ESG News For Financial Institutions, Inc.

• Issuance of NMG’s 2022 ESG Report demonstrating advancement on climate action, biodiversity management, Indigenous relations, governance, and stakeholder engagement.
• Recent announcements via Canada’s and Québec’s budgets provide new fiscal measures and levers for investment that strengthen NMG’s Phase-2 financing structure in complement to ongoing activities with export credit agencies and governmental branches.
• Signature of definitive agreements with Caterpillar that frame the deployment of technology, testing collaboration, as well as procurement of zero-exhaust emission fleet and infrastructure at the Matawinie Mine.
• Nomination of Stéphane Imbeault as Vice President, Bécancour Project, to lead the engineering, construction, and commissioning of the Bécancour Battery Material Plant as part of the Company’s active preparation for the launch of construction of its Phase-2 facilities.
• Advancement of technical and commercial parameters definition for a multi-year offtake agreement with Panasonic Energy and simultaneous engagement with other tier-1 potential customers in the EV and battery sector through product qualification and commercial discussions.
• Offtake MoU signed to explore opportunities for NMG to supply carbon-neutral graphite materials to Caterpillar for the development of its secure, resilient, and sustainable battery supply chain.
• Upcoming participation to major commercial and investment events to elevate NMG’s visibility in the market and engage with potential customers and investors; The Europe Battery Show, TD Cowen Sustainability Week and Batteries Gigafactories USA.
• Securing of financial levers via underwritten public financing generating approximately US$22 million and R&D grants of up to CA$3.6 million.
• Battery and EV markets continue their expansion pushed by consumer demand and environmental legislation; 2023 is set to see battery production reach 1 TWh on a global basis for the first time (Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Q1-2023).
• NMG’s Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for June 19, 2023, via webcast.
• Continued focus on safe conduct of activities with a year-to-date OSHA rate of 0 at the Company’s facilities and 0 for contractors’ work, with no major environmental incident.
• Period-end cash position of CA$48.8 million.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management (“MSIM”) and Opportunity Finance Network (“OFN”) today announced the first contribution related to MSIM’s money market funds’ Impact Class shares. The contribution in the amount of $250,000 was made to OFN’s Finance Justice Fund, MSIM’s diversity and inclusion partner for the Impact Class shares. “We are pleased to join Morgan Stanley Investment Management in this innovative partnership for impact,” said Beth Lipson, Interim CEO and Chief Financial Officer of

Extractive projects within 0.62 mi (1 km) of environmentally sensitive sites experience 30% more environmental risk incidents than those more than 30 km away.

• Data from ESG data science firm RepRisk confirms concerning correlation between proximity of extractive projects to environmentally sensitive sites, and the number of environmental risk incidents reported.
• Operating within 0.62 mi (1 km) of environmentally sensitive sites increases the number of environmental risk incidents by 77% for public companies and 27% for private companies.

Stop Food Waste Day Founders Celebrate 7^th Annual Event on April 26

A new report from FICO found that the consumer impact of authorized user and push payment scams are increasing and top of mind for American consumers

Today the White House announced that the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is working to assess potential financing of $50 million to help mobilize $1 billion for the BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group’s (TIG) Latin American reforestation strategy. The announcement was made by President Biden during the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change, when he outlined a number of actions to rapidly scale forest protection and restoration to help address climate change. TIG is a U.

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) today published its 2022 Stakeholder Sustainability and Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) reports, which highlight Moody’s sustainable business practices, track the progress of its decarbonization plan and long-term net-zero targets, and provide updates on its comprehensive suite of sustainability-related products and solutions. “Our stakeholders look to Moody’s to help empower transparent and efficient markets,” said Christine Elliott, Chi

YvesBlue, a leading provider and pioneer of ESG as a Service Platform, is proud to announce the integration of ESG/Sustainability and Generative Artificial Intelligence. This marks a significant milestone in the industry continuing to set YvesBlue apart as a pioneer in providing innovative solutions for financial institutions. Delivering a comprehensive view of ESG/Sustainability across multiple investment workflows and leveraging Generative AI further demonstrates YvesBlue’s focus on transformi

Research on What Returns to Expect From Green Investments Wins Kellogg’s Moskowitz Prize Thu, 04/13/2023 - 16:00 Subheader For 27 years the Moskowitz Prize has identified and recognized research results that can influence global practice of responsible finance. Type of Content Press Release Layout Standard Format Body April 13, 2023 /3BL Media/ - From a field of over 160 submitted papers, Dissecting Green Returns was selected as the winner of the 2022 Moskowitz Prize at Northwestern University.

