Kathmandu. Nabil Bank’s ‘Nabil Sustainable Banking’ has entered its fifth year. On the occasion of its fourth anniversary, the bank is going to celebrate ‘Nabil Green Week’ from July 15 to 27. Nabil Green Week will organize programs focused on sustainability with the participation of representatives from different sectors.

Experts from Nabil Bank, representatives of GIZ Nepal, Simple Energy Pvt Ltd, BYD, CG Motors, experts related to environment, society and good governance and experts from the agriculture sector will participate in the week-long webinar series to be organized under Nabil Green Week. The programme aims to connect with each other through discussions and knowledge exchange on solar rooftop solutions, electric vehicles and sustainable agriculture as well as investment in environment, society and governance.

Nabil Bank has been adopting the principles related to environment, society and good governance in its transactions by adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Nepal. Sustainability is a key pillar of the bank’s strategy, the bank said.

Nabil Bank has been focusing itself not only on banking but also on environmental protection, social inclusion, protection of human rights and moral good governance. It has been focusing on reducing carbon footprint, promoting responsible investment and expanding financial literacy. The bank has been working to create long-term social and environmental values along with economic growth.

Achievements of sustainable banking

Nabil Bank has achieved various achievements through sustainable banking. So far, according to the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financing standards, 11,172 tonnes of emission reduction has been supported by renewable energy investment in the field of greenhouse gas emissions. The bank has also invested in 43 hydropower projects of 3070 MW capacity operating in 37 rivers in 21 districts.

It has also provided direct and indirect benefits to more than 46,000 people by investing in small and medium enterprises, especially in agriculture, electric vehicles and women-led enterprises. In the last fiscal year, the bank has invested Rs 45.38 billion in agriculture, Rs 31 billion in hydropower and energy and Rs 25.01 billion in micro, domestic and small industries.

According to the bank, it has invested 42.36 percent in electric vehicle loans alone and Rs 54.3 million under corporate social responsibility. At present, 13 branches and buildings of the bank have installed renewable energy system and the number of nbank users has reached 1,608,826 as part of its active activities in promoting digital banking. The bank has so far imparted financial literacy training to 7,590 people.

The bank has been targeting various stakeholder groups through campaigns such as Women in Motion, You Matter Your Voice Matter, Nabil Green Week, Ghar To Nepal and Sustainable Steps. So far, 901 trainees have been trained under the Nabil School of Social Entrepreneurship (NABIL SEE) program under social responsibility, while 133 have established enterprises and employed 1,200 people.

Under sustainable banking, the bank became a member of the Partnership for Carbon Accounting in 2021. According to the bank, the main achievement of sustainable banking is the expansion of branchless banking. Similarly, the bank has introduced innovative, social and environment-friendly products such as Nabil Skilled Migrant Entrepreneurship Loan, Nabil Sustainable Savings Account, Nabil Kisan Loan and Nabil Entrepreneur Loan targeting foreign employment returnees.

Similarly, the bank has invested in projects such as renewable energy, energy efficiency improvement, water conservation and treatment, waste management and waste-to-energy generation. The bank has been collecting 262,804 litres of water annually by installing rainwater harvesting system at its central office.

Nabil Bank had launched Nabil Sustainable Banking on The Paddy Day in 2018 to support the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the Government of Nepal.

Nabil Bank Limited is a leading private sector bank in Nepal. The Bank is committed to contribute to the development of the entire country and society as a responsible institution. Nabil has been providing services to more than 2.4 million customers through 268 branches and 320 ATM machines across the country. Nabil, which has played a leading role in introducing the latest services in the Nepali banking sector, has been serving as a milestone in the history of banking development of Nepal.