Sustainable and Green Banking – a practical workshop (2 days)

Introduction

With banks increasingly pressured to demonstrate that they are steering their capital to a just, low-carbon economy, how can one make sense of the different types of sustainable/ESG products, key characteristics, best practices, biases and client perception?

This course will offer insight into the role of finance and banking more specifically in creating a more sustainable and resilient global economy, while mitigating the risks that sustainability megatrends pose to their clients and banks themselves. The course will cover the trends affecting the current financial system and investigate the strategic business implications of these social and environmental challenges. More specifically, on the second day, the course introduces ‘net zero’, and how banks are leading the way by transforming themselves by helping their clients deliver to net zero. In other words, it will also look at how sustainable and green banking can unlock growing commercial opportunities and strategically drive long-term business returns.

Key topics covered in the course will include:

• ESG, and how is it related to the sustainable banking landscape
• Growth drivers of sustainable banking
• Sustainable banking and how it relates to clients who are business owners
• Sustainable banking’s influence on client relationship and risk management
• The science of a low-carbon economy
• Market and consumer trends regarding green finance
• The role banks, especially private banking division, can play in delivering to their net zero commitments
• The different ways an investment portfolio and other financial products can contribute to a low-carbon economy
• Strengths and weaknesses of these approaches in terms of client perception and regulation
• The relation between climate risk/impact and financial performance

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Have an overview of the relation between ESG and sustainable banking
• Have an understanding of the role banks can play in the transition to more sustainable economies, and knowledge of the market drivers
• Gain an understanding of how client coverage and risk management are influenced by sustainable banking
• Become able to hold a basic level discussion with clients about the possible contributions of sustainable banking products to a sustainable economy
• Have an overview of climate change and the main ways it impacts individuals, corporates and their finances
• Have an understanding of the role banks can play in the transition to net zero via its products
• Become familiar with the various approaches to align financial products with a low-carbon economy, as well as the methodologies underpinning these approaches
• Can compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses, as well as biases, of these approaches
• Become able to hold a basic level discussion about the possible contributions of different products and asset classes to net zero

Who Should Attend

• Investment banking, including Debt Capital Markets, Risk, Client Coverage, Product Structurer, ESG etc
• Corporate banking, including Credit officers, Risk, Relationship Manager, Loan Officer, ESG, etc
• Retail and Private banking, including Relationship Manager, Loan Officer, Product Structurer, ESC
• Industry specialists
• Regulators
• Corporates seeking to better understand how capital providers are looking at corporate sustainability in financial decision making

Topics

Day 1: Sustainable Banking in Practice

• What is sustainable banking
  • ESG and sustainable banking
  • Growth drivers in sustainable banking
  • Sustainable banking for various types of banks
• Enablers and barriers of sustainable banking
• Managing social and environmental risks, and challenges
• Main supportive industry actors and initiatives
• Data & information sources and tools

Day 2: Climate & banks: Mitigating risk and contributing to a low-carbon economy

Teaching Method

• Group live instruction and illustrative examples
• The program is highly interactive and will encourage participation through exercises and case studies that attendees will solve individually or in groups. Activities are designed to allow practise and consolidation the concepts that will be discussed during the lectured sessions of the program.
• Review & interpretation of information to illustrate key points
• Interactive participation will be encouraged
• All participants will receive the presentation slides, handouts and other course materials

Instructors

Venue

CPE/CPD Accreditation

IASeminars is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

 

Field of study: Accounting

Prerequisites

No advance preparation is required for this course.