Supporting companies in their energy and ecological transition
Faced with the environmental and climate emergency, companies must accelerate their transition to a more planet-friendly economy. As a financier of the energy and ecological transition of its clients, BNP Paribas has positioned itself as their preferred partner in terms of support and advice. Overview of the Group’s initiatives.
To provide expertise and advice to its clients, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps in the energy transition sector, Commercial & Personal Banking in France (CPBF) set up its “Green Desk”, a business centre dedicated to this clientele. The companies in this growing ecosystem are backed by a team of specialised bankers, who are also able to liaise with the Group’s experts. CPBF also created a dedicated service panel to support all companies in their CSR transition initiatives. Through an ecosystem of targeted partners, they can be introduced to players providing non-banking solutions, ranging from carbon assessments to extra-financial rating and impact strategy consultancy.
Lastly, CPBF is offering its business clients and very small businesses (VSEs) a new “Crédit Green” package, which complements the existing products provided to businesses by Arval and BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions. It aims at financing sustainable equipment (electric vehicles, batteries, etc.) and projects (photovoltaic, methanisation).
Contributing to the creation of the first offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea
Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB) is one of the main arrangers, acting alongside other financial institutions, of the €4.4 billion financing line for the first wind farm to be built in the Polish waters of the Baltic Sea. This project is sponsored by the Orlen Group and Northland Power. This transaction was made possible by the in-depth local knowledge and support of the teams at BNP Paribas Bank Polska and BNP Paribas Canada, as well as the significant renewable energy expertise of the CIB teams. This 76-wind-turbine farm will provide green energy to over 1.5 million Polish households by 2026.
Providing targeted financing solutions
For their part, BNP Paribas Personal Finance and BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions are joining forces to provide businesses with targeted financing solutions for assets in the “green tech” sector - solar panels, heat pumps and chargers for electric vehicles - in Poland, Italy and France.
Launching impact financing in Luxembourg
BGL BNP Paribas was the first bank to launch impact financing in Luxembourg. This type of loan, which links interest rates to sustainable indicators, encourages companies to strengthen their CSR commitments while financing their development projects. The loan’s interest rate is lowered if environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives are met. Impact financing is an accelerator of a company’s CSR policy, regardless of its degree of maturity.
The Group, helping clients undertake their first sustainable financing projects
BNP Paribas arranged two pioneering sustainable financing operations:
- The first sustainability-linked loan in Morocco was carried out through a BMCI and Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB) collaboration, with a view to financing the acquisition of Atlas Bottling Company by Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company Morocco (for €200 million). This loan is tied to the company’s performance in reducing its CO2 emissions, cutting water use and collecting used bottles.
- The first ESG rating-linked loan for the Polish public services company GPEC was carried out by teams at BNP Paribas Bank Polska and CIB Germany (for €11 million). This financing is conditional on the improvement of the company’s ESG ratings.