In recent days, a green credit delegation of government departments and banks from Vietnam visited Fuzhou . The delegation comprised Vietnam's major commercial banks and representatives from six of the nation's ministries and committees, namely the Vietnam National Bank, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry & Trade, Ministry of Planning and Investment and Vietnam Economic Committee of the People. The purpose of the visit was to hold a round of exchanges with the Industrial Bank - China's first Equator Bank and the pioneer of green credit In China. The visit received significant support from the China Banking Regulatory Commission and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
During the visit, the Industrial Bank held a forum entitled Exchanges on the Implementation of the Equator Principles, Energy-efficiency Financing and Green Credit. During the forum, the Industrial Bank introduced its experiences in implementing the Equator Principles, energy-efficiency project loans and green credit for the reference of the delegation. The Industrial Bank talked about how it has localized the Equator Principles in terms of organizational structure, system establishment, capability development, customer services and product innovation. Moreover, the Bank also briefed the visiting delegation on the innovation, mode and successes of its energy conservation and emissions reduction project financing. When talking about what kind of an impact the adoption of the Equator Principles has had on Industrial Bank, personal from the Bank stated that the benefits of adopting the Equator Principles far outweigh the adverse effects.
The visiting delegation also held in-depth discussions with the Bank on a range of issues, such as how to integrate environmental and social factors into financing policy and how to actively counter the impacts brought about by the adoption of the Equator Principles.
As China's first Equator Bank, the Industrial Bank has received a large deal of attention from financial institutions in China and abroad for its perseverance and successes in promoting green credit in China through the adoption of advanced international standards. In March this year, Industrial Bank was invited by the IFC to attend an international symposium in Vietnam on managing risks and achieving sustainable development, during which representatives from the Bank delivered a speech and held a series of exchanges with Vietnamese banks. During the event, the Industrial Bank introduced its experiences and endeavors in sustainable finance, thereby fully demonstrating its pioneering spirit as the forerunner of green credit in China and the breakthroughs that it has made in this regard. The Industrial Bank left a strong impression at the event and received a great deal of praise from the participants. In choosing to include a visit to the Industrial Bank to discuss the Equator Principles and energy efficiency financing as a key part of its visit to China, the visiting delegation from Vietnam has demonstrated that the Industrial Bank is playing an exemplary role in the field of sustainability and that is has already exerted a certain level of international influence. The exchanges held with the visiting delegation are also demonstrative of the Industrial Bank's commitment to participating in and furthering the cause of sustainable finance, spreading sustainable finance concepts and sharing its experiences in sustainable development in a range of different ways.