ecoDa: The impacts of Taxonomy on bank loans and SMEs' ability to get fundings

The pressure on European companies is accelerating to integrate the ESG dimension into their strategy and business models. At the same time, banks are also more and more required to deliver green, sustainable and taxonomy-aligned loans.

These various pressures may result in SMEs suffering from a financing shortfall, because of their lack of human and financial resources to report on sustainability, while financing is a key prerequisite for SMEs to green their business models. This vicious circle could only be broken by a reflection at European level on how to effectively finance these changes in strategy in order not to put business out of business. Given that banks are the main source of fundings for SMEs, their support is key to finance this transition for direct business benefit.

How does incorporation of ESG elements into lending policies can be done in a phased and intelligent approach for the interest of all? What are the key challenges SMEs face in financing their sustainability transition ? How can banks best accompany SMEs on their transition journey ? How should board members of SMEs proceed to move forward down the sustainability path?