Entering 2026: Learning Together, Creating Impact, and Shaping the Future
Dear Stakeholders,
The year 2025 marked a period in which knowledge met practice, and meaningful impact was created through strong collaborations across the fields of finance, corporate governance, and sustainability.
Throughout the year, we actively contributed to more than 20 national and international events, including conferences, summits, panels, workshops, webinars, and accredited training programs. These engagements focused on critical topics such as sustainability and integrated reporting, climate policies, impact investing, and the implications of artificial intelligence for financial systems, bringing together academia, business, public institutions, and civil society.
One of the most valuable outcomes of 2025 was our continued investment in human capital and future generations. In the first half of the year, we provided one-to-one mentorship to 10 undergraduate students. Building on this experience, we launched the YTU CFGS Integrated Development & Mentorship Program (IDMP) for the 2025–2026 period for the very first time.
Under the coordination of our academic mentors, the IDMP brings together volunteer undergraduate students, senior student mentors from previous cohorts, and alumni mentors, creating a multi-layered and sustainable mentorship ecosystem. Through this structure, we aim to educate not only today’s professionals but also the future leaders of the sustainable finance ecosystem.
As we enter 2026, we strongly believe that sustainable transformation can only be achieved through a long-term perspective, qualified human capital, and strong partnerships. With this conviction, we will continue our work with the same dedication, placing science, practice, and young talent at the center of everything we do.
Above all, our greatest source of hope lies in our students. The trust we place in them is the foundation of our confidence in the future. We believe that every student involved in our Center will contribute to this ecosystem not only with knowledge, but also with a strong sense of responsibility, ethical awareness, and a commitment to creating value for society. Empowering young people to embrace this responsibility today is essential to shaping a more sustainable tomorrow, and we are proud to walk this path together with them.
I would like to sincerely thank all our stakeholders who have thought, produced, shared, and created value together with us, and I wish you a more sustainable, inclusive, and hopeful year ahead.
Kind regards,
Prof. Dr. Güler Aras