Survey of 25,000 U.S. Residents Identifies Deluxe as a Leader Among Prominent Financial Brands

Albany Community Together, Inc., a leading network for Community Development Financial Institutions, announced it has received a $1 million grant from Truist Foundation.

Arctaris Impact Fund, the flagship debt fund of Arctaris Impact Investors, LLC (“Arctaris”), has obtained a new $10 million warehouse line of credit (LOC) with KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) through its Community Development Financial Institutions.

Arctaris Impact Fund, LP (“Fund”), the flagship debt fund of Arctaris Impact Investors, LLC (“Arctaris”), has obtained a new $10 million warehouse line of credit (LOC) with KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) through its Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Group. KeyBank CDFI’s LOC will help Arctaris bridge the timing between when investments are made, and Impact Notes are secured for long-term permanent financing. This LOC also enables speed in execution,

Joint customers can identify and assess material ESG risks to inform financial decision-making with RepRisk ESG risk data

The Ever.green marketplace will transform the funding of clean energy projects by opening the door for new sources of capital from companies of all sizes to participate in a secure place to buy and sell tax credits

• Recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the second time;
• Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index for the fourth consecutive year; and
• Inclusion in the FTSE4Good Index Series

A modern bank is much more than just a vault. Today’s financial institutions know that they have a responsibility to reach beyond the secure walls of their physical buildings.

With projects in California and New York, the fund builds on previous successes with the financiers to grow Renewable Properties’ pipeline of projects across the U.S.

Key facts

• Worldpay from FIS^® has announced it is an official charity partner in the UK to The Prince’s Trust, which helps vulnerable young people facing adversity with practical and financial support.
• The partnership is aligned with FIS’ overarching financial inclusion and giving back goals, supporting young entrepreneurs and small businesses with financial literacy and expertise.

23K Employees Run Together Across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad & Pune in Zero-Waste Corporate Event

How this latest enhancement of Regions’ community engagement represents major steps forward in creating more inclusive prosperity.

In a time of global crisis, what can be done to accelerate positive change? Impact investors have a key role to play, whether they are entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, financial institutions or big listed corporations.

National award recognizes Q2 among the top organizations in the country for the second consecutive year

Recognition from investment community underscores Hyatt’s commitment to driving shareholder value

Under the directive of the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, today announced the leadership team for COP28 UAE, taking place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023. His Highness designated Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to serve as COP President. Dr. Al Jaber will develop the COP28 agenda, in partnership with the UNFCCC’s Executive S

HBI in top 12% of Companies Assessed, One of Two Peer Companies to Receive Leadership Status in Both Categories

Inclusion on sustainability rankings and indices reflect Ecolab’s proven record of advancing sustainable growth

Anchor investors Microsoft, Truist tap firms to invest in MDI and CDFI banks

Climate change cited as leading ESG criteria for both money managers and institutional asset owners

HIGHLIGHTS

• Both money managers and institutional asset owners cited climate change/carbon emissions as the top issue they addressed in ESG incorporation, with each group saying it applied to more than $3 trillion of the assets under their purview.
• Additionally, money managers reported applying fossil fuel divestment policies across $1.2 trillion in their assets under management, putting it in fourth place among all the ESG criteria they address. Avoidance of military/weapons related investments and tobacco-related investments ranked second and third for money managers, affecting $1.8 trillion and $1.7 trillion in assets, respectively.
• For institutional asset owners, the second most important ESG issue factored into investment decision-making was avoidance of companies doing business in countries of high conflict risk, affecting $3.3 trillion in assets. Board issues and sustainable natural resources/agriculture were the third and fourth most important ESG issues for institutional investors in asset-weighted terms, affecting $2.9 trillion and $2.8 trillion, respectively.
• From 2020 through the first half of 2022, 154 institutional investors and 70 investment managers controlling $3 trillion in AUM led or co-led shareholder resolutions on ESG issues.
• The leading ESG issue raised in shareholder proposals was on ensuring fair workplace practices, and particularly on ending de facto discrimination based on ethnicity and sex. Close behind in the numbers of proposals filed were concerns about corporate political activity and climate change.
• Community investing experienced rapid growth, with assets under management increasing 72 percent to $458 billion over the past two years and increasing more than 600 percent in the last decade.

