Center-invest Bank presented its experience for the preparation of a state report on the progress of implementing the Strategy for the social and economic development of the Russian Federation with low greenhouse gas emissions until 2050.
For over 30 years, Center-invest Bank has been creating a sustainable client relationship ecosystem, encouraging all participants to take a responsible approach to environmental and social issues. Responsibility for natural resources, caring for the environment and the health of future generations are an integral part of the bank’s ESG strategy.
Since 2005, the bank has been implementing a program to improve energy efficiency. The bank provides targeted loans to businesses and households to promote modern technologies and measures aimed at energy consumption reduction, as well as preferential green mortgages for the purchase of properties of higher energy efficiency class. Over this time, the bank has funded 24,792 projects worth 23.7 billion rubles. The environmental effect of this work is equal to the annual reduction of СО2 emissions into the atmosphere by 280,258 tons.
The bank has developed its own methodology for assessing environmental, social and corporate risks of its clients’ business. At present, 5,056 loans with the total amount of 36.9 billion rubles entered the non-financial rating, which is 88% of the entire corporate loan portfolio.
Since 2023, the bank has been assessing the carbon footprint of all new mortgages and loans to agricultural enterprises. The assessment was carried out on 3,443 mortgage loans with the total amount of 11.1 billion rubles and 1,624 agricultural loans for 14.0 billion rubles.
The bank has developed its own methodology for assessing environmental, social and corporate risks of its clients’ business. By the year-end 2023, 4,393 loans for the total amount of 31.1 billion rubles have undergone non-financial rating, which constitutes 80% of the entire corporate loan portfolio.
Center-invest Bank keeps track of its own carbon footprint. The bank uses energy from solar panels installed on the roof of its head office and purchases energy produced at solar power plant. Thus, by 2023, the bank will have achieved more than half of its own carbon neutrality.
In 2024, the bank approved the Partnership Code for Sustainable Development with recommended requirements for all the bank’s partners to manage environmental and climate risks.
The leading rating agency of the Russian Federation, ACRA, assigned the Center-invest Bank an ESG-AA rating of level ESG-2. To date, this is the best result among Russian companies.