Ocean Economy Imperative 2026

While technically plausible, bankability remains a constraint, including revenue certainty, standardized project structures, and risk allocation that lenders and institutional investors can price. Industry tracking indicates the sector is progressing from one-off prototypes toward pilot farms and early commercial arrays, a transition phase where standards, permitting pathways, and contracting templates become decisive for scaling.76, 77 Restoration and nature markets Restoration and nature markets are shifting from grant dependence towards blended, performance- based finance, provided integrity is credible and benefits are measurable. Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass can generate financeable value through combinations of carbon revenues, resilience funding, insurance-linked mechanisms and public procurement, alongside co- benefits such as fisheries enhancement and coastal protection. However, with nearly half of current protected-area funding coming from bilateral public donors and a growing share from philanthropy, the scale mismatch underscores a clear imperative: mobilizing private capital is critical to scaling coastal ecosystem restoration and protection. In parallel, standards bodies are formalizing methodologies and market infrastructure, which is essential to build demand, reduce reputational risk, and support larger-scale capital allocation.78 The medium-term opportunity is not limited to credits or projects, it is the supporting services and market plumbing that make portfolios investable at scale. Monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), project development capacity, risk analytics and pipeline aggregation vehicles are essential to transform bespoke pilots into repeatable investment programmes.79 Pollution-mitigating technology Pollution-mitigating technology is becoming a strategic frontier in the wider ocean economy with increasing demand from public health concern, tightening regulation, and rising liability and remediation costs.80 The Lancet Commission underscores that all types of pollution remain a major global health burden, reinforcing the direction of travel toward stronger policy action and enforcement.81 This is creating investment opportunities for detection, filtration, capture and substitution technologies across wastewater systems, industrial discharge points, ports, shipping and coastal infrastructure. The United Nations Environment Programme’s global assessment highlights escalating damages associated with marine litter and plastic pollution, while its solutions work emphasizes that substantial reductions are achievable using existing approaches by “turning off the tap” upstream rather than relying on costly downstream clean-up.82,83 Treated as essential infrastructure, prevention- focused technologies reduce future liabilities, lower compliance risk and protect ecosystem services before losses compound.84 The Ocean Economy Imperative: Defining Value, Managing Risk and Mobilizing Investment 14