FCA Feedback Statement on Climate Change and Green Finance

The FCA issued the following important and welcome statement and linked report this week  (16 October 2019).

 This, in my view, gives notice to regulated firms throughout the investment chain that the FCA recognises the importance of climate change…

===

Today we have published our Feedback Statement on Climate Change and Green Finance, summarising the responses to our Discussion Paper (18/08) and setting out our next steps as we respond to the move towards a greener economy.

Climate change is an important issue for us, the financial services sector and for the users of financial services that we are here to serve. We want our regulatory approach to create an environment where firms can manage the risks from moving to a low carbon economy and capture the opportunities to benefit consumers.

Some of our key next steps include:

• consulting on new rules to improve climate-related disclosures by certain issuers and clarifying existing obligations
• finalising rule changes requiring Independent Governance Committees (IGCs) to oversee and report on firms’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) and stewardship policies, as well as separate rule changes to facilitate investment in patient capital opportunities
• challenging firms where we see potential greenwashing, clarifying our expectations and taking appropriate action to prevent consumers being misled

The threat posed by climate change requires a joined-up approach from the financial services sector. We will continue to contribute to important collaborative initiatives, including the Climate Financial Risk Forum, which brings together regulators, banks, insurers and others to develop practical tools and approaches to advance the sector’s response to the financial risks posed by climate change.

Please see our Feedback Statement for more detail about our actions and next steps in each of these areas.