Being included in this selection reassures us that we are taking the right steps to realize a sustainable lifestyle for each and every consumer. We must take certain and urgent action across society to tackle climate change.

Tune in for a livestream event next week to learn more about how companies can leverage CFIs to deploy social impact investments that make a real difference. \r\r

Central Texas Table of Grace, Latinitas, and Literacy Coalition of Central Texas named recipients of the second annual Q-mmunity Gives grant program

“Partnering with the food bank to help end hunger is a natural way for us to support the Sonoma County community,” said Troy Sanderson, Exchange Bank president and CEO and board member of Redwood Empire Food Bank.

FHLBank Pittsburgh announced that Bank of Charles Town received the 2022 FHLBank DEI Membership Award for their Banking On Diversity program.

First Foundation Inc. (NASDAQ: FFWM), a financial services company with two wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, First Foundation Advisors and First Foundation Bank, today announced that it has awarded $635,000 to 45 nonprofits across its markets through its ‘Supporting Our Communities’ philanthropy initiative. The recipient announcement comes on GivingTuesday to honor the independent nonprofit and a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate

Sustainable Fitch has launched its ESG Ratings for global labelled structured bonds and covered bonds.

Standard Chartered U.S. (the “Bank”) is proud to be Great Place to Work® certified for a third year in a row. Based entirely on employee feedback, 81% of respondents recognized the Bank as a great place to work -- a significantly positive result when compared to the average of 57% of employees responding similarly at a typical U.S. company. Respondents indicated that the Bank’s diversity, benefits, and its people were key differentiators. Additional highlights include: Flexibility: 91% stating t

Regions Bank announced a collaborative agreement with seven Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions.\r

The virtual event is set for November 18.

Egypt has positioned itself as Africa’s climate leader by hosting this year’s UN climate summit, the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27). The conference aims to secure funds to help developing countries’ adaptation efforts.

Grant Program Provides 3:1 Match of Members’ Contributions

Customers of seven CDFIs in Regions’ footprint will gain access to the bank’s ATM network free of charge.

Funds will be intentionally used to support projects, job creation in communities of color

The Funding Will Create or Rehabilitate More Than 2,000 Housing Units

New dataset, RepRisk Geospatial, identifies proximity of extractive sector projects to Key Biodiversity Areas and protected areas

Rooted in Native culture and history, Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) provide access to fair, affordable funding in Indian Country, where mainstream finance does not traditionally reach.

KlariVis, a fast-growing enterprise dashboard and analytics solution for the financial industry, and York Public Relations, a global fintech PR firm, have launched a fundraiser to support those in Florida impacted by Hurricane Ian. From now until November 11, for every person who posts a selfie with their favorite FinTech swag item and uses the hashtag #FinTechsForFlorida, the tagged participating FinTech will donate to the Volunteer Florida Foundation’s Florida Disaster Fund, up to the total do

Fall 2022 program gets underway at Cedarhurst Elementary School in Burien

• Cirium’s CO₂ emissions calculations, commended by American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic for accuracy, are now available in Cirium Sky
• The Cirium Sky, aviation data warehouse, provides secure cloud access to Cirium’s comprehensive datasets
• Cirium Sky democratizes data and unifies it in one place enabling it to drive operational efficiencies and faster decision making

Under the New Partnership, RepRisk Will Provide K2 Integrity with Access to its Independent ESG Risk Data to Leverage in its New ESG Certification Solution