Access to Green Financing for Enterprises


Building on Switzerland’s experience with innovative access to finance avenues, this programme facilitates mobilising green finance for small and medium sized enterprises in Bangladesh. The focus is on enterprises that have a strong commitment to reducing their environmental footprint and to providing green products and services in order to address climate change and reduce environmental degradation.

Región/País Tema Período Presupuesto
Bangladesh
Empleo y desarrollo económico
Desarrollo de pequeñas y medianas empresas
Financial policy
Apoyo a empresas e inclusión económica
01.06.2023 - 31.10.2027
CHF  6’450’000
Contexto Bangladesh’s geographic composition, coupled with the high population density, enhances vulnerability to climate change, resulting in anticipated losses between 2% and 9% of annual GDP by the middle to end of the century. Small and medium sized enterprises, accounting for over 40% of employment, are greatly impacted by climate change. Due to limitations in size, they often face challenges when it comes to ‘greening’ their operations and lack confidence to invest in environmental friendly technology. The Central Bank has adopted a policy to increase lending for small and medium sized enterprises, with targeted green financing. However, access to financial services remain severely constrained due to perceived higher risks by the financial institutions, the weak outreach of banks, lack of appropriate lending structures and risk management strategies. Concrete polices and frameworks are in place but enforcement is weak. Also, despite the eligibility to avail many global funds for tackling climate change, Bangladesh struggles to tap into these resources, mainly due to the lack of proper instruments and channels for mobilisation. Hence creating awareness, developing capacity and mobilising stakeholders must happen in parallel to facilitating access to green finance to ensure sustainable impact. In summary, the issue is not only about availaibility of resources. The challenges lies with accessibility.
Objetivos The overall objective of the programme is to promote green financing and enhance the capacity of small and medium sized enterprises to develop and deliver low carbon and climate-resilient solutions and improve environmental performance that will ultimately increase resilience of communities, enterprises, and the overall small and medium sized enterprises support ecosystem in Bangladesh.
Grupos destinarios

Direct beneficiaries:

  • 200 Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (approx. 20% women-led/women focused)
  • Financial Institutions
  • Impact Investors

Indirect, but ultimate beneficiaries:

200’000 low income households beneficiaries will be served by these small and medium sized enterprises, including, but not limited to, clients and employees.

Efectos a medio plazo

Outcome 1: Small and medium sized enterprises, in particular, women-focused enterprises better cope with and contribute to the consequences of climate change mitigation, reduce environmental degradation and enhance their business skills, improving access to finance and technology while enabling growth.

Outcome 2: Financial institutions and impact investors are equipped to provide targeted green financing and pragmatic risk management for high-impact small and medium sized enterprises.

Outcome 3: Regulators and policymakers integrate climate resilience and environmental considerations into policies and associated processes, improve provisions to incentivise green financing/investing and learn from global best practices in this regard.

Resultados

Resultados previstos:  

Output 1.1: Small and medium sized enterprises equipped with enhanced business and technical skills, including access to finance and technology, for sustainable growth.

Output 1.2: Empowered women-focused enterprises contributing to green solutions.

Output 2.1: Pragmatic risk management strategies and environmental, social and governance compliant instruments developed and adopted.

Output 2.2: Green financing resources mobilised.

Output 3.1: Policy makers and regulators have improved capacity and information to develop, supervise and enforce policy reforms as per best practices, guidance and instruments required to facilitate small and medium sized enterprises access to green finance.

Output 3.2: Policy makers and regulators engage with key stakeholders and the private sector to address market constraints and align objectives around enhancing green financing for small and medium sized enterprises.


Dirección / Officina Federal responsable COSUDE
Contrapartes del proyecto Contraparte del contrato
Sector privado
Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU)
  • Sector privado extranjero Norte
  • Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo de la Capitalización
  • iMPACT Booster Holding B.V. (Truvalu) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)


Coordinación con otros proyectos y actores Synergies are envisaged with the Swiss supported Shafal, B-Briddhi, SECO’s Integrated Environmental, Social and Governance programmes and the EmPower II Project.
Presupuesto Fase en curso Presupuesto suizo CHF    6’450’000 Presupuesto actual suizo ya emitido CHF    809’978 Total del proyecto desde la primera fase Presupuesto suizo CHF   126’178 Presupuesto inclusive contrapartes del proyecto CHF   25’300’000
Fases del proyecto Fase 99 01.01.2024 - 31.12.2035   (Fase en curso) Fase 1 01.06.2023 - 31.10.2027   (Fase en curso)