ECA GBAC Newsletter – September 2021

Significant financial resources, from the public and private sector, must be mobilized to meet the 2 ̊ C commitment. One way to source this funding is through green bonds, which are becoming increasingly popular among the global investor community. Investors buying green bonds can be confident they are financing projects that support a low-carbon future. The Green Banking Academy provides training and advice to financial institutions to help evaluate the potential of green bonds for their business and prepare for the green bond issuance. Read more

Green buildings represent one of the biggest investment opportunities of the next decade – nearly $25 trillion across emerging market cities by 2030 and $881 billion in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. And with the explosion of online shopping brought on by COVID-19, followed by a booming resumption of trade, green logistics buildings for e-commerce could be one of the most lucrative businesses to emerge from the pandemic. Read more

IFC is investing €75 million in bonds issued by Erste&Steiermärkische Bank d.d. (Erste Bank) – the Croatian subsidiary of Austria’s Erste Group Bank AG – to support the bank’s housing portfolio, including green housing loans. IFC investment will help increase access to green housing lending and climate finance while strengthening the local capital market and supporting Croatia’s climate goals. Read more

The event will showcase the latest developments in technologies in short and long term battery storage (lithium-ion, hydrogen, and others) and highlight the opening investment opportunities for financial institutions in that space.

Event materials

• Green Bonds: A Growing Business Opportunity for Financial Institutions in ECA, September 8, 2021 (English)
• How Big Data Can Advance Climate Finance, July 14, 2021 (English)
• Launch of the IFC Green Banking Academy in Europe and Central Asia, June 2, 2021 (English, Russian)

• Expert Discussion on Green Bonds, IFC ClimateBiz Podcast (Part 1, Part 2)
• The Power of Batteries to Expand Renewable Energy in Emerging Markets (Emerging Energy Solutions Series, IFC)
• Overview and Recommendations for Sustainable Finance Taxonomies, International Capital Market Association (ICMA)
• The IPCC Report Was Dreadful — Now, Let’s Get to Work (GreenBiz)
• Regulate Business to Tackle Climate Crisis, Urges Mark Carney (The Guardian)
• The Climate Crisis is Intensifying. So Why is Climate Finance Drying Up? (climatechangenews.com)
• Businesses Have Woken up to Net Zero (HSBC)