This paper has been developed as the framing paper for the Research Convening on Design Options for a Sustainable Financial System, which the UNEP Inquiry and CIGI held on 2-3 December 2014 in Waterloo, Canada. The workshop included participants from a range of academic and research institutions from the Waterloo region and abroad, including the University of Waterloo, the University of London, Harvard University, and the University of Gothenburg.