Equator News Coverage
Environmental standards loom ever larger in banks' lending decisions, by Susanne Bergius, ENDS Report, December 2008
German | English
60 Second Profile on the Equator Principles, Good Practice Newsletter from ICMM, December 2008
Ecology Stamp on Project Finance, by Susanne Bergius, Handelsblatt, 16 July 2008 (in German)
Banks increase their environmental requirements
Promoting Greater Responsibility in Project Financing by Natasha Cappon, Canada, Spring, 2008
China to bring in green loan benchmark, 25 January, 2008
A Question of Principles, Infrastructure Magazine, by Kimberley Gaskin, June 2007
Citigroup to scale up its green spending,The Financial Times, 8 May 2007.
Leaders challenge 'business as usual', Guardian, 6 November 2006
Financial Sector Responsibility
Building a better world (for investors and whales), The Banker, 3 July 2006
Update on the Equator Principles - 2006 Revision, Allens Arthur Robinson, August 2006
The Miami Herald
July 31, 2006.
Building sustainability into syndication, Project Finance - July/August 2006
For Citigroup, Greening Starts With Listening
For people and planet, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 April 2006
Conservation You Can Bank On (Christopher Wright) (PDF - 91k)
'A New Environment', Legal Week 2 February 2006 (Paul Watchman and Charles July of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) (PDF - 2572k)
'Banks Business and Human Rights' (2006) 2 JIBFL 46 (Paul Watchman of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) (PDF - 59k)
Polluters Clean Up Act to Attract Lenders, The Moscow Times, 12 October 2005
The Equator Principles - guidelines for responsible project financing, Focus, Allens Arthur Robinson, August 2005 (PDF - 122k)
Corporate Green, Washington Post, 11 May 2005
Taking The Earth Into Account, Time Europe, 9 May 2005
Principles in Question, The Banker, March 2005 (PDF - 97k)
Banking on the future, Euromoney Syndicated Lending Handbook 2005, December 2004 (PDF - 38k)
A Matter of Principles, Global Finance, January 2005
Principle Finance, Euromoney, October 2004
Putting principles into practice, Environmental Finance, June 2004
'Greening' of financial sector gathering speed, Financial Times, 4 June 2004
"Equator - Risk and Sustainability," from Project Finance International, 2004 Yearbook. (PDF - 429k)
NGOs Bring Bank Scrutiny Back on Track, Ethical Corporation Online, 2 May 2004
Banks contest ban proposed for coal and oil extraction, Financial Times, 5 April 2004
A Matter of Principal, Project Finance, 3 March 2004
The Equator Principles: a milestone or just good PR?, Global Agenda, 26 January 2004
Mizuho To Adopt Environmental Standards In Project Financing, CNNfn, 26 October 2003
Dexia adhère aux "Equator principles", La Tribune, 22 September 2003 (in French)
Western Banks Set Standards for Eco-Friendly Lending. Japanese Banks Far Behind. NGO Keeping Close Watch, Nikkei, 5 September 2003
A point of principle, Global Finance, July 2003
Equator Principles — Why Indian Banks Too Should be Guided by Them, The Hindu, 25 July 2003
Project finance — Standards for Lending, Financial Mail, 25 July 2003
Financiers must meet criteria, Business Day, 14 July 2003
Banks agree new loan guidelines, Ethical Performance, July 2003
Principled finance?, Project Finance, June 2003 Cover Story
Banks club together to turn their notes green, The Age, 22 June 2003
Nikkei Financial Daily, 11 June 2003 (in Japanese - PDF)
Banks' green pledge earns mixed response, swissinfo, 10 June 2003
Greening the banks, The Economist, 7-13 June 2003
Leading banks sign up to project finance principles, Environmental Finance, 6 June 2003
Bancos adotam princípios de responsabilidade social, Valor Econômico, 5 June 2003 (in Portuguese)
Zehn Banken werden zu Umweltschützern, Die Tageszeitung, 5 June 2003 (in German)
Major Banks Endorse Equator Principles, The Peninsula, Qatar, 5 June 2003
The 'Equator Principles' adopted by leading banks, The Times of India, 5 June 2003
Westpac's principles, Australian Financial Review, 5 June 2003
Loan rules with an eye on nature, International Herald Tribune, 5 June 2003
10 global banks endorse socially responsible "Equator Principles", Agence France Presse, 5 June 2003
"THE FLIP SIDE", CNN, 4 June 2003 (transcript)
IFC Head's Remarks at Equator Principles Press Conference, 4 June 2003
Banks sign up for responsible lending accord, Financial Times, 4 June 2003
Banks Accept Environmental Rules, The Wall Street Journal, 4 June 2003
Banks in drive for project principles, Financial Times, 9 April 2003
Four banks adopt IFC agreement, Financial Times, 7 April 2003
Contact
Contact for information
about the Equator Principles
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Become an Adopting Institution
Sixty-eight financial institutions from twenty-seven countries
have adopted the Equator Principles. These financial institutions operate
in over 100 countries. As a result, the Equator Principles have become the
project finance industry standard for addressing environmental and social
issues in project financing globally.
