A green finance certificate has been launched in a move to position the UK as the global hub for green finance.
The Lord Mayor of London, Charles Bowman, today (Tuesday) announced the Chartered Banker Institute’s new global benchmark qualification for the financial services sector at the Green Finance Summit.
Known as the Green Finance certificate, the new qualification will aim to encourage financial services professionals to enhance their knowledge of green finance.
Simon Thompson, chief executive of the Chartered Banker Institute, said: “The institute is proud to have launched the world’s first benchmark qualification for green finance.
"We recognize that successfully embedding green finance at the heart of the financial services sector means developing the capabilities of significant numbers of green finance professionals in the UK and globally.
“We strongly believe that this qualification will help these individuals develop and demonstrate the specific knowledge and expertise needed to help direct investments to support transition to a low carbon world, address climate-related risk, and explore green finance opportunities.”
The new certificate aims to provide learners with a comprehensive overview and understanding of the evolving green finance sector and highlights how organisations and individuals can take an active role in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Keith Churchouse, director and chartered financial planner for Guildford-based Chapters Financial, said: “It is great to see this type of initiative being bought to the fore in the City of London as the heart of UK financial services.
"Highly topical, it furthers the cause of environmental focus and this is something that is being championed across many industries and sectors. Other organisations, such as The Planet Mark as an example, have been working hard on the topic in the UK, and it is good to see the Chartered Bankers Institute introduce a global benchmark qualification as part of its green finance initiative."
Alan Chan, director and chartered financial planner for London IFS Wealth & Pensions, said: "This is a great initiative and will enhance the knowledge of finance professionals who are keen to operate in this market. It should also help to bust a few myths about ethical investments too, such as 'they don't make any money'.
"Hopefully other professional bodies will also follow suit in due course because it is a growing market and advisers who want to respond to this demand will need more specialist knowledge to confidently articulate the associated risks and benefits to clients."
There are currently 80 green bonds raising more than $24bn (£18.11bn) across seven currencies in the UK.
aamina.zafar@ft.com
