Mutual Trust Bank PLC (MTB) in association with Global Climate Partnership Fund (GCPF) co-hosted an event on ‘Fostering Climate Finance Partnership in Bangladesh’ at Renaissance Gulshan Hotel, Dhaka on 25th April.
In the event, MTB, the 2023 Global Climate Partnership Award winner introduced its innovative new product aimed at accessible financing to bridge the gap between smallholder farmers in Bangladesh and cost-effective electric vehicle (EV) solutions. Under the novel financing scheme, MTB already financed fish farming farmers and garage owners with EV vehicles, making the conceptual framework a reality. In the process, MTB partnered with Solshare, and conducted an awareness campaign with EV vehicle drivers in Rajshahi.
During the event, the Bank also recognized the outstanding contribution of customers for the successful implementation of climate mitigation technologies and acknowledged the efforts of the relationship managers for their contribution to promoting climate investments.
The event also hosted a panel discussion on “Opportunities and Challenges in the Climate Finance Landscape in Bangladesh”. Sathish Dhanapal from responsAbility Investments AG moderated the panel. The panel discussion covered multiple facets of climate financing without limit to prospects and challenges of climate finance in Bangladesh, effects of environmental and social risks, climate adaptation and risk mitigation measures as well as regulatory intervention in this regard.
Mutual Trust Bank’s CEO, Syed Mahbubur Rahman acknowledged the collaborative efforts of MTB and the valued clients, for their commitment to climate mitigation. He also hoped that affiliation with GCPF will enable MTB to build capacity and create inclusive financing opportunities that would help reduce CO2 emissions and energy usage.
Ms. Nurun Nahar, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank and Chief Guest of the event mentioned that Bangladesh lies in the low-lying delta and is susceptible to climate risk vulnerability. She added that the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan encourages climate finance and integrating green finance into mainstream financial practices remains a priority for Bangladesh Bank. She thanked the organizers for hosting such an event and hoped that this would be a landmark for promoting climate finance in Bangladesh.
Daniel Donald de. Lange, also Jury member of the Global Climate Partnership Award 2023 handed over the trophy to MTB winning team for their achievement. The trophy was made from residual plastics from the ocean and other surroundings.