WSBI ESBG
Sustainable Finance
WSBI-ESBG member banks recognise that climate change is one of the main collective hazards ever experienced worldwide.
Move towards sustainable finance
Sustainable finance supports economic growth while reducing pressures on the environment. It tackles pollution and focuses on green-house gas emissions by minimising waste and improving efficiency in the use of natural resources. It is the provision of finance to investments taking into account environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. The savings and retail banking model creates growth and jobs as it finances SMEs – the EU engines of growth. They also play a role in opening their network to everyone, and help to educate citizens in the region in which they operate.
Our position on Sustainable Finance
Regulatory actions in the financial sector must prioritize the completion and implementation of the regulation developed in the 2018 Sustainable Finance Action Plan and what is provided in the EU Green Deal and the upcoming Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy. Overlaps and misalignments between regulations as well as misalignments in implementation deadlines of interdependent regulations should be avoided.
Our latest content on financial inclusion Sustainable Finance
07/07/2022
World savings and retail banks moving forward on sustainability
World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI)'s members get together for the first time since 2018 at the 26th World Congress, in Paris. Under the title 'Locally Rooted, Globally responsible' the…
27/05/2022
ESBG calls for more feasible rules on the new corporate sustainability due diligence
In its response to the European Commission call for feedback on the proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence, the European Savings and Retail Banking Group (ESBG) suggests…
28/04/2022
ESBG response to ESMA’s consultation on guidelines of MiFID II suitability requirements
ESBG's response to the European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA) consultation on some MiFID II sustainability aspects. European banks calls for clear procedures and to avoid unnecessary…
03/03/2022
Strengthening the quality of corporate reporting and its enforcement in the EU
The consultation aims to evaluate the impact of the EU framework on the three pillars of high quality and reliable corporate reporting: corporate governance, statutory audit and supervision. This…
25/02/2022
European Commission Banking Package proposal
ESBG responded to the European Commission “have your say" consultation on the Banking Package proposal.
29/09/2021
Proposal for a Regulation on European green bonds
The European Commission adopted its proposal for a EUGBS in July 2021 and later launched a public consultation. In this context, ESBG has recently finalised a position paper that indicated some of…
08/04/2021
DORA should not increase operational and financial burden for ESBG members and their clients
BRUSSELS, 9 April 2021 – Banks have been among the first companies to install computers and create large data centres. This has contributed to the efficiency of their role of financing the economic…
10/10/2020
MiFID II suitability assessment & sustainability risks
We strongly believe that the same products must be considered as sustainable throughout all EU legislation. The requirements for sustainable products in MiFID II and the SFDR must be harmonised. The…
10/10/2020
Prudential treatment of assets and risk management
ESBG believes that the green supporting factor should be looked at in careful detail in order to ensure that it is a secure tool. The SME supporting factor was established after a lot of research and…
10/10/2020
EU Ecolabel for financial products
ESBG fully supports the development of a voluntary label to increase transparency for consumers on sustainability. However, regulators should firstly observe market developments and make sure that an…