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Global Banks' Financing of the Energy Transition Has Stalled

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  Published in Business and Finance on Thursday, September 18th 2025 at 6:53 GMT by Bloomberg L.P.
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Global Banks’ Green‑Finance Pipeline Slows, Threatening Climate‑Transition Targets
Bloomberg, September 18, 2025

In a stark warning for the world’s climate‑transition agenda, Bloomberg’s September 18 analysis finds that the global banking sector’s investment in clean‑energy projects has hit a low point since the early‑2020s boom. While the total value of green‑finance deals reached a record $6.2 trillion in 2024, growth has stalled dramatically, leaving policymakers and investors scrambling to find the missing capital.

1. The Numbers: From Boom to Stagnation

Bloomberg’s data, drawn from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2025 “Clean‑Energy Investment Outlook,” show a 17 % drop in new green loans issued by the world's largest banks between Q2 2024 and Q3 2025. The article cites JPMorgan, HSBC, and Standard Chartered as key players whose green‑loan portfolios have become “highly cautious,” prioritizing “higher-yield, lower-risk “brown‑energy” deals to shore up profitability amid volatile markets.

The IEA report links the slowdown to three main factors:
1. Rising Interest Rates – The World Bank’s “Monetary Policy Tracker” reports that the Fed’s policy rate has been nudged up to 4.5 % since mid‑2024, squeezing banks’ net interest margins and driving them toward higher‑yield sectors.
2. Credit‑Risk Perceptions – Credit rating agencies have downgraded several solar and wind projects in emerging markets, citing “political instability” and “regulatory uncertainty.”
3. Capital‑Regulation Constraints – Basel III and the upcoming Basel IV reforms require banks to hold more capital against “high‑risk” green assets, making them reluctant to commit.

Bloomberg points out that the World Bank’s Green Bond Index—a key gauge of institutional green‑bond issuance—has been flat since the first half of 2024, with only 2.8 % of new issuances in 2025 linked to renewable‑energy projects.

2. Why Green Projects Are Taking a Backseat

The article explains that banks are grappling with a paradox. On the one hand, the Paris Agreement and the EU Green Deal (link to the EU Commission’s “Green Deal” page) push for net‑zero emissions by 2050. On the other, the economic landscape has changed: commodity prices are volatile, and many developing economies are still reliant on coal for energy security.

Bloomberg’s interview with HSBC’s chief risk officer revealed that “risk‑adjusted returns” for offshore wind projects in the Baltic region are now below the threshold that justifies a green‑finance classification. “We’re still seeing more demand for coal‑to‑gas pipelines,” she said, adding that “the green‑label becomes a luxury when profits are at stake.”

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has issued guidance on ESG risk disclosure, encouraging banks to adopt the Task Force on Climate‑Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework. Yet the FSB’s own data (link to the FSB “Climate‑Risk Survey”) show that 36 % of surveyed banks have not yet fully implemented TCFD recommendations, further hampering green‑finance growth.

3. Implications for the Climate‑Transition

The stalling of bank financing could jeopardize the global 2030 renewable‑energy target of 8 % of global electricity from renewables. Bloomberg argues that the “critical funding gap” will widen unless alternative capital sources—such as sovereign wealth funds, private equity, or the burgeoning green‑bond market—step in. The article also points to a rising number of “green‑washing” allegations, as some projects claim environmental benefits while delivering only modest reductions in carbon intensity.

A recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment (link to the UNEP “Green Finance Report”) highlights that the cumulative investment shortfall could amount to an estimated $200 billion by 2030, potentially delaying global emissions cuts by up to 3 % of the world’s peak.

4. Banks Respond: New Strategies and Initiatives

Despite the grim outlook, some banks are already experimenting with innovative models. Bloomberg reports that Citigroup is piloting a “green‑loan‑backed securitisation” platform aimed at creating a lower‑risk vehicle for renewable‑energy developers in Sub‑Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank has announced a €500 million “Climate‑Transition Fund” targeting mid‑cap solar and battery‑storage companies in Europe, with a focus on projects that meet the EU taxonomy criteria.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also introduced a “Climate‑Transition Finance Initiative” (link to the IMF “Climate‑Transition Initiative” page), offering technical assistance to banks in developing economies to strengthen risk assessment frameworks for renewable projects.

5. A Call to Action

Bloomberg concludes that the crisis is not inevitable. By aligning regulatory incentives with market mechanisms—such as green‑bond tax‑breaks, credit‑risk mitigation tools, and transparent ESG reporting—policy makers can help banks overcome the current bottleneck. As the world races toward a net‑zero future, the banking sector’s willingness to reinvest in clean energy will be a decisive factor in whether global climate targets are met or missed.

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