Customers of Center-invest Bank — enterprises from Rostov, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Volgograd and Nizhny Novgorod — received ESG Leader diplomas for high ESG ratings, commitment to sustainable banking principles and stable financial performance.

 Center-invest Bank introduced the ESG rating system for small and medium-sized businesses in the beginning of 2022. All borrowers are ranked in 7 ESG categories from A to G, depending on how they take into account environmental, social and management responsibility issues in the implementation of their activities. More than 1,000 clients have received an ESG rating that reflects their degree of commitment the principles of sustainable development.

ESG-rating is used by the bank along with the traditional financial analysis of the customer’s business. The degree of customer stability affects the interest rate on the loan — the higher the rating, the lower the rate. 

«We are proud of our entrepreneurs — the results of the implementation of ESG ratings has showed that 87.5% of the bank’s customers enter the top 3 quality categories. The work of Center-invest Bank with small and medium-sized businesses to implement ESG principles, methods and technologies makes it possible to form a high-quality loan portfolio and grow a new generation of entrepreneurs with the values ​​of sustainable development,» comments Maria Khristolubova, Deputy Head of Corporate banking. 

The new lending system based on the ESG rating is part of the Center-invest Bank’s ESG-Digitalization 2.0 strategy, bringing together the global Sustainable Development Goals and the priorities of Russian national projects. As of April 1, 2022, the bank’s total investments in the Sustainable Development Goals amounted to RUB 321.5 billion, and in National projects — RUB 281.3 billion.