The latest developments in the sustainability space.

Kinetic7 Technologies, Aquarius Capital, PIF Energy
Rick Parish, an Australian entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of Kinetic7 Technologies, has launched Mazavida, a new clean-water infrastructure venture designed to deliver rapidly deployable water treatment and desalination systems as governments, investors and industry confront a worsening global water security crisis. Mazavida's name derives from “Maza” meaning water and “Vida” meaning life.

The venture, targeted at the US and Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) region, brings together Parish’s Abu Dhabi-headquartered Kinetic7 Technologies and Aquarius Capital with Dallas-based PIF Energy, creating a company positioned at the intersection of climate resilience, critical infrastructure, food security and emergency response.

The launch comes after the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health warned that the world has moved beyond a temporary water crisis and into an era of global “water bankruptcy,” with many river basins, aquifers, wetlands, soils, lakes and glaciers no longer able to return to historic baselines.

UN researchers say around 4 billion people already experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, drought impacts cost an estimated $307 billion annually, and 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water. Against that backdrop, Mazavida is being framed not as a conventional infrastructure play, but as a faster route to deployable water resilience, the firm said in a statement. It will focus on containerised water treatment and desalination systems that can be deployed quickly across Commonwealth nations and other high-dependency regions, supporting humanitarian response, municipal resilience, industrial continuity and agricultural production.

For international business media, the venture speaks to a broader investment theme: water is becoming a strategic asset class as climate shocks, ageing infrastructure, population growth and geopolitical instability place new pressure on governments, utilities and supply chains.

“Water security is no longer a distant development challenge – it is becoming a defining economic, humanitarian and geopolitical risk,” Rick Parish, chairman and founder of Kinetic7 Technologies and Aquarius Capital, said. “Mazavida has been created to move beyond discussion and deliver engineered systems that can produce potable water quickly, reliably and at scale where conventional infrastructure is too slow, too costly or too vulnerable.”

The Mazavida model combines proprietary technology, manufacturing capability and operational delivery within the PIF Energy and Kinetic7 family of companies, giving the venture control over design, deployment and long-term performance.

Its containerised systems are intended to offer governments, municipalities, industrial operators and development partners a faster alternative to large, long-tail infrastructure projects, providing potable-grade water capacity that can be scaled according to urgency, location and demand. 

By desalinating seawater and treating contaminated, brackish and unreliable water sources, Mazavida systems are designed to serve coastal nations, drought-affected regions, disaster zones and industrial areas where water security is increasingly critical to both human welfare and economic continuity.

“Food, energy and water security now sit at the centre of national resilience,” Parish added. “Clean water is not just a humanitarian issue; it is the foundation for health, productivity, stability and investment. Mazavida is about meeting that need with practical systems that can be deployed where they are needed most.”

Jersey Finance
Jersey Finance has joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) as a non-business member, bolstering its commitment to responsible business practices and a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. 

In doing so, Jersey Finance said it has joined a number of its own members who are benefiting from membership to this initiative, as well as over 25,000 participants worldwide.

The UNGC is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, bringing together businesses and other stakeholders around 10 universally-recognised principles covering human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. Participants are encouraged to embed these principles within their strategies, policies and operations, while working collaboratively to support wider United Nations goals.  

As a participant, Jersey Finance said it will continue to strengthen the integration of these principles across the organisation, communicate its progress, and draw on the UN Global Compact’s international network, practical guidance, and learning opportunities.

Involvement will also support Jersey Finance’s work with Jersey’s financial and professional services industry to encourage responsible practices, collaboration and meaningful action in support of sustainable economic development.

“Joining the United Nations Global Compact aligns closely with our long-term commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” Joe Moynihan, CEO, Jersey Finance, said. “Its ten principles provide a clear and internationally-recognised framework that will help us strengthen our own approach, while connecting us with organisations around the world that share our ambition to support a more sustainable and inclusive future.”