisors can achieve an equitable, net-zero and nature-positive future (for people, planet and prosperity), with a particular interest in emerging markets and developing economies.

External links:

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Iftekhar's research interests lie in sustainable finance and environmental risk analytics, with applications in corporate finance, financial markets and institutions.

Research Streams:

I divide my research into three streams, each with its own direction and dynamic, and all overlapping in productive ways. This integrative, interdisciplinary research streams inform our teaching, from the undergraduate Finance degree (starting in 2025) to our Master’s courses and postgraduate research supervision. A commitment to public engagement in research is a feature of all three streams.

Ø Climate and Green Finance

• Sustainable finance and climate change
• Biodiversity and natural resource finance
• Net-zero and just transition finance
• Green finance innovation and FinTech

Ø Systemic Resilience and Development

• Extreme weather risks and economic resilience
• Climate readiness of social enterprises and SMEs
• Alternative finance for resilience and development
• Inclusive green finance and the future of development

Ø Ethical Finance and Sustainability

• Topics in (Islamic) microfinance
• Islamic banking for climate actions
• Islamic social finance and philanthropy for SDGs

Module Teaching and Leadership:

• NBS8633: Green Finance and Sustainability, [Module Leader, 2023/24 - present]
• NBS8332: Financial Theory [2023/24 - present]
• ACC3000: Case Studies in Finance, Accounting and Business [2023/24 - present]
• NBS8998 with NBS8999: Academic Skills (A&F Database Lab) - [2023/24 - present]

• Articles

  • Hussain MD, Ahmed I. Governance and the double-bottom-line performance of microfinance institutions: Evidence from Bangladesh. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research 2024, 15(2), 367-383.
  • Hussain MD, Muhammad M, Ahmed I, Hossain MTB. Impact of stakeholders as board members on sustainability and social outreach of microfinance institutions in developing markets. International Journal of Managerial and Financial Accounting 2023, 15(1), 26-49.
  • Ibrahim Y, Ahmed I, Minai MS. The influence of institutional characteristics on financial performance of microfinance institutions in the OIC countries. Economics & Sociology 2018, 11(2), 19-35.

• Book Chapter

  • Diaz-Rainey, I, Tulloch, DJ, Ahmed, I, McCarten, M, Taghizadeh-Hesary, F. An Energy Policy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations? Lessons from the European Union's Experience on Energy Integration, Security, and Decarbonization. In: Sang Chul Park, Chul Ju Kim, Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, and Pitchaya Sirivunnabood, ed. Economic Integration in Asia and Europe: Lessons and Policies. Asian Development Bank Institute, 2021, pp.563-592.

• Working Paper

  • Diaz-Rainey I, Tulloch DJ, Ahmed I, McCarten M, Taghizadeh-Hesary F. An Energy Policy for ASEAN? Lessons from the EU Experience on Energy Integration, Security, and Decarbonization. 2021.