This week in ESG news: ECB warns climate & nature risks “very likely being underestimated” by banks; SEC tells court it plans to scrap corporate climate reporting rules; BBVA sustainable finance activity jumps 33%; Ford turns old EV battery capacity into new energy storage business; New York to push back “unattainable” climate goals; EcoVadis, Workiva partner on Scope 3 data…

Fintech startup Crux announced that it has closed a $500 million debt financing facility with Nuveen’s infrastructure credit investment platform, with the new capital to be used to scale its commercial participation in the clean energy financing market through tax driven investments. Launched in 2023, Crux provides capital markets solutions across advisory, investments, technology, and intelligence, aimed at making funding…

Renewable energy developer Sunraycer Renewables announced that it has secured $901 million in financing to support the construction and operation of three solar and battery energy storage projects in Texas. Founded in 2021, Maryland-based Sunraycer focuses on the development, financing, ownership and operation of utility-scale solar and battery energy storage projects across the U.S., with a particular focus on Texas….

Index provider FTSE Russell, and climate risk analytics platform announced a new agreement to explore a new partnership to jointly develop climate-scenario based indices and analytics, aimed at enabling investors to embed climate insights into financial decision making. Founded in 2014, Planetrics provides advanced modelling of physical and transition climate impacts across a variety of assets, sectors and regions, offering…

Sustainability-focused private equity investor Lightrock announced that it has raised $500 million in commitments for Accelerate7, a new fund aimed at supporting businesses expanding access to clean energy and sustainable energy solutions across across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia According to the company, more than 660 million people globally still lack access to electricity, while approximately 2.1 billion…

New York-based ECOncrete announced that it has raised $14 million in a new funding round, with proceeds from the financing aimed at scaling its technology to improve the ecological sustainability of marine infrastructure. Founded in 2012, ECOncrete develops nature-inclusive concrete solutions designed to enhance biodiversity and climate resilience in coastal and offshore infrastructure projects, including seawalls, breakwaters, ports, waterfronts, offshore…

ESG, sustainability, and compliance solutions provider Diginex announced the appointment of Archana Kotecha as Chief Impact Officer. Kotecha joined Diginex through the company’s acquisition earlier this year of The Remedy Project, an advisory and research company specializing in labor and human rights in global supply chains. Kotecha founded The Remedy Project in 2020, offering solutions aimed at protecting workers’ rights…

Swiss International Air Lines announced a new partnership with aviation technology startup Metafuels aimed at supporting the development and scale-up of synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) solutions. Generally produced from sustainable resources, like waste oils and agricultural residues, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is seen as one of the key tools to help decarbonize the aviation industry in the near- to…