The ten members of the UN-convened Net Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliance outline their roadmap to COP30 and a net-zero future.

Up to $28 trillion of global trade around – 80 to 90 percent – relies on export finance, insurance, and guarantees provided by public and private institutions. Among the most influential are export credit agencies (ECAs) and export-import banks (EXIMs), which play a pivotal role in enabling international trade by providing risk-sharing mechanisms to commercial financiers that are essential for facilitating technology transfer, advancing climate solutions, and shaping global trade finance flows. Ten of these powerful institutions have committed to working together to individually align their portfolios with climate goals, by joining the UN-convened Net-Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliance (NZECA) launched at COP28 in 2023.  

At the TXF Global 2025 Conference in Copenhagen last week, NZECA held its second high-level steering group meeting. The gathering demonstrated strong ambition among members but also highlighted that real progress will require broader alignment within the export credit industry, the financial system and the real economy sector. What is clear, however, is that export credit agencies have significant potential to advance alignment of trade finance with global climate goals. 

During the meeting, high-level NZECA representatives addressed the global challenges to climate action, reviewed the progress achieved so far and discussed their strategic roadmap leading up to COP30 and beyond. Members also reaffirmed their commitment to align their portfolios with the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050, and support affiliate members in making similar commitments. Members reiterated their pledge to stop new direct support to the international unabated fossil fuel energy projects, underscoring their commitment to align trade finance with global climate goals.  

Since the previous alliance meeting, NZECA has welcomed two new members: Finland’s Finnvera, which joined as a full member in November 2024, and Bpifrance AE, which joined as an affiliate member in March 2025. During the meeting, Spain-based Cesce announced its transition from affiliate to full member. The affiliate membership option is designed to help members ramp up internal climate policies and build capacity to meet full member ambition levels. The growing participation in the Alliance reflects rising support for a rapid and just real economy transition, one that includes technology transfer, climate solution deployment, and stronger alignment between trade and national climate goals. 

After publishing the first NZECA Target-Setting Protocol in November last year, members are currently focused on implementing their individual targets, supported by UNEP FI and the University of Oxford which provide guidance and foster engagement with other climate initiatives, professional associations, academia, climate modelers, and civil society. 

Looking ahead, NZECA members will keep building the methodological foundations, from carbon accounting and target setting, to transition finance and carbon-related data, which is essential to effective, credible and transparent decarbonization efforts. All of this work is being tailored to the unique role that ECAs and EXIMs play in the global economy and will be done in close collaboration with other initiatives and stakeholders active in trade finance. 

The Alliance’s first progress report summarizing advancements toward the commitments made will be published in Q4 2025. Member disclosures – including climate policies, GHG accounting data, and fossil fuel policies, are now available on the NZECA website. 

As the Alliance works to translate climate ambition into real-world impacts, members’ actions will help shape how trillions in global trade can support the transition to a net-zero economy. The direction is clear: climate-aligned trade is no longer optional, it’s essential.