The banking sector is ready and willing to meet companies’ financing needs as they transition to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly economy. This was stated by our Director of Strategy and Sustainability, Juan Carlos Delrieu, at the “3rd Observatory on Savings and Investment in Spain”, organised by Europa Press, Bestinver and IESE.
As was highlighted at COP26 and through the commitment of the Net Zero Banking Alliance, signed by 75% of the Spanish banking sector, banks are ready to drive a greener productive model and respond through different financial products and services for all segments of the population, he said.
Delrieu emphasised the value of investors beginning to show “greater awareness and understanding of responsible investment and ESG criteria (environmental, social and governance, by its acronym in English) in order to contribute positively to the climate transition”.
One in three Spanish investors already knows the criteria that qualify an investment as socially responsible, and at least 26% say they have investments that meet ESG criteria, according to data from the Observatory presented on 18 November at the Madrid Stock Exchange.
“The relationship between financial education and saving is very positive, and there is growing appetite among households to increase their financial knowledge,” Delrieu said at the event.
In this context, AEB’s Director of Strategy and Sustainability encouraged the design of “the right incentives” to promote long-term saving, while regretting the current uncertainty around saving through pension plans and recalling that penalising saving “is a mistake”.
