In response to a growing demand for climate-friendly investments, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) launched an open-ended green bond fund for central bank investments. This green bond fund initiative will aid central banks in managing their reserves by incorporating environmental sustainability objectives.

The open-ended fund promotes green finance by pooling BIS client assets through a fund and creating “sizeable climate-friendly investments” using best market practices. An advisory committee composed of a global group of central banks was created in support of the fund. “The initiative is part of the BIS's broader commitment to supporting environmentally responsible finance and investment practices, in line with the Bank's participation in the Central Banks and Supervisors.”[1]

The Network for Greening the Financial System, First Comprehensive Report, was published in April 2019, by eight central banks and supervisors who established a Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). The report states that NGFS members acknowledge that “climate-related risks are a source of financial risk. It is therefore within the mandates of central banks and supervisors to ensure the financial system is resilient to these risks.” NGFS now includes 34 central banks and supervisors, and five observers, including BIS; and recently, the Basel Committee agreed to join NGFS as an observer, indicating the relevance and importance of environmental finance issues for years to come.

[1] See, BIS 26-09-2019 press release at: https://www.bis.org/press/p190926.htm