*New* SBFN Data Portal
The new SBFN Data portal is the most comprehensive database of sustainable finance initiatives in emerging markets and developing economies, enabling regular and consistent monitoring and benchmarking across countries, regions, and indicators.
Webinar Series for SBFN Members and Partners!
SBFN and the IFRS Foundation are co-hosting a three-monthly Webinar Series, Get Ahead of the Curve with IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards, especially designed for SBFN members and partners. This series will introduce participants to jurisdictional approaches to adopting the ISSB Standards and will feature a country case study that illustrates how to navigate the adoption journey.
Join us on May 8 2025, for the second session “Introducing the Jurisdictional Roadmap Development Tool, part I.” This session will provide a guided walk-through of the tool’s components and templates, with a focus on key considerations for regulators and reporting entities.
*New* Post-event Advisory: Global Partners Advance Sustainable Finance Taxonomy Interoperability
Leading global institutions and initiatives convened a roundtable in Geneva to discuss implementation of the Roadmap for Advancing Interoperability and Comparability of Sustainable Finance Taxonomies, launched during COP29 in Azerbaijan last November. The roundtable participants emphasized the growing importance of interoperability in the global sustainable finance ecosystem. It was agreed that the Taxonomy Roadmap will serve as a key global platform for coordination, collaboration and alignment of taxonomy initiatives, helping organizations better align their efforts, reduce redundancies, and establish stronger linkages between their activities/efforts and the Roadmap’s key pillars.
*New* Roadmap for Advancing Interoperability and Comparability of Sustainable Finance Taxonomies
The Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) launched the “Roadmap for Advancing Interoperability and Comparability of Sustainable Finance Taxonomies” in partnership with the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBAR) as part of the country’s leadership for COP29, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Platform on Sustainable Finance (IPSF).
The objective of the roadmap is to connect and coordinate various ongoing efforts related to sustainable finance frameworks and operationalize them through clear, practical, and coordinated actions.
SBFN 8TH GLOBAL MEETING
The IFC-facilitated Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) successfully concluded its 8th Global Meeting on September 11-12, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro, alongside the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) meeting, marking a significant milestone in the global effort to align sustainable finance frameworks and amplify the voice of emerging markets on the international stage.
With over 140 speakers and participants from 60 countries, this gathering underscored the essential role of emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) in the global transition towards a resilient, low-carbon economy. It marked a significant step forward in fostering international dialogue and collaboration in sustainable finance.
*New* SBFN Data Portal
The new SBFN Data portal is the most comprehensive database of sustainable finance initiatives in emerging markets and developing economies, enabling regular and consistent monitoring and benchmarking across countries, regions, and indicators.
2024 SBFN Global Progress Brief
The 2024 SBFN Global Progress Brief, offers a comprehensive benchmarking of sustainable finance trends and innovations across 66 member countries covering three pillars of sustainable finance: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Integration, Climate and Nature-Related Risk Management, and Financing Sustainability.
2024 SBFN Global Progress Brief
The 2024 SBFN Global Progress Brief, offers a comprehensive benchmarking of sustainable finance trends and innovations across 66 member countries covering three pillars of sustainable finance: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Integration, Climate and Nature-Related Risk Management, and Financing Sustainability.
*New* IFC Partners with the IFRS Foundation
IFC, a host of the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) Secretariat, and the IFRS Foundation have officially partnered to strengthen sustainable capital markets by improving sustainability and climate reporting.
*New* SBFN Toolkit on Sustainable Finance Taxonomies
The SBFN Toolkit on Sustainable Finance Taxonomies aims to support financial sector regulators, banking associations, and interested users in emerging markets as they navigate the complexities of developing or updating taxonomies.
The toolkit provides:
- Practical findings and examples from SBFN members that have implemented taxonomies.
- Emerging common elements of taxonomies.
- Guidance on the steps that countries can follow to strengthen the governance, design, and implementation of their taxonomies.
- Ideas on ‘levels of interoperability‘ to facilitate discussion moving forward.
- High-level profiles for 12 SBFN countries and 3 regions.
