Nepal Bankers’ Association (NBA), in partnership with Invest for Impact Nepal (IIN) successfully organized a seminar titled “Integrating Climate Finance & Green Finance Taxonomy in the Banking Industry of Nepal”. The event marked a pivotal moment for Nepal’s financial sector and other stakeholders as it seeks to align with global climate finance strategies and green finance taxonomy.
The seminar kicked off with welcome remarks from H.E. Dr. Danielle Meuwly, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal, follow by a presentation from Mr. Sunil K.C., President, NBA. Mr. K.C. emphasized the importance of climate finance in Nepal’s banking industry and reaffirmed NBA’s commitment to promoting sustainable finance. Special Guest of the event Mr. Michael Jongeneel, CEO of FMO Netherlands, shared his vision of how the banking industry can lead in promoting climate finance.
A key highlight of the event was the launch of the Sustainable Finance Department at NBA, jointly launched by Mr. Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), H.E. Dr. Danielle Meuwly and Mr. Michael Jongeneel. With a theme “Paving the Path for a Greener and Resilient Future” NBA officially launched the establishment of the Sustainable Finance Department at NBA.
Chief Guest of the event the Governor highlighted the significant policy milestone announcing that NRB is nearing the final stages of implementing the Green Taxonomy Guideline, and also stressed the importance of making these guidelines National-level Documents, underscoring their crucial role in bringing the country’s financial sector in line with international green finance benchmarks.
The seminar’s technical session was led by Ms. Yulanda Chung, former Managing Director of DBS Singapore and Sustainability Expert at Standard Chartered Bank UK, who delved into the integration of climate finance and green finance. She addressed key principles in understanding climate risks and their relevance to Nepal’s banking sector, along with green financial products and the evolving regulatory landscape.
The event’s dynamic panel discussion brought together leading experts from key organization including Mr. Guru Prasad Paudel, Executive Director, Nepal Rastra Bank; Ms. Jeesun Han, Manager, Energy-Asia and ECA, FMO; Ms. Antonia Fluck, Programme Manager, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; Ms. Katja Silva-Leander, Managing Director, Cadmus UK; Mr. Dipak Kumar De, Executive Committee Member, Nepal Bankers’ Association; and the session was moderated by Mr. Buddhika Samarasinghe, Programme Director, Invest for Impact Nepal. The session sparked engaging dialogue on integrating climate finance strategies into banking operations. The panelists explored key opportunities and challenges, including the importance of regulatory frameworks, risk management, and innovative green financial products.
The program was participated by over 200 participants from various sectors, including government officials, development partners, officials from commercial banks, medias and concerned stakeholders.
