Interview - Elisabeth Minjauw, BNP Paribas Fortis

Q1: What is your personal role in your institution regarding clean energy financing (including energy efficiency)?  

I represent the bank in the sector federations on the topic of sustainability related matters in retail credits. Within BNP Paribas group, I am the single point of contact for the Energy Efficient Mortgage Initiative.

In my day-to-day job, I ensure the implementation of all sustainability topics within the credit domain.

Q2: How has your bank integrated energy efficiency financing throughout its operations? Is energy efficiency a priority or a special role in your lending policies?

Energy Efficiency Financing is really important to us. BNP Paribas considers its duty to contribute to a better future. We bring diverse players together to direct the financial capital to projects that address the issue of climate change, and more broadly, sustainable economic development. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the United Nations Environment Programme and our CEO. UNEP FI and BNP Paribas will scale the collaborative effort by establishing sustainable finance facilities in many developing countries with a target funding amount of 10 billion dollars by2025. This through sourcing funding & arranging and issuing green loans.

Q3: How can support and networking through EU initiatives (such as EEFIG) help promote sustainable energy efficiency financing throughout your institutions operations?

EEFIG brings together many fascinating players that work on a scientific approach on different areas that concern energy efficient financing, looking at the enablers and barriers, the evolution of financing practices, secondary markets, … . Many case studies have been discussed and they provided very useful insights

Q4: How will your bank play a bigger role in promoting the messages of EEFIG throughout your company and in your countries of operation?

 Our bank discusses on the EEFIG topics mentioned above and sees how it can implement further these ideas in order to accelerate the energy efficient financing.