Central Bank of Montenegro convenes round table on integrating ESG into banks’ strategies and Sustainable Finance Roadmap work

The Central Bank of Montenegro (CBCG) held a round table on integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles into credit institutions’ strategies and policies, bringing together commercial banks, government representatives, regulators and supervisors, academia and the Chamber of Economy to support dialogue on sustainable finance and strengthening ESG standards in the banking sector. Vice-Governor Nikola Fabris outlined the CBCG’s work to strengthen resilience to climate and ESG risks, including strategic policies, risk management tools, inter-institutional coordination, research on climate and environmental risks in banking, and the development of a Financial Sector’s Sustainable Finance Roadmap. The Association of Montenegrin Banks noted that commercial banks plan to focus on digitisation and automation with an emphasis on sustainability and ESG, alongside cyber security, fraud prevention, new payment systems and new ways of working. The CBCG also presented the status of the Sustainable Finance Roadmap and research results on how credit institutions integrate ESG into strategy and management, policies and procedures, organisation and reporting, while commercial banks shared their own ESG implementation activities and results; the Ministry of Energy explained the process for certifying building energy characteristics through energy passports.