B4NZ

🌟 The Official Release of the B4NZ Spotlight Series! 🌟 We are thrilled to announce the launch of our B4NZ Spotlight Series, a celebration of the remarkable efforts and innovative projects spearheaded by our dedicated members and their organisations. This series is a testament to the impactful work being done within our ecosystem, highlighting the strides we are making towards a sustainable and net zero future. As B4NZ turns 5, we take immense pride in the collective achievements of our community. Our members are at the forefront of driving change, implementing sustainable practices, and championing initiatives that pave the way for a greener, more resilient world. A heartfelt thank you to our members for their extraordinary contributions. Your commitment and hard work are truly inspiring. 📢 Join Us: Get in touch if you would like to join the collaboration accelerating the UK towards net zero. Stay tuned for the inspiring stories and insights that will be featured in our Spotlight Series. Together, we can dare to be extraordinary. Tide Santander UK British Business Bank HSBC Allica Bank ClearBank Handelsbanken OakNorth Paragon Impact Paragon Banking Group PLC Triodos Bank Ecology Building Society NatWest Group Atom bank Oxbury Bank Plc Perenna Development Bank of Wales Tred Perenna Aldermore Bank Institute of Directors (IoD) Kamma Data KPMG UK Opna Sage PwC UK WWF-UK Tim Lord Will Smith Tessa Vincent Karen Ellis Carmen Cheng Heather Buchanan Hannah Cool Richard Winder Timothy Coates Oliver Thornton Orla Shields Matt Bullivant Conrad Ford

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the 2024 B4NZ Impact Report: "Commitments into Action"🎉! In a world where sustainable finance is essential for a net-zero future, B4NZ has become a powerful advocate for impactful, pre-competitive collaboration. Our latest report details four years of progress and the road ahead, showcasing the collective strength and commitment of the B4NZ community. Here are some of the highlights: 🌿 Driving Decarbonisation: B4NZ is translating ambitious climate targets into tangible action, tackling challenges in sectors like SME decarbonisation, greening the built environment, and accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture. 🤝 Strengthening Networks: We’re bridging gaps between policymakers, industry, and civil society, ensuring diverse voices shape a resilient, sustainable financial system. Partnerships with organisations like the OECD - OCDE, United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the High-Level Climate Champions underscore our commitment to scalable, collaborative solutions. 🌍 Global Leadership: From COP26 to COP30, B4NZ is driving international dialogue and capacity building toward innovative approaches to mobilising sustainable finance. 💼 Member Momentum: B4NZ’s membership spans 24 diverse institutions—from leading banks and fintech firms to essential technology providers—illustrating the breadth and scale of cross-sector support for real economy decarbonisation. With members active in 60+ countries, our commitment to global net-zero action is unwavering. Explore the report to see how B4NZ and our ecosystem are shaping future policy interventions and solutions to accelerate sustainable flows toward the real economy 👇

🌍 B4NZ Response to the Government’s Consultation on its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy 🌱 B4NZ submitted our response to the UK Government’s consultation on its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy last week. We highlighted the following priorities to help strengthen the accelerate the UK’s green transition:   💡 Fast-track the UK Green Taxonomy: A clear and credible Green Taxonomy is essential to guide investment, build confidence, and tackle greenwashing. We urge swift implementation and alignment with international standards such as the EU taxonomy. 📜 Simplify Sustainability Disclosures: Transparency is vital, but it mustn’t come at the expense of smaller businesses. We advocate for the Government to establish clear, proportionate, and realistic guidance for SMEs to report GHG emissions in line with the recommendations the B4NZ-convened SME Data Taskforce is preparing. 🚀 Mandate Transition Plans with Urgency: The climate crisis demands immediate action. Existing frameworks, like the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), provide a strong foundation for credible, actionable transition plans. 🌱 Invest in Nature-Based Solutions (NbS): Solutions such as reforestation and wetland restoration deliver dual benefits for carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Public-private partnerships and blended finance and de-risking models are key to scaling these initiatives. 🌍 Support Emerging Economies: As a global financial hub, the UK must lead by enabling investments in developing markets. Blended finance and clear policy frameworks must unlock the capital needed for clean energy and sustainable infrastructure. At B4NZ, we believe the UK can lead the way in building a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive financial system—but achieving this requires urgent, coordinated action. We look forward to working with our partners and stakeholders to shape a greener, fairer future for all.   Read our full response below  👇

🌍 UK Government Publishes Clean Power 2030 Action Plan The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan highlights the critical role of private investment in driving the UK’s transition to a greener, more resilient economy. We’re encouraged to see policy explicitly targeting the financial barriers to decarbonising our energy grid and developing renewable energy solutions. Key Aspects of the Action Plan: ⚡ Accelerating Renewable Energy: The plan aims to reduce the time and complexity of developing clean energy projects by prioritising streamlined approvals and investment incentives, —helping us get closer to a 100% renewable energy system. 💰 Mobilising Private Finance: The plan will unlock private capital to meet the enormous investment required for this energy transition—ensuring a collaborative, scalable approach to sustainable growth. 🏗️ Enabling Infrastructure: The plan establishes pathways supporting the buildout of modern, efficient energy infrastructure is crucial to powering homes, businesses, and communities with green energy while meeting our net-zero commitments. 🤝 Driving Collaboration: This plan underscores the importance of government, private industry, and local communities working together to deliver real results. By aligning policy and finance, we can accelerate the pace of change while creating long-term opportunities for innovation and job creation. We’re excited about the possibilities this plan could unlock and look forward to working with our partners to contribute to the UK’s journey to Net Zero. 

