Center-invest Bank customers, namely, businesses in Rostov, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Volgograd, and Nizhny Novgorod, were awarded diplomas of ESG leaders for their high ESG ratings, commitment to sustainable banking principles, and stable financial performance.

Center-invest Bank introduced an ESG rating system for SMEs in 2022. All lenders are ranked into 7 ESG categories from A to G, depending on the degree of environmental, social and governance considerations they incorporate into their activities. Over 1,000 customers were ESG-rated. This rating reflects the extent to which companies are committed to the sustainability principles.

The ESG rating is used by the Bank alongside the traditional financial analysis of the customer’s business when forming a solvency opinion. The customer’s stability degree determines the interest rate of the loan: the higher the rating, the lower the rate.

“We take pride in our entrepreneurs. Our ESG rankings show that 87.5% of the bank’s customers fall into the top 3 quality categories. Center-invest Bank’s work with SMEs to implement ESG principles, methods, and technologies enables us to build a high-quality loan portfolio and cultivate a new generation of entrepreneurs with sustainable development values,” comments Maria Khristolyubova, Deputy Head of the Corporate Services Department.

New ESG-rating-based lending system is part of the ESG-Digitalisation 2.0 strategy of Center-invest Bank, combining the global Sustainable Development Goals and priorities of the National Projects of Russia. As of 01.04.2022, the Bank had invested a total of RUB 321.5 billion in the Sustainable Development Goals and RUB 281.3 billion in the National Projects.