The financial institutions which have adopted the Equator Principles are:
| Argentina |
Banco Galicia |
| Australia |
ANZ
EFIC
National Australia Bank
Westpac Banking Corporation
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| Belgium |
Dexia Group
Fortis Bank NV/SA
KBC Bank N.V. |
| Brazil |
Banco Bradesco
Banco do Brasil
Caixa Econômica Federal
Itau Unibanco S/A
|
| Canada |
BMO Financial Group Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Export Development Canada Manulife
Royal Bank of Canada Scotiabank TD Bank Financial Group |
| Chile |
CORPBANCA |
| China |
Industrial Bank Co., Ltd |
| Colombia |
Bancolombia S.A. |
| Costa Rica |
CIFI |
| Egypt |
Arab African International Bank |
| France |
BNP Paribas Calyon Corporate and Investment
Bank
Societe Generale |
| Denmark |
Eksport Kredit Fonden |
| Germany |
HypoVereinsbank
KfW IPEX-Bank
WestLB AG
|
| Italy |
Intesa Sanpaolo
|
| Japan |
Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd. SMBC The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi
UFJ,Ltd |
| The Netherlands |
ASN Bank NV
FMO
Fortis Bank Nederland
ING Group
Rabobank Group |
| Nigeria |
Access Bank Plc |
| Norway |
DnB Nor |
| Oman |
BankMuscat |
| Portugal |
Banco Espírito Santo Group
Millennium bcp |
| South Africa |
Absa Bank Limited
FirstRand Bank Ltd
Nedbank Group
Standard Bank Group |
| Spain |
Banco Santander BBVA S.A. Caja Navarra la Caixa
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| Sweden |
Nordea SEB |
| Switzerland |
Credit Suisse Group |
| United Kingdom |
Barclays plc HBOS
HSBC Group
Lloyds TSB
Standard Chartered Bank
The Royal Bank of Scotland |
| United States |
Bank of America
Citigroup Inc.
E+Co
JPMorgan Chase
Wells Fargo & Company |
| Uruguay |
Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay |
What does it mean to "adopt" the Equator Principles? Do financial institutions sign
an agreement of some kind?
Each institution adopting the Equator Principles individually declares
that it has or will put in place internal policies and processes that are
consistent with the Equator Principles.
Every financial institution will be required to complete a simple adoption
process.
Below is the existing adoption procedure, which the secretariat introduces
to the Institutions who wish to adopt EPs:
1) An adoption form is filled out by the adopting institution. The EP
adoption form is available here
2) Incoming institution prepares and sends a press release announcing its
adoption to be posted on the EP Website
3) Incoming institution provides a link to their home page and/or
environmental page to be linked to their name which will be added to the
list of adopting banks on the website
4) The adopting institution posts a link to the Equator Principles web site
on its web site.
The adopting institutions shall send the documents mentioned in points 1-3
to the secretariat.
For further details regarding the adoption process, please contact
Secretariat(at)equator-principles(dot)com. Secretariat will respond to the
inquiry within 5 business days.
They may do this at any time.
Advantages for project sponsors of having a broad group of lenders adopt the Equator
Principles include:
- Commonality of approach among lenders saves sponsors the burden of producing
different environmental assessments for different financial institutions and from
trying to meet different standards among lenders
- Implementing transactions more quickly by getting it right the first time
- Having more certainty in project implementation
- Having a more secure, long-term investment
- Gaining reputational advantage
Advantages for financial institutions in a broad group of lenders adopting the
Equator Principles include:
- Using common terminology in assessing environmental and social issues
- Using a common framework for implementation and documentation
- Increasing productivity through reduced transaction time (getting
it right the first time)
- Having more certainty in closing project financings
- Having a safer project loan
- Gaining reputational advantage
Financial institutions that would like to learn more about how to adopt the Equator
Principles should contact
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Institutions Which Have Adopted the Equator Principles
Absa Bank Limited
Access Bank
ANZ
Arab African International Bank
ASN Bank NV
Banco Bradesco
Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay
Banco do Brasil
Banco Galicia
Banco Santander
Bancolombia S.A.
BankMuscat
Bank of America
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
Barclays plc
BBVA
BES Group
BMO Financial Group
BNP Paribas
Caixa Econômica Federal
Caja Navarra
Calyon
CIBC
CIFI
Citigroup Inc.
CORPBANCA
Credit Suisse Group
Dexia Group
DnB Nor
E+Co
EFIC
EKF
Export Development Canada
FirstRand Bank Ltd
FMO
Fortis Bank Nederland
Fortis Bank NV/SA
HBOS
HSBC Group
HypoVereinsbank
Industrial Bank Co., Ltd
ING Group
Intesa Sanpaolo
Itau Unibanco S/A
JPMorgan Chase
KBC
KfW IPEX-Bank
la Caixa
Lloyds TSB
Manulife
Mizuho Corporate Bank
Millennium bcp
National Australia Bank
Nordea
Nedbank Group
Rabobank Group
RBC
Scotiabank
SEB
Societe Generale
Standard Bank Group
Standard Chartered Bank
SMBC
TD Bank Financial Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland
Wells Fargo & Company
WestLB AG
Westpac Banking Corporation
Mailing List
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World Bank/IFC Links
World Bank Guidelines and Criteria Referenced in the Equator Principles
Development Indicators Database
IFC Guidelines and Policies Referenced in the Equator Principles
Sector-Specific EHS Guidelines
Performance Standards
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