PolSEFF Partner Bank Wins Award from EBRD

May 23, 2014

BNP Paribas Bank Polska—a partner bank of the DAI-implemented Polish Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (PolSEFF) program—won the EBRD 2014 Sustainability Energy and Climate Change Award for achievements in supporting small and medium enterprises in their initiatives to increase energy efficiency and apply energy from renewable sources.

(From left, Terry McCallion, Director Energy Efficiency and Climate Change, EBRD; representative from Afken; and Frederic Amoudru, Chief Executive Officer, BNP Paribas Bank Polska.)

PolSEFF, funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is the first intermediated credit facility developed by the EBRD to support energy-efficiency improvements in the small and medium enterprise sector in Poland. The value of the facility is €180 million.

The facility works directly with partner banks and leasing companies to offer small and medium enterprises free energy efficiency advice and a 10 to 15 percent investment incentive paid to investors upon project completion. The investment grants, the engineering assistance to the firms, and the technical support to the participating financial institutions are funded by the European Union.

BNP Paribas Bank Polska was one of the first banks to join PolSEFF in January 2011. The bank seized the opportunities offered by PolSEFF to develop financial products and promote financing of investments that decrease energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In three years, BNP Paribas Bank Polska provided €35.7 million in PolSEFF loans and leases to more than 300 small and medium companies.

It is estimated that these investments will deliver more than 53 gigawatts per hour of energy saving and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 16,000 tons per year.

In addition, BNP Paribas Bank Polska has significantly contributed to the development of new instruments supporting the financing of energy-efficient investment projects, including the development of a pre-approved list of eligible materials and equipment. BNP Paribas Bank Polska initiated the development of several technology categories (including building insulation materials, windows and glazing, etc.) by luring numerous large suppliers to join the facility.

In 2013, the bank implemented a corporate social responsibility policy to finance projects that protect the environment, and to ensure that loans and investments in sensitive sectors are reviewed.

“The EBRD Sustainability Award 2014 for our bank is a great distinction,” said Frederic Amoudru, CEO of BNP Paribas Bank Polska. “Small and medium enterprises constitute a key segment of clients for us as they generate nearly 50 percent of Polish GDP and employ a large part of the working population. Thanks to EBRD and the PolSEFF programme, we have been able to offer to our clients a solution that combines material energy savings with its corollary of production cost reduction and a contribution in the fight against climate change.”