Leaders among laggards down under: Sustainable finance Education in Australasia

While Europe has led the integration of sustainable finance into higher education through strong regulatory and policy frameworks, Australasia has followed a slower and more uneven trajectory. This chapter examines how universities in Australia and New Zealand are responding to growing demand for sustainability-literate finance graduates amid evolving regulatory reform, market expansion, and climate risk exposure. Drawing on case studies from leading Australasian institutions, the chapter analyses pedagogical innovations including experiential learning, simulations, industry engagement, and the incorporation of Indigenous perspectives. It highlights both the benefits of these approaches—particularly heightened student engagement, employability, and professional relevance—and the structural challenges that continue to constrain curriculum reform, such as institutional inertia, conceptual ambiguity, and resource limitations. The chapter further contrasts Australia’s transition-focused sustainable finance education with New Zealand’s nature-based and Indigenous-informed approaches, reflecting distinct economic and ecological contexts. Overall, the chapter argues that sustainable finance education in Australasia must move from elective offerings to core curricula if business schools are to prepare graduates capable of navigating the sustainability transitions reshaping regional and global financial systems.