Call for expert contribution

UNEP FI and PRI work together to start a discussion and provide information on how investment banking activities can be steered towards better incorporation of sustainability considerations.
As intermediaries in primary financial markets, investment banks play an important role in the financial system by underwriting the issuance of securities, facilitating financial transactions, advising on mergers and acquisitions and providing research. As a result, they can have a significant influence on integrating sustainability in the financial system. However, there is little information about the progress investment banks made towards integrating sustainability issues in their activities and services.
While there is a multitude of sustainability frameworks and principles available to banks and investors, they do not seem to be widely applied in investment banking activities. In addition, there are no industry-specific frameworks or guidelines on how to consider sustainability issues in investment banking and how investment banking can support achieving sustainability goals. While this could be due to the specific nature of certain investment banking activities, for instance where the assets involved are not reflected on a balance sheet, we believe it is important to start a discussion on how investment banks could support the transition to a sustainable financial system.
In order to incorporate various views and expertise in this work, we invite experts to participate in the process of the thought piece development. This will be done through the personal interviews to take place in July-August 2022.
Please contact me at elena.koritchenko@un.org to learn more details.