Our Members: UNEP FI kicks off new year with three new banking members

11 January, 2012

UNEP FI entered the new year with the accession of three banks to its fast-growing family.

The advent of Bradesco Bank, Bank bjb and Garanti Bank expands UNEP FI’s fast-growing Banking Commission – whose members make up two-thirds of the partnership.

Founded 68 years ago and listed on the Sao Paulo, New York and Madrid stock exchanges, Bradesco Bank is one of Brazil’s chief private banks and owns the largest insurance company in Latin America.

Garanti Bank is Turkey's second largest private bank, and represents the highest ratings assessed to a Turkish bank.

Bank bjb, finally, is a government-owned, commercial bank that promises to bring a fresh perspective to UNEP FI and will contribute to broadening the partnership’s understanding of sustainable banking.

More information here.

Event: UNEP FI deepens its engagement in Russia

22 December, 2011

UNEP FI deepened its engagement in Russia in December as it addressed representatives from the Russian banking sector, NGO community, government agencies, and international organizations at an international Moscow conference.

"Investment in Sustainability. Role of the Financial Sector" was organized by VnescheconomBank (Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs, VEB), one of the largest state-owned banks in Russia, which has been stepping up its sustainability understanding and practices since the launch of its first sustainability report in 2010.

As a back-to-back event to the conference, UNEP FI, WWF Russia and VEB organized a training workshop on Environmental and Social Risk Analysis following the event.

More information here.

Event: UNEP FI and partners open Natural Capital Declaration for signatures

15 December, 2011

International banks National Australia Bank and Rabobank Group increased their commitment to work towards a more stable world economy today with the announcement of their groundbreaking endorsement of a finance sector declaration on natural capital at a meeting in London.

The two banks were first to express their support for the Natural Capital Declaration, which is now open to signatures.

By endorsing the declaration, financial institutions re-affirm the importance of natural capital in maintaining a sustainable global economy, and call upon the private and public sectors to work together to create the conditions necessary to maintain and enhance natural capital as a critical economic, ecological and social asset.

More information here.

Our Members: Mexico’s rural development bank enters UNEP FI family

5 December, 2011

The UNEP FI Latin American constituency continued to grow in December with Mexican bank Financiera Rural becoming the eight institution from the region to join the partnership this year.

Financiera Rural is a national development agency that aims to promote sustainable rural development in Mexico by facilitating access to financial services through first and second tier operations.

“In our role as a national development agency for rural finance, we must look beyond traditional financial instruments to include important social and environmental objectives for the rural sector,” said Financiera Rural’s CEO Gustavo Merino Juárez.

“As we are increasingly forced to deal with the major long term risks due to climate change, we are certain that ensuring environmental sustainability of our investments is not only good policy but also makes good economic sense. With this in mind, we are pleased to align ourselves with UNEP FI in the pursuit of these goals and hope to become a standard bearer among Mexican financial institutions,” he added.

More information here.