UniCredit Bank Serbia organized a conference called “Green financing in Serbia – challenges and opportunities”, which brought together the bank’s corporate clients.
The conference was held with the aim of highlighting the importance of the green transition, and enabling the exchange of experience and challenges and opportunities on the topic of sustainability, which is one of the most important topics for companies’ operations today. UniCredit Bank has been following the financing of projects in the field of renewable sources since the introduction of the first legal framework. In Serbia, the bank is the market leader in the field of green financing. It is the only bank that has 5 out of a total of 7 operational wind farms in its portfolio, 3 of which are independent financiers. In addition to financing, it also provides advisory services to its clients, and the commitment to the green agenda is confirmed by the fact that the bank’s market share in green energy financing is significantly higher than the total market share. Additionally, through the bank’s leasing service, the use of green energy is financed for the clients’ own needs.
Aleksandra Rašić, Member of the Management Board and Director of Corporate and Investment Banking, UniCredit Bank Serbia, opened the conference with her address: “UniCredit Bank is a reliable partner in the segment of client solutions, and this is shown by our clients and the fact that we remain the first choice for even 75 of the 100 best companies in Serbia. When we talk about Serbia, UniCredit today enjoys a leadership position when it comes to green financing. In the coming period, our plan is to dedicate ourselves even more intensively and invest in green energy projects, following domestic and European regulations and trends, but also to strengthen advisory support to clients in achieving ESG standards with the support of the expert team of our UniCredit Group.”
Presentations on the topics “Corporate PPA in renewable energy sources” and “Corporate PPA financing and other trends in renewable energy financing” were held by Anna Surke, Director, Electricity and Infrastructure Financing in Germany, UniCredit and Piotr Nerwiński, Partner, Banking and Finance practice, Dentons Europe, while Stephan J Mussong, Sustainable Finance Advisory – MFA5, Director, UniCredit, who shared his expertise on the topic: “Sustainable financing – overview and requirements” joined the conference via the link.
At the panel that was part of the conference, guests from various sectors of the economy had the opportunity to answer questions and share their experiences on the topic of challenges and opportunities for green financing in Serbia. Panel participants were: Jovana Cvetković, Development, TO and Innovations Director, MPC Properties, Đorđe Popović, Managing Director, Resalta doo, Vladimir Milanović, Director, Masdar Taaleri Generation and Christian Beynio, Head of Specialized Lending CE&EE, UniCredit.
One of the main pillars of UniCredit Bank’s business strategy is the incorporation of sustainability into daily activities and operations, in order to support the progress of the community in which it operates. In addition, the bank is increasingly paying attention to solar energy. There are active and current projects, primarily through the bank’s leasing service, where the needs of the market and clients in this segment of the green transition have already been recognized. The bank’s plan is to dedicate itself even more intensively and invest in solar energy projects, all while following domestic and European regulations and changes that are taking place in that field.