This toolkit will continue to evolve as new knowledge and solutions become available.
ABOUT SBFN
The Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) is a platform for knowledge sharing and capacity building on sustainable finance for financial sector regulators and industry associations across emerging markets.
Facilitated by IFC as secretariat, and supported by the World Bank Group, SBFN helps mobilize information, resources, and practical support for members to design and implement national initiatives that advance sustainable finance at national, regional, and global levels.
Members are committed to moving their financial sectors towards sustainability, with the twin goals to:
Improve the management of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks – including climate risks – across the financial sector.
Increase capital flows to activities with positive environmental and social impacts, including climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Featured SBFN Member Stories
Watch our members share inspiring insights with the SBFN community on their sustainable finance journey, their key achievements, as well as their vision for the future of the network and sustainable finance in their countries, regions, and globally.
In the latest testimony, Mr Koba Gvenetadze, the outgoing Governor of the National Bank of Georgia shares his organization’s journey in transforming ideas into measurable outcomes, guided by the sustainable finance roadmap and in partnership with SBFN and IFC.
Member
Countries
Member
Institutions
Banking Assets
Supervised
SBFN 2021 Global Progress Report and Country Reports
and
Evidence of Policy Innovations and Market Actions for Sustainable Finance across 62 Emerging Markets
What's New
SBFN and CASI co-host a roundtable discussion to advance Sustainable Finance Taxonomy Interoperability in Africa
On March 27, the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) hosted the Sustainable Finance Taxonomies Roundtable in Johannesburg, South Africa. Held on the sidelines of the Africa Sustainability Forum, organized by the Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI), the Roundtable brought together regional and local policymakers, practitioners, and experts in sustainable finance taxonomies.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka Launches the Sustainable Finance Roadmap 2.0
On May 5, 2025, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, a member of the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN), launched the Sustainable Finance Roadmap 2.0, a major milestone in the country’s journey towards sustainability.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) as its newest member
The SECP, established in 1999, serves as the primary regulator of the country’s capital markets, corporate sector, insurance, and non-banking financial companies. Recent initiatives by the SECP to promote sustainable finance include the issuance of Green Bonds Guidelines in 2021, facilitating the corporate sector in raising funds for environmentally beneficial projects.
Working Groups
Currently four member-led thematic working groups are established within SBFN
Member-led Research
2024
Global Progress
Brief
2021
Global Progress
Report
2020
Necessary
Ambition
The Sustainable Banking and Finance Network
Evidence of Policy Innovations and
Market Actions across 62 Emerging Markets.
The Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) is a platform for knowledge sharing and capacity building on sustainable finance for financial sector regulators and industry associations across emerging markets.
Facilitated by IFC as secretariat, and supported by the World Bank Group, SBFN helps mobilize information, resources, and practical support for members to design and implement national initiatives that advance sustainable finance at national, regional, and global levels.
Member
Countries
Member
Institutions
Banking Assets
Supervised
What's New
SBFN and CASI co-host a roundtable discussion to advance Sustainable Finance Taxonomy Interoperability in Africa
On March 27, the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) hosted the Sustainable Finance Taxonomies Roundtable in Johannesburg, South Africa. Held on the sidelines of the Africa Sustainability Forum, organized by the Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI), the Roundtable brought together regional and local policymakers, practitioners, and experts in sustainable finance taxonomies.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka Launches the Sustainable Finance Roadmap 2.0
On May 5, 2025, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, a member of the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN), launched the Sustainable Finance Roadmap 2.0, a major milestone in the country’s journey towards sustainability.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) as its newest member
The SECP, established in 1999, serves as the primary regulator of the country’s capital markets, corporate sector, insurance, and non-banking financial companies. Recent initiatives by the SECP to promote sustainable finance include the issuance of Green Bonds Guidelines in 2021, facilitating the corporate sector in raising funds for environmentally beneficial projects.
Members
80 financial sector regulators and industry associations from 63 countries in emerging markets
Working Groups
Currently four member-led thematic working groups are established within SBFN
Member-led Research
2021
Global Progress report
2020
Necessary Ambition
2018
Green Bonds Market Report
