Healthy ocean ecosystems are productive assets that compound in value. Ocean degradation increases volatility to supply chains, and contributes to migration, food insecurity and insurance risk. Regenerative ocean investments hedge against climate, economic, and geopolitical risk. A healthy ocean is a stabilizing force in an uncertain world.

Traditionally, the Ocean has been considered a vast open access extractive resource through industries like whaling, fishing, offshore oil drilling, and shipping; or a place in which to dump and hide pollutants and waste. Today, however, and looking forward, we see the Ocean as a powerful prosperity engine.

The Ocean is the planet’s largest carbon sink, having absorbed the vast majority (over 90%) of the heat from our emissions, and is a vital hub of biodiversity, being home to 80% of life on Earth. Its currents provide the plumbing for our weather and climate systems. And the Ocean supports a diverse and expanding array of future-facing economic sectors, including renewable energy, food, technology, and resilient natural infrastructure.

The ocean economy itself has demonstrated remarkable long-term growth and resilience, doubling in size over the past 30 years to reach a value of $2.6 trillion in 2020, and employing over 100 million people. It has consistently outpaced the global industry average in real-term growth, and according to the OECD, if it were a country, it would be the fifth largest economy in the world. As such, it presents significant investment opportunities across multiple sectors, representing a frontier for innovation, climate adaptation, and sustainable returns.

The reality is that for all their potential, regenerative and sustainable ocean enterprises and projects remain underfunded. Less than 1% of Official Development Assistance is invested into sustainable ocean-related projects and less than 1% of philanthropic capital is dedicated to supporting the regenerative blue economy. Yet investments into industry sectors that pollute our seas or extract and destroy marine life run into the trillions.

Redirecting these investments and shifting market distorting perverse subsidies in this sector could yield massive gains very quickly. Research indicates that by 2030, an additional $1 trillion of finance could be invested into ‘shovel-ready’ regenerative projects including ocean-based renewable energy, clean shipping, food, and Nature-based Solutions that will help future-proof our planet. As such, the transition to a regenerative and sustainable ocean economy offers a strategic long-term financial opportunity.

To unlock the full potential of ocean-positive solutions, a more systemic, structured approach is needed – one that builds the foundational architecture for ocean finance: a cohesive ecosystem capable of surfacing new investable business models, attracting a broader range of capital, leveraging concessional capital and de-risking tools to accelerate commercial investment.

Investing in regenerative solutions that address critical risks such as resource overuse, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather will unlock long-term economic value and catalyse ocean-positive growth for decades to come. Capital providers who have not yet realised that a sustainable ocean economy is a foundation for global resilience and an essential pillar of a regenerative, inclusive, and future-ready economic system, could be “missing the boat”. But opportunities abound and there is still time for them to climb onboard.