30 October, 2026

A recent BankTrack study published for Finance Day at COP17 in Armenia assessed the policies of 30 global banks. It found that only four, BNP Paribas, ING, Rabobank and Standard Chartered, had commitments aligned with the Global Biodiversity Framework. 

The report argues that banks need to look beyond financing nature-positive projects and address biodiversity risks across their existing lending portfolios. Within the study, one-third of the banks had no policies around excluding finance for activities in high-risk biodiversity areas, while only Rabobank had a time-bound transition plan to reduce the negative impacts of its financing on nature. 

This matters, because businesses can both affect nature and depend on it. Land use, water consumption and supply chains damage ecosystems, while businesses may rely on the resources and services those ecosystems provide. For banks, understanding these impacts and dependencies is part of identifying and managing risk. 

Nature finance should not become a separate pot of ‘good’ money alongside business as usual. Banks need to think about how to finance restoration while also assessing and managing nature-related risks across the “business as usual” lending portfolios.  

Looking to better understand your impacts and dependencies on nature? Get in touch. We’d love to discuss how we can help. 

By Bertie Bateman