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Banks aiming for Net Zero finally have a road map on how to get there

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By illuminem briefings

· 3 min read


illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Wall Street Journal or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has released a new framework to guide financial institutions—such as banks, asset managers, and insurers—on aligning their portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050
The standard mandates a halt to financing fossil fuel expansion and introduces timelines to reduce exposure to deforestation and high-emitting sectors
This comes as several major institutions scale back or abandon previous net-zero commitments

🔭 The context: SBTi’s announcement follows a wave of withdrawals by U.S. and European financial institutions from voluntary climate alliances, including the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA)
Citing political pressure and regulatory uncertainty, firms like JPMorgan, BlackRock, and HSBC have either exited or diluted key climate commitments
Meanwhile, financed emissions—the indirect emissions from lending and investments—remain the largest carbon footprint for most financial entities, posing reputational and systemic risk

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Financial institutions play a critical role in climate mitigation by influencing capital flows. Without clear standards, many continue to fund fossil fuel expansion and deforestation-linked industries, undermining global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. SBTi’s science-based guidance creates a common, enforceable framework to drive decarbonization through the financial system, but its effectiveness hinges on institutional uptake amid rising political resistance.

⏭️ What's next: Institutions seeking SBTi validation must now cease funding fossil fuel expansion and commit to portfolio-level emissions reductions
ING’s example—ending oil and gas financing by 2040 and coal finance by 2025—illustrates the level of ambition expected
Financial institutions must also assess and disclose deforestation risks by 2030, with engagement plans required for high-risk exposures
The coming months will test whether the financial sector will embrace this voluntary standard or continue retreating from climate leadership

💬 One quote: “Financial institutions have the ability to play a transformative role in the transition to net zero … their influence on the global economy is unparalleled,” — Alberto Carrillo Pineda, CTO at SBTi

📈 One stat: SBTi’s new standard requires financial institutions to end general-purpose finance to coal-expanding firms immediately and to oil-and-gas expansion by 2030 at the latest

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illuminem's editorial team, providing you with concise summaries of the most important sustainability news of the day. Follow us on Linkedin, Twitter​ & Instagram

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