€450m
This is the budget committed by BNP Paribas for its own account investments in favour of the ecological transition, biodiversity, local development and positive social impact. In 2021, in partnership with the Solar Impulse Foundation, we also initiated the structuring of the BNP Paribas Solar Impulse Venture fund, which is open to third‑party investors. Managed by BNP Paribas Agility Capital, this fund will invest €150m to €200m in innovative start‑ups committed to the ecological transition, in order to accelerate their development.
The ecological transition represents a significant challenge.
We are gradually integrating environmental and social criteria into all our decisions alongside traditional financial criteria. This involves transforming all our processes and information chains to process data on an industrial scale concerning our customers’ relationship with the climate, as well as biodiversity, human rights, local communities and business ethics. This is fundamental work that also involves training our employees to support our customers in their transition. To do this, we rely on broad common reference frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. We are using these frameworks to define the trajectory required for the sectors we finance to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Concerning biodiversity, we participate in the Taskforce on Nature‑related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) to develop new standards and a common reporting framework to protect our natural capital.
SUPPORTING THE ENERGY TRANSITION
BNP Paribas is stepping up actions to finance the energy transition. As such, BNP Paribas Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB) supported IONITY, the leading European high‑power charging network for electric vehicles, in its development throughout Europe as the exclusive financial advisor raising €700m in funds. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, CIB coordinated a £430m loan for the energy transition of Wood Plc, which specialises in the energy and construction sectors. This is the first transition loan granted by the government agency UK Export Finance.