Coalition highlights growing role of equity participation
Royal Bank of Canada announced Thursday a new specialized practice within RBC Capital Markets aimed at expanding access to capital for Indigenous-owned major projects and investments across Canada.
The Indigenous Advisory & Finance practice will offer advisory services, financing, and capacity-building programs to Indigenous nations. The bank said the initiative is designed to help Indigenous communities build lasting economic prosperity.
The announcement was made at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition Conference in Toronto, where RBC president and CEO Dave McKay highlighted the need for specialized financial support as First Nations navigate complex financial transactions.
“Canada is building a more resilient, self-reliant economy, and advancing Indigenous partnership and reconciliation is at the heart of this work,” McKay said. “We know that securing and attracting capital to major projects requires Indigenous nations and communities as true equity partners.”
The new practice will work alongside RBC Origins – an existing team with experience connecting corporate clients, capital, and Indigenous communities.
A new RBC thought leadership report on Indigenous loan guarantee programs identified five persistent structural challenges affecting the next generation of Canadian projects: gaps in banking, reach, scale, geography, and equity.
Starting this fall, RBC will host finance leadership circles across the country to help Indigenous nations build financial management and governance expertise, share best practices, and develop new pathways to capital.
Mark Podlasly, CEO of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, which represents nearly a third of all Indigenous nations in Canada, welcomed the initiative.
“For too long, Indigenous equity participation in major projects wasn’t even on the table,” Podlasly said. “I’m pleased RBC is bringing together finance leadership circles across the country to help nations continue to build the expertise and institutional capacity needed to own major projects and shape their economic future.”
RBC also announced it has extended its title sponsorship for the FNMPC’s annual conference in 2027.
The bank has previously served as financial adviser to Indigenous communities and corporate clients on several major projects. In 2024, it launched a Truth and Reconciliation Office under RBC Origins to drive investments and corporate actions supporting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. RBC published its first Reconciliation Action Plan last June.
