Sani Bankoley

Sani Bankoley is an international expert in climate finance and sustainable development, with over 20 years of experience in global capital markets. She has led the structuring and execution of more than $200 billion in transactions, mobilising both private and public capital in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the areas of climate resilience, gender equality, and economic transformation.
As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ORI Partners, Ms. Bankoley advises governments and institutions on unlocking finance for national-scale, high-integrity climate projects. Her work spans regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and the carbon markets, with a particular focus on building enabling environments that attract private investment and scale impact.
Of both African and Asian heritage, Ms. Bankoley brings a global perspective to financial innovation. She is a member of 100 Women in Davos, where she contributes to international policy discussions on equitable finance and climate innovation, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Orange Movement, a global platform for women’s economic empowerment through financial systems transformation.
She has worked with partners such as major multilateral and certification institutions including the World Bank, IMF, AfDB, VERRA, and Gold Standard, and played a key role in the establishment of a national carbon authority in West Africa. She is widely recognised for her technical expertise in the certification, and monetisation of nature-based climate projects.
Appointed to the UNFCCC Article 6 Roster of Experts, Ms. Bankoley supports countries in navigating emerging carbon market mechanisms and has co-developed a VCMI Access Decision Matrix, a strategic tool to help governments structure and optimise access to voluntary carbon markets and Article 6 credits, in alignment with their national climate commitments.
Throughout her career, Ms. Bankoley has championed the use of finance as a driver of systemic change ensuring that climate action delivers measurable benefits for both people and the planet.