A new report from Resilient Cities Network and Tokio Marine Group lays out an approach for cities to translate their resilience goals into investment strategies that build credibility and attract capital.
The report Under Pressure, Overdue: The Portfolio Approach and Financing Cities for Resilience says that cities are already paying the price of inaction: insurance premiums are increasing, homes and businesses are becoming more challenging to insure, and capital is beginning to move elsewhere.
The 43-page report published in October 2025 warns that without a major shift in how cities finance resilience, many risk economic decline and even disinvestment. The report highlights the widening protection gap – the growing distance between climate losses and what insurance actually covers – which leaves households and cities dangerously exposed.
The report focuses on several existing pathways that cities have followed to address rising premium costs and incorporate resilience into development and investment strategies.
The report also focuses on finance for resilience and net zero transitions. Since its inception in 2000, the GMF has approved over 2,300 projects worth $1.6bn. By providing grants and loans to de-risk projects, it has brought in over $75m in private sector capital.
Resilient Cities Network MD Lina Liakou said, “This is not just about strengthening infrastructure. By shaping resilience portfolios that attract private capital, we are making resilience practical, measurable and investable.”
The portfolio approach set out in the report defines six practices that make this possible: holistic planning, stakeholder coordination, capital allocation, data-driven strategies, project management, and transparency. Together they provide the structure that investors, insurers, and communities need to mobilize resources at scale.
Tokio Marine Holdings managing executive officer Brad Irick said, “Insurance must go beyond payouts. By partnering with cities from the start, we can help price and reduce risk, mobilise capital, and protect long-term economic competitiveness.”
With global climate finance negotiations intensifying, the report’s message is clear: shared risks require shared investment. Cities, financiers, and insurers must act together now to secure the resilience of communities and economies. The economic imperative for investing in resilience will be demonstrated through piloting the Portfolio Approach with cities worldwide.