Swedbank joins Climate Bonds Partners Program
London/Stockholm: 26/01/2017: 10:00GMT 11:00CET: Swedbank AB announced today that it has joined the Climate Bonds Partners Program to enhance opportunities for the promotion, support and financing of sustainable long-term economic development. As a leading European bank, Swedbank plays a significant part in the financial systems of its home markets, and recognizes its responsibility to play an active role in accelerating society’s transition to a sustainable future. This is in line with Swedbank Group’s commitment to building sound an sustainable economies in the local communities where the bank operates.
By becoming a Climate Bonds Partner, Swedbank demonstrates its commitment to green bonds as one way to help realize the transition to a low-carbon economy, and sets an example for other leading players on the Nordic bond market.
Marika Dimming, Head of Green Bonds at Swedbank:
“Climate change is amongst society’s greatest challenges, and research shows that an increased concentration of greenhouse gases is warming the planet, with the potential to create substantial risks to both prosperity and growth.”
“An unwillingness to acknowledge and act in accordance with these findings would drastically increase the probability of a global temperature rise in excess of 2 degrees and would jeopardize the success of the Paris Agreement. Now is the time to act, and becoming a Climate Bonds Partner gives us an opportunity to do our part.”
Sean Kidney, Climate Bonds CEO:
“As a leading northern European financial institution, Swedbank has taken an active role towards the transition to a low carbon economy by strengthening sustainability efforts, including the commitment to divest from coal and open disclosure of carbon footprint. Partnering gives us the opportunity to work cooperatively on developing green finance and expanding the European green bonds market.”
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For more information, please contact:
Andrew Whiley
Communications Manager
Climate Bonds Initiative
+44 (0) 7506 270 943
Marika Dimming
Head of Green Bonds
Swedbank
+46 (8) 700 9231
Notes for Journalists:
About Climate Bonds Initiative: The Climate Bonds Initiative is an investor-focused non-profit, promoting large-scale investment in the low-carbon economy.
It undertakes advocacy and outreach to inform and stimulate the market, provides policy models and government advice, market data and analysis, and administers the Standards & Certification Scheme and the Green Infrastructure Investment Coalition (GIIC).
For more information, please visit www.climatebonds.net.
Climate Bonds Partners Program: In becoming a Climate Bond Partner, organizations join a movement to use bond markets to deliver a rapid transition to a low carbon and climate resilient economy. Partners include banks, bond issuers, developers, NGOs and investors.Partners assist in developing initiatives to grow investment in climate solutions, participate in market development committees, and help define policy agendas for sector, country and sub-national programs.
Further information is available here. A list of Partners is also available here.
About Swedbank: Swedbank promotes a sound and sustainable financial situation for the many people, households and companies. Our vision is to contribute to development “Beyond Financial Growth”. As a leading bank in the home markets of Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Swedbank offers a wide range of financial services and products.
Swedbank has over 7 million retail customers and around 647 000 corporate customers and organisations with 256 branches in Sweden and 143 branches in the Baltic countries. The Group is also present in other Nordic countries, the US and China. As of 30 September 2016 the Group had total assets of SEK 2,394 billion. Read more at www.swedbank.com.