Advanced Training on Green Banking in Hangzhou

Opening Speeches

In cooperation with the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) Hangzhou Central Sub-Branch, the Emerging Markets Dialogue on Finance (EMDF) co-organized the Green Banking Advanced Training, Mitigating Environmental and Social Risks and Financing Sustainable Growth, at PBoC’s premises in Hangzhou from 23 to 25 May 2018. SynTao Green Finance supported the training programme technically. The training aimed to promote sustainable finance practices in the banking sector, therefore supporting the green and low-carbon transition of China’s economy. Mr. Xu Zifu, Vice President of PBoC Hangzhou Central Sub-Branch and Executive Vice-Chairman of Zhejiang Finance Society, and Ms. Qi Lan, Senior Project Manager of GIZ’s EMDF, jointly pointed out in their opening speeches the top priorities of establishing and improving the green finance system in China, along with the importance of international cooperation in promoting sustainable finance.

Trainee presented the Green Action Plan

More than 60 trainees from 57 financial institutions in Zhejiang Province, including 3 policy banks, 4 state-owned commercial banks, 12 shareholding commercial banks, 19 urban & rural banks, financial leasing companies and insurance, etc., attended the training jointly with regulatory authorities at provincial level.

Keith Lee, WWF Singapore presented the 6P ESG Integration Framework

The training modules were tailor-made upon the needs and expectations of PBoC and local banks, aiming to build green finance capacity amongst Chinese banks with a focus of integrating ESG factors into sustainable strategy formulation, governance structure, investment decision-making processes, product development and risk management. The profiles of seven trainers represented a good mix of finance and environmental expertise. Leading green finance experts from Chinese banks, including ICBC Urban Finance Research Institute, Industrial Bank, Bank of Jiangsu, as well as top sustainability experts from China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP), Lianhe Equator Environmental Impact Assessment Co. Ltd., SynTao Green Finance and WWF Singapore delivered the trainings in a practice-focused manner.

The participatory methodology was widely adopted for the training courses with a combination of best practices, principles and tools, peer learning and case studies. The trainees enjoyed the real-case simulation and presented topics on green bonds and green re-financing, the Green Bank Action Plan, and one specific inclusive green finance product – a livestock rearing (pig) project. Moreover, trainees also submitted 53 cases which snapshot banks’ insights on environmental and social risks relevant to their credit policy and investment decisions, and also enabled bankers’ self-reflection on the “green” aspects of their business operations.

The training was highly acknowledged by PBoC HangZhou and banks. Mr. Wang Qufei, Division Director of PBoC Hang Zhou commented “the training helped us to get a new understanding of green finance, and it gave banks hands-on guidance to apply green finance practices and promote green finance work in our daily work”. The Head of the Green Finance Department at theIndustrial Bank, Mrs. Zhang Hongbo highly recognized the training as one of the most substantive and pragmatic programs”.