⏰ ⏰ Join Us Today! This afternoon, B4NZ members, ImpactScope will host a session on a 'Bankers' Guide to Anti-Greenwashing: Regulations, Red Flags, and AI Detection Tools'. The ImpactScope team, with support from their data science partners Insig AI, will unpack the complexities of the regulatory landscape and showcase how cutting-edge AI tools are used by regulators to spot and address greenwashing in corporate communications. This workshop is your opportunity to gain crucial insights into greenwashing risks within the UK banking sector’s corporate communications and learn how to navigate this evolving challenge effectively. Register now via the following link: https://lnkd.in/diMnVpsb

🌍 Building a Greener, More Resilient Future: Labour’s Vision for Economic Growth In his recent "Plan for Change" speech, Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled bold ambitions to reshape the UK’s economy through sustainability and resilience. His vision aligns closely with our own commitment to fostering economic growth that benefits both people and the planet. Key Highlights from the Speech: ⚡ Clean Energy by 2030: Starmer outlined plans to put the UK on track for 95% clean power by 2030, a transformative step towards combating climate change and ensuring energy security. 🏡 Sustainable Housing: Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes prioritises affordability and energy efficiency. By focusing on brownfield sites, the plan aims to protect green spaces while revitalising communities and addressing the housing crisis. 🏗️ Infrastructure for Growth: The strategy includes streamlining approvals and accelerating delivery for energy and housing projects. This investment is designed to modernise the UK’s infrastructure, reduce carbon emissions, and drive economic development. 🤝 Our Commitment to Collaboration: We welcome these announcements and recognise the scale of effort required to turn these ambitions into reality. Achieving these goals will demand strong collaboration between the government, private sector, and local communities.

🎉 Congratulations to Allica Bank! 🎉 Allica Bank has been named the fastest-growing company in all of Europe, ranking #1 on the Sifted 250 Leaderboard for 2024! At B4NZ, we are incredibly proud to have Allica as part of our network. Their phenomenal growth is a testament to their dedication to serving established SMEs—offering a much-needed alternative to traditional high-street banks. This achievement reflects their hard work, innovation, and commitment to supporting the business community. A massive well done to the entire Allica team for reaching this milestone! 👏 Conrad Ford Richard Davies

Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings Regime 🏡 We are pleased to see the publication of the consultation on changes to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). At B4NZ, we have been actively working with government, industry, and civil society to ensure this topic remains on the political agenda. EPC reform is critical to unlocking finance for large-scale retrofit projects. From a financial perspective, a significant challenge persists—without precise measurements, financial institutions face difficulties when funding energy efficiency solutions, which hampers the seamless flow of finance into retrofitting the built environment. We look forward to responding to this consultation on behalf of B4NZ members. Contact us if you’d like to get involved in our work! https://lnkd.in/dD6yEUa3

✨ 🎄Winter Warm Up: B4NZ Member Festive Drinks ✨ 🎄 
 Last week, we gathered for the first-ever B4NZ Exclusive Members Event, and what a night it was! Our Winter Warm Up brought together an inspiring group of industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers for an evening filled with connection, celebration, and collaboration.  
 We’re proud to now have over 30 fantastic members, each bringing invaluable expertise and direction to our organisation and workstreams. We’re incredibly grateful for their engagement, insights, and commitment to driving our collective success.  
 As we wrapped up a successful 2024, we took time to: 🎉 Reconnect after a busy event season 💭 Share ideas and set bold priorities for 2025 🤝 Strengthen relationships across our thriving network 🥂Celebrate the remarkable milestones we’ve achieved together this year 
 If you missed out, don’t worry—we’ve got even more in store for our members in the new year. Let's make 2025 our best year yet - together. 
 If your organisation is looking to expand its network, collaborate with like-minded leaders, and stay ahead of the curve, now is the perfect time to join us. Want to know more about B4NZ membership? Reach out—we’d love to chat. 
 A special thank you to our hosts, Anthony Hobley and the team at Howden for providing such a fantastic space and warm hospitality—it was the perfect setting to reflect on 2024 and look ahead to 2025.  
 Tide PwC KPMG UK Allica Bank Opna OakNorth Ecology Building Society Handelsbanken Allwyn UK Experian Sage Atom bank NatWest Group Tred ImpactScope Oxbury Bank Plc Triodos Bank British Business Bank Kamma Paragon Impact Paragon Banking Group PLC Climeworks Gamma Risk Institute of Directors (IOD) ClearBank Development Bank of Wales Perenna

One Week To Go! 📢 Join us on Monday 9th December, for a session hosted by new B4NZ members, ImpactScope for a session on 'Bankers' Guide to Anti-Greenwashing: Regulations, Red Flags, and AI Detection Tools'. The ImpactScope team, with support from their data science partners Insig AI, will unpack the complexities of the regulatory landscape and showcase how cutting-edge AI tools are used by regulators to spot and address greenwashing in corporate communications. This workshop is your opportunity to gain crucial insights into greenwashing risks within the UK banking sector’s corporate communications and learn how to navigate this evolving challenge effectively. Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/diMnVpsb