U.S. banking giant JPMorganChase announced on Wednesday a series of updates to its approach to energy and environmental issues, including rebalancing its strategy to consider emissions reductions in its financing activities in the broader context of affordability, security, reliability. While stating that it has learned that “financed emissions are an imperfect metric,” the bank has decided to retain and extend…

EU markets regulator the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) announced the release of a new thematic note aimed at guiding market participants on its expectations for addressing greenwashing risks in their sustainability-related claims for funds and bonds, with a particular focus on positive impact and climate transition-related claims. The new publication forms part of a series of thematic notes…

German clean energy startup 1KOMMA5° announced that it has raised over €70 million (USD$78 million) in a new funding round, with proceeds aimed at accelerating the development and commercialization of its platform enabling the expansion of renewable energy by connecting home devices with the grid. The new financing values the company at $1.35 billion before the investment, up 35% from…

Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer accounting for more than 85% of the chain’s retail sales, announced today the appointment of Erika Intiso as its new Chief Sustainability Officer, with responsibility for leading the group’s sustainability agenda, and further integrating sustainability into business decisions and operations. Intiso will take on her new role in November, after more than 15 years…

French pension plan Ircantec announced that it has selected European asset managers Amundi and BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) to manage nearly €1.6 billion of decarbonization-focused equity index mandates. Ircantec is a French complementary pension scheme with more than €17 billion (USD $18.4 billion) invested in the financial markets. The organization announced a series of commitments in 2021 aimed…

Hong Kong-based financial services and technology company TROOPS announced an agreement to acquire energy technology platform Efforce, with the transaction aimed at expanding the company’s digital asset infrastructure and pursuing new opportunities in sustainability-related markets. Co-founded in 2020 by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Malta-based Efforce provides a platform designed to drive energy efficiency using blockchain technology to tokenize and monetize…

The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) announced the release of LEAP 2.0, the first upgrade of its core approach and guidance for helping companies assess and report on nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities. The TNFD was launched in 2021, building on the success of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), to support organizations in reporting and acting…

French energy tech startup Epyr announced today that it has raised €15 million (USD$16.8 million) in a Series A funding round, with proceeds aimed at accelerating the deployment of the company’s thermal energy storage technology to help industrial companies replace fossil fuels with electricity. The financing comes as industrial heat accounts for around 20% of global energy consumption and remains…

Environmental impact investment firm Finance Earth and financial sector development agency FSD Africa, through its investment arm, FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi), announced the launch of the Africa Nature Impact Fund, a new platform aimed at mobilizing capital for early-stage nature and nature-based carbon projects across Africa. The organizations said that they have set a $100 million target for the new…

The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) announced today the release of Science-Based Targets for Nature 2.0, marking a major update of its methods and guidance for corporate nature-focused sustainability target setting and implementation across areas including land, freshwater and oceans. The new release follows the SBTN’s inaugural corporate science-based targets for nature, launched in 2023, aimed at guiding companies in…