Why green bonds from European banks are pivotal to the low carbon transition

They finance more than 90% of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and approximately 80% of European corporates. That means they also have a central role to play in today's biggest crisis: the climate challenge. It is not just their direct financing activities - in the energy sector alone the top 35 banks provided close to $3trn of funding in three years to 2019. But banks also have a critical multiplier effect on the rest of economy through their engagement with existing clients. Engagement between bankers and clients tends to be longstanding and forward-looking and ...