The decision by the US SEC to drop mandatory Scope 3 reporting weakens global emissions reporting standards. However, many corporate issuers are already using Scope 3 performance targets on sustainability-linked transactions for non-regulatory reasons. Are the debt and equities markets leading companies onto ESG ground upon which regulators fear to tread?

Corporates seeking to leverage sustainable investment opportunities continue to be restricted by the lack of reliable data on which to base their assessments.

The UBS chief investment office’s sustainable and impact investing strategist wants to avoid measurement for the sake of measurement, but responding to client demand for more data while ensuring its readability remains a challenge.

Traditional custodians are maintaining their dominance in the face of growing fintech activity in the sector.

Corporate and development banks want their capital to reach the smallest and most impactful of SMEs in frontier markets. Traditional credit ratings and risk assessments can get in the way.

The London Stock Exchange Group’s head of sustainable finance strategic initiatives wants climate data to redefine the act of indexing.

Elevated inflation and interest rates have focused treasury attention on the importance of diversification, particularly for those with an environmental, social or governance focus.

A team of once-public sector bankers and officials is launching a new private equity fund that aims to identify ‘climate winners’ from the transition to a decarbonized economy. It has identified key industries but its central thesis is regulation.

A securitization of pay-as-you-go electricity bills to fund wider access to electricity in Côte d’Ivoire could spark copycat social bonds for affordable housing, telecoms, electricity access and more.

The chief executive of Newton Investment Management is a forthright believer in the power of active investors to effect change at the companies they invest in, and thinks tinkering with market rules is unlikely to boost the appeal of London-listed equities.

The 28th Conference of the Parties starts in Dubai tomorrow. Dubbed the finance COP, conflicting priorities could turn it into a fossil fuel investor roadshow.

The sovereign pushed hard on its first use-of-proceeds green bond, but a sustainability-linked bond was not seen as a practical option for now.

Nearly all banks talk about corporate responsibility, few make it integral to the way they work. What sets Bank of America apart is that it has been doing just that for years and this year it receives the award for North America’s best bank for corporate responsibility.

Across every sector and region HSBC stands out for its commitment to developing partnerships and products that will bring finance at scale to create a more sustainable and resilient planet.

With its unique model of direct lending to microfinance institutions and bringing large investors to the table, BNP Paribas has put financial inclusion at the heart of its agenda.

Using its balance sheet to help the transition to net zero emissions, racial equality and economic mobility, while supporting employees through Covid-19 and assisting communities in all markets it operates in, Bank of America has put corporate responsibility at its core.

The breadth and ambition of Santander’s diversity and inclusion programmes set it apart from its peers globally.

When a big US bank joins its peers around the world under an umbrella of responsible banking, it lifts the entire responsibility agenda – and this is exactly what Citi has done as an early signatory to the Principles of Responsible Banking (PRB) of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative.

It was a year of milestones for Morgan Stanley in sustainability, a journey that began in 2013 with the establishment of the Sustainable Investing Institute under Audrey Choi, the bank’s chief sustainability officer.

For our best bank for sustainable finance award, HSBC edges BNP Paribas and BAML for the range of its deals and its involvement in industry bodies that are furthering sustainable finance.

When Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Asia president, Matthew Koder, gets going on corporate responsibility, your best chance of getting out of the room within an hour and a half is an earthquake. Koder chose to pitch personally in only one category, this one, and in truth everything BAML put in for – investment banking, transaction services and country awards from the Philippines to Japan – is presented through the filter of corporate responsibility.

In green bond issuance, Bank of America leads the way, adding a fourth green bond to its list in May this year. It was its largest yet, at $2.25 billion, and its proceeds will support renewable energy generation.

If there is one bank in North America that is shoring up the financial system, moving finance into a modern era and willing to do what it takes to create a healthy, safe and prosperous society for employees, clients and communities, it is Citi, North America’s best bank for corporate responsibility.

Garanti Bank has not only led the financial industry in Turkey with its environmental policies but also the whole corporate sector. For example, it was the first Turkish company to sign the UN Global Compact’s Business Leadership Criteria on Carbon Pricing. And last year it took this one step further, becoming the only financial institution in the world to be included in the 2017 CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) Water A List – one of just 78 companies that meet the highest standards for water security. Garanti is CEE’s best bank for sustainable finance.

Access Bank in Nigeria, under managing director Herbert Wigwe, leads the way in social and environmental banking efforts, helping improve the country’s health and education, reducing emissions, spearheading sustainability and supporting financial inclusion. Its vast range of work wins Access Bank the award for Africa’s best bank for corporate responsibility.

In sustainable finance, it is often the case that what is not financed shows a bank’s commitment to sustainability just as much as what is financed. BNP Paribas is committed to both sides of this coin and it wins the award this year for western Europe’s best bank for sustainable finance.

Under Thiago Fernandes, head of environmental, social and governance (ESG) for Latin America, Bank of America Merrill Lynch is changing the way corporate philanthropy operates in Brazil; this year it wins Euromoney’s award for Latin America’s best bank for corporate responsibility.

On the back of the worst drought in living memory, the City of Cape Town issued South Africa’s first true green bond last year. It turned to one bank to be the lead arranger – Rand Merchant Bank (RMB). The city was able to raise R1 billion ($73 million) from eight allocated bidders, having received bids of almost R5 billion from 31 different bidders. The proceeds will be put to use financing green projects such as emergency water supply initiatives.

It is perhaps obvious that Erste Bank is leading the charge to help the unbanked and underbanked across central and eastern Europe – it was part of its mission when it was established in 1819 after all. And some 200 years later, financial inclusion is still just as pressing in the countries it operates.

Mexico may now be the world’s 15th largest economy, but approximately 38 million Mexican adults are still unbanked – roughly the size of the population of Canada. Education and job creation have been a focus of the Mexican government; one bank in the country stands out for its efforts to help that progress by providing financing solutions, Citibanamex, which wins the award for Latin America’s best bank for sustainable finance.

Lloyds Banking Group’s ‘Helping Britain prosper’ plan, launched four years ago, has put corporate responsibility at the top of the UK bank’s priorities. It was a bold initiative, addressing Britain’s housing needs, helping people plan for the future, helping businesses to start up and grow, championing diversity, supporting clean energy and tackling social disadvantage. It earns Lloyds the award for western Europe’s best bank for corporate responsibility.

Improving social mobility, caring in the community, supporting employees in challenging times and committing to equity – Bank of America has shown a long-standing commitment to D&I.

The French bank has committed itself to sustainable finance across its entire business.

Few banks in the world have made greater efforts to reach those in poverty than State Bank of India (SBI). As chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya told Euromoney last year: “I have customers in the bank who have to be led by the hand to give their left thumb impression. When you dispense the money, you have to tell them the amount orally, because they can neither read nor write.”

It is hard to find a more thoughtful bank in central and eastern Europe than Poland’s Bank Millennium, which is why this year it wins the award for best bank for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The bank provides full transparency around its objectives and actions to bring socially responsible banking to clients, employees, investors and society. For clients, two of the chief aims have been to focus on disabilities and financial exclusion.

When it comes to corporate and social responsibility, few banks are prepared to be consistently the first to advocate for the environment and for human rights the way Morgan Stanley does.