The Biodiversity Working Group of the Sustainable Finance Platform has developed a roadmap to help financial institutions address biodiversity loss. The roadmap offers guidance for institutions that are new to this theme, but also for institutions that have already taken their first steps.
In addition to climate change, biodiversity loss should also be on the agenda of financial institutions. A large number of Dutch financial institutions have committed to assessing their impact on biodiversity by 2024, setting related targets and reporting on progress, via the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge. However, many institutions still find it difficult to address the theme of biodiversity because it is a complex subject.
The Biodiversity Working Group believes that this complexity should not prevent them from taking action. We cannot wait for international scientific consensus on measuring and reporting biodiversity; we need to protect nature now. By making available the roadmap (Biodiversity in the financial sector - From pledges to action), the Working Group wants to help financial institutions assess their impact, set targets and report progress on the theme of biodiversity. The document also contains guidelines for financial institutions that are already working on this theme or that are even well advanced.
Institutions are given guidance on formulating policy and targets, identifying risks, assessing their impact and also on how to report on progress. Among other things, the roadmap discusses the different biodiversity reports available and helps institutions to engage in dialogue with their customers on biodiversity. Examples of how various financial institutions are addressing the theme of biodiversity in practice are included for each step of the roadmap.
Read more about the Biodiversity Working Group here and about the Sustainable Finance Platform here.
Income from foreign direct investment in the Netherlands flowing to low-tax jurisdictions has declined structurally since 2020, new figures from DNB show. Income flows with other countries remained more stable over the same period.
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Dutch mortgage funds received €2 billion in new investments from institutional investors such as pension funds and insurers in the first three quarters of 2024, DNB figures show. This is less than in previous years and can be attributed to market interest rates having risen sharply during 2022.
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The heightened international tensions can have an impact on financial institutions, according to De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) in its supervisory strategy for 2025-2028 and in a study on the impact of geopolitical risks on financial institutions.
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Dutch insurers and pension funds invest not only directly in listed equity and corporate bonds, but also indirectly via investment funds. New DNB figures on CO2 emissions of non-financial corporations relate to both types of investments and provide a more complete..
Read more Carbon footprint of Dutch insurers and pension funds in sharper focus
