Fair Finance India is organizing webinar on integrating ESG criteria for Indian banks on 3rd December 2019, starting from 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm.

Application

Interested banks/ financial institution representatives from India are requested to register here  

Context

The rising acknowledgement of the need of investing based on the ESG criteria in the global capital markets is leading Indian banks to show interest in identifying ways of integrating ESG with the Bank’s policy and their lending and associated operations. The need to address the risks that flow from project finance, corporate lending and other kinds of financing is more topical than ever with large infrastructure projects getting declared as Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) at an increasing rate.

The increasing importance of integrating ESG by banks into their lending have also led to a number of legislative developments, regulations and guidelines to encourage responsible business and banking. Some of the most important ones include - the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Sustainable Development Goals, Equator Principles (at the global level) and National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC) (at the national level).

Given this background, Fair Finance India, which is a coalition of civil society organisations working with the financial sector to track and encourage sustainable banking and financing, had undertaken a policy assessment study for Indian banks (baseline 2019). Based on the findings and interactions with the Indian banks over the last few years, FFI has felt the need to facilitate a knowledge-sharing platform to help banks and other financial intermediaries comprehend ESG and incorporate required modifications in their existing policies to meet the global standards of ESG. This particular webinar is one such initiative that aims at delivering to the pressing demand of bridging the knowledge gap surrounding ESG and its practical implementation.

What can the participants expect to gain from this webinar?

• Fundamentals of ESG and overview of existing legislations/ frameworks on Responsible Finance: National Voluntary Guideline for Responsible Finance (IBA), UN PRI, Equator Principles
• Sharing examples from peers: Overview of ESG experience of bank working towards integration of ESG in bank operations
• ESG as a risk mitigation tool: Why banks should be motivated towards considering ESG criteria in banks’ lending processes? Understanding the impact of ESG issues on a bank’s core business and long-term stability.

In case of any query, please contact:

e: ileena@oxfamindia.org