Polish Banking Sector Facing Challenges Related to Environmental and Climate Protection

Abstract

Purpose: The paper focuses on the comparison of climate and environmental protection activities undertaken in the largest commercial banks in Poland. The second aim is to present conditions for inclusion of environmental and climate risk analysis in the process of monitoring financial stability. Design/methodology/approach: Banks’ standalone audited statements for 2018 were used as a source of data. In defining 8 key areas of environmental risk management within the ESG, the banks’ environmental and climate actions were systematised to draw conclusions on the nature of the initiatives taken and on which types of banks in a given area express commitment and whether it is related to the bank’s scale, shareholding structure and financial standing. Findings: The scope of information on a bank’s involvement in the environmental and climate protection process is not uniform. In the case of smaller private banks and banks with a dominant Treasury shareholding in the ownership structure, this scope is much smaller than in the case of large and medium-sized private banks belonging to global financial holdings. A particularly important commitment to environmental and climate protection in the sector concerns banks belonging to European capital groups that have signed up to international agreements on economic decarbonisation. The scarce information provided by banks with a dominant Treasury shareholding results from the high level of exposure of these banks to companies from high-carbon sectors, also owned by the Treasury. Commercial banks in Poland place the main emphasis on presenting their direct impact on the environment (reduction of energy and other media consumption, recycling and environmental campaigns). Research limitations/implications: The research is limited to the commercial banking sector and only to one reporting period. However, there are no constraints to apply the proposed approach to other samples and for longer data series, and then build a methodology of environmental rating. Originality/value: This article is the first comparative analysis of the involvement of Polish commercial banks in environmental and climate protection. Its results are particularly useful for investors for whom ESG criteria constitute important determinants of decisions.