Publications

This UNEP FI policy brief examines how nature-related considerations are being incorporated into banking-relevant regulation across the two major economic and financial systems of China and the European Union. It aims to to help financial sector practitioners and policymakers understand how nature-related considerations are being incorporated into banking-relevant regulation in the two jurisdictions, within a rapidly evolving global landscape.

The Ocean Investment Protocol offers a framework for financial institutions, policy makers and industry leaders to lead this transition. First published in 2025, this updated edition reflects developments in the sustainable ocean finance landscape and highlights new priorities; including stronger action by central banks, regulators, and supervisors and better integration of ocean considerations into financial decision-making.

This guide helps risk professionals at banks gather the information they need to monitor and manage nature-related risks and opportunities across their portfolios. Structured around ten questions, the guide helps banks better understand their nature-related impacts, capabilities, and management practices – and turn that understanding into greater resilience and future opportunities. 

This report provides commercial banks, particularly signatories to the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), with a practical framework for understanding how circular economy solutions can address nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities across three ecosystem categories: ocean and marine, freshwater, and terrestrial and land-based ecosystems.

This guidance, co-developed with Equator Principles, supports project-related financing teams as well as risk professionals within financial institutions, particularly banks, by outlining how to conduct a nature-based risk assessment at the corporate, portfolio and project levels using existing frameworks and tools. It highlights how nature-based risk assessments can improve risk identification, strengthen due diligence, enhance collaboration with clients, and support better decision-making across project finance and portfolios.

The latest report from the PSI Working Group for Nature is the second in the “Nature Uncovered for Insurers” series,…

Banks are increasingly talking to their clients about nature but knowing which questions to ask to understand the impact and reliance of their businesses on nature is not always clear. This prototype is an excel-based tool intended to assist banks—and specifically relationship managers—to formulate succinct, meaningful questions as part of client engagement on nature.

Co-authored by UNEP FI and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the new “Nature Impact Target Setting for Banks” discussion paper proposes an approach for banks to set impact targets for nature – targets that aim to achieve an improvement in the state of nature through a set reduction of pressures across a bank’s lending, investing, and underwriting activities.

This newest report from the PSI Working Group for Nature is the first in a series of foundational guidance documents…

2024 was a pivotal year for sustainable finance. As climate risks escalated and biodiversity loss accelerated, the UNEP Finance Initiative…