The transformation of bank balance sheets linked to the development of sustainable finance is gaining momentum. At the same time, information published in non-financial reports suggests that the path to achieving decarbonisation ambitions and other sustainable growth targets will be a multi-year challenge – the green asset ratio (GAR) is just above zero. Are efforts to develop sustainable finance falling far short? Perhaps the problem lies in the current definitions of metrics imposed by regulators?

We invite you to a discussion to understand the opportunities and barriers associated with banks building sustainable asset portfolios.

During the debate, we will discuss banks’ progress in increasing the share of green finance in their portfolios, as well as opportunities and barriers regarding the development of sustainable finance. We will focus on customer needs, awareness and trends in this area. We will also discuss what banks are doing to support the green transition. We will ask questions to the participants in the debate regarding the banks’ actions to support customers in the transformation.

In addition, we will touch on the complexity of ESG regulations and their impact on sustainable finance reporting. In particular, access to reliable data necessary to assess and report on environmental elements in relation to customers will be an important topic.

The final topic discussed will be the mismatch between the regulatory GAR and the banks’ communicated sustainable funding measures and the resulting risk of greenwashing. We will ask a question to the participants of the debate on the measures to assess the degree of sustainable financing provided by banks.