In this edition we discuss several updates aimed at the financial sector, including transition planning reports published by the Network for Greening the Financial System, prudential guidance from the Bank of England on how...more
HHS Cybersecurity Performance Goals and the Healthcare Industry - The healthcare industry is a major target for cyberattacks because of all of the personal information collected from patients. Recognizing that the healthcare...more
On December 21, 2023, the New York Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) published guidance (the Guidance) to assist regulated institutions in assessing and managing their climate-related financial and operational risks....more
On December 21, 2023, the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) finalized guidance on how the banks and mortgage institutions it regulates (“New York Institutions”) should manage climate-related financial and...more
Climate Risk Assessments for banking purposes are in the early stages of development. No laws or regulations have been issued regarding the topic. Nonetheless, it is obvious that lawmakers and regulators are keenly intent on...more
On October 17, 2023, Themis, a technology platform that helps its clients manage their financial crime risk exposure, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK, announced that they are working together to produce a Deforestation and...more
The September 2023 publication by the U.S. Treasury Department of its Principles for Net-Zero Financing and Investment ("Principles") marks the first time a major U.S. government agency has provided guidance to the financial...more
On September 18, 2023, following a two-year development process, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) published its final recommendations (the Recommendations) to help market participants with...more
At a September legal conference convened by the European Central Bank (ECB), Frank Elderson, a member of the ECB’s executive board and vice-chair of its supervisory board, observed the increasing risk of climate lawsuits and...more
On September 19, 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department introduced nine guiding principles for private sector financial institutions that have made net-zero commitments. The principles are intended to highlight and encourage the...more
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Hong Kong’s de facto central banking institution, issued a directive for banks setting out high-level principles on planning for a transition to a net-zero economy. In a “Dear CEO”...more
In a report published in August 2023, non-profit disclosure organization CDP concluded that financial institutions often are not accounting for nature-related risks and opportunities in their “financial decision-making,” and...more
In early September 2023, the Green Technical Advisory Group (GTAG) issued two reports relating to the treatment of green financial products and taxonomy reporting. GTAG was established in 2021 and is an expert group that...more
In June 2023, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) published a draft of its Financial Institutions Net Zero (FINZ) Standard to enable financial institutions to establish targets consistent with achieving net-zero...more
In a report published in June 2023, the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) claims that many financial institutions’ climate strategies are not currently aligned with global climate goals under the Paris...more
In May 2023, the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) released a report on the first edition of its Financial System Benchmark, which assesses financial institutions’ progress toward climate change goals. The WBA is a non-profit...more
As part of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) 2021 action plan to incorporate climate change considerations into its monetary policy, the ECB conducted a climate risk stress test of the Eurosystem balance sheet in 2022. Those...more
On March 27, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Taxonomy Board (ATB), representing ASEAN finance sectoral bodies, released Version 2 of the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance. This follows Version 1, which...more
The Net Zero transition will not be smooth. The scale of the investment required and the appetite and ability of countries to implement new policy – both now and in the years to come – will cause unprecedented disruption and...more
The Bank of England released a report titled Climate-Related Risks and the Regulatory Capital Framework (Report) on March 13, 2023. The Report expands on the Bank’s 2021 Climate Change Adaptation Report (CCAR), in which it...more
Between February 23 and March 3, three leading global financial institutions announced updated environmentally linked targets aimed at reducing by 2030 their financed emissions in carbon intensive sectors, including oil &...more
Last month, Singapore’s Green Finance Industry Taskforce (GFIT) launched the final consultation period to finalize its Green and Transition Taxonomy (the “Taxonomy”). This is Singapore’s third public consultation on the...more
Under a proposed amendment to the UK’s Financial Services and Markets Bill, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) could be empowered to review appropriate risk weighting and capital requirements associated with a...more
On February 13, 2023, as part of the European Commission’s Strategy for financing transition to a sustainable economy, the European Banking Authority (EBA) launched an industry survey seeking input on green loans and...more
On February 9, 2023, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, urging the World Bank to “evolve” and be “bolder and more imaginative” in its operational approach to tackling...more