Akbank stands out for sustainable finance in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of both scale and execution. Over the review period, the bank expanded its sustainable lending rapidly while embedding environmental and social considerations more consistently across its business.
The result is a platform that combines volume growth with clearer evidence of impact.
The numbers illustrate that pace. Akbank has committed to mobilising TRY800 billion ($17 billion) in sustainable finance by 2030 and had already reached TRY681 billion by the end of 2025, putting it comfortably ahead of its stated trajectory. This expansion reflects strong demand across corporate, commercial and SME segments, as well as the bank’s growing ability to structure transactions linked to environmental and social outcomes.
The bank has built a suite of more than 20 sustainable finance products covering renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture and supply chains. This has been supported by a framework aligned with international principles, with clearly defined eligibility criteria and screening processes. Environmental and social risk assessments are applied at transaction level, limiting exposure to harmful activities and improving consistency across the portfolio.
Embedding transition in lending decisions
A key differentiator is the way Akbank is incorporating transition considerations into core banking processes. The introduction of a Green Transformation Score, rolled out in 2025, allows the bank to assess clients’ progress against decarbonisation goals and to integrate that assessment into lending decisions. While still developing, this approach marks a shift from focusing purely on labelled products to managing transition risk across the entire loan book.
This is reinforced by sector-level targets linked to the bank’s net-zero objective for 2050. Akbank has identified carbon-intensive sectors such as energy, cement and steel for priority engagement and has begun setting interim reduction targets. The bank is also working with clients on emissions reporting and regulatory readiness, particularly in relation to European carbon border requirements.
Overall, Akbank’s performance shows a shift from building sustainable finance capacity to applying it across the balance sheet
The project finance business provides further evidence of this alignment. Renewable energy accounts for 91% of the bank’s project finance energy portfolio, supported by almost 200 individual projects across wind, hydro, geothermal and solar. Green lending is also increasing in infrastructure, including projects where sustainability criteria are built into financing structures.
Beyond climate mitigation, Akbank is expanding into areas such as blue finance and sustainable tourism. By 2025, nearly all hotel project finance exposure was aligned with its blue finance framework, reflecting a broader environmental focus that includes water use and ecosystem protection.
Funding activity remains an important pillar. Sustainability-linked transactions accounted for a significant share of wholesale funding in 2025, including syndicated loans, bonds and multilateral facilities supporting SMEs, women-owned businesses and regions affected by natural disasters.
Overall, Akbank’s performance shows a shift from building sustainable finance capacity to applying it across the balance sheet. Continued growth, combined with more structured tools for assessing transition risk, positions it as a leading sustainable finance institution in the region.
