The Principles for Responsible Banking Academy marks its second anniversary today, celebrating a period of substantial growth and global reach for the ongoing education of finance professionals on responsible banking practices. Since its launch in 2022, the Academy has provided over 2400 learners with essential knowledge and training to help create a culture of responsible banking, contributing to employees’ capabilities to contribute to the global transition to a more sustainable financial system.

In just two years, the Academy has achieved remarkable success, also expanding its educational offerings and geographic reach. As the demand for responsible banking training continues to rise, the Academy is seeing an exciting shift with major financial institutions increasingly offering the courses to employees in bulk, making content available across their organisations. This is accelerating uptake of responsible banking knowledge across the sector.

“We are delighted that so many leading financial institutions are incorporating our courses into their employee development programs,” said Joanne Murphy, Interim Chief Executive of the Chartered Banker. “This wide-scale participation is a powerful sign that the financial sector is embracing sustainability as a core component of its business strategy. The future of banking is increasingly driven by the need for greater accountability, and we are proud to collaborate in this important transformation.”

Making the training platform’s interactive modules covering topics such as Nature, Climate Change and Clients & Customers accessible to a broader audience contributes to achieving the Academy’s goal of empowering finance professionals across the world with the knowledge and skills they need to integrate sustainability into their daily operations.

“Over the past two years, we’ve seen an increasing demand for training on responsible banking, which is a clear signal that the financial sector is ready to mainstream sustainability across their organisations,” said Eric Usher, Head of UNEP FI. “The growth in the number of learners and the Academy’s expanded content and language offerings are testament to the growing efforts to transform banking practices to align with sustainability goals.”

To date, the Academy has become a key resource for individuals from banks, financial institutions, and regulatory bodies seeking to align their practices with Responsible Banking. Some of the Academy’s online courses, originally available in English, are now available in both French and Spanish.

Since 2022 the Academy has offered its learning in contextualised form, working with local partners in India, Mexico and Egypt, with a series of dedicated in-country learning events.

Looking ahead, the Academy plans to expand its course offerings and continue to build strategic partnerships across the globe with financial institutions, banking Institutes and education providers worldwide. As the momentum for responsible banking grows, the Principles for Responsible Banking Academy is poised to play a crucial role in shaping the future of responsible banking.

 

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Principles for Responsible Banking Academy

The Principles for Responsible Banking Academy (PRB Academy) was co-developed by the world’s leading professional banking institute, the Chartered Banker Institute, the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. It offers a comprehensive suite of training courses designed to help banking professionals understand and implement responsible banking practices, aligning their business operations with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement and was specifically designed to support mass-scale delivery within financial institutions.

The PRB Academy’s modular e-learning approach allows banks to integrate these courses into their in-house Learning Management Systems (LMS), enabling seamless delivery to all employees, regardless of their position or seniority level. By embedding sustainability training across your entire organization, the PRB Academy helps foster a culture of responsible banking. Increased knowledge among employees on topics such as climate change, nature loss, and responsible governance ensures that sustainability is integrated into professional practices, strategies, operations, and decision-making. This holistic approach is essential for institutions aiming to embed sustainability at the core of their business.

Currently, the PRB Academy offers six core e-learning modules: Getting Started in Responsible Banking, Clients and Customers, Climate Change, Responsible Banking for Board Members and Executives, Introduction to Nature and Responsible Banking, and Applying Nature-Responsible Banking. In addition, six short applied courses are set to launch soon, further enhancing the practical application of responsible banking principles. Moreover, the Academy’s content can be adapted for a bank’s inhouse learning management system and for national delivery, taking into account the local context of different markets and regulatory frameworks. This adaptability ensures that the principles of responsible banking resonate with the specific needs of diverse financial institutions globally.

For more information about the Principles for Responsible Banking Academy and its courses, visit https://prbacademy.com/.

Chartered Banker Institute

The Chartered Banker Institute (“the Institute”) is the oldest professional banking institute in the world. The Institute was founded in 1875, operates globally, with over 37,000 members in over 100 different countries and nearly 1,000 financial institutions worldwide. The Institute has driven an agenda of ethical professionalism throughout its existence; promoting professional standards for bankers, providing professional qualifications for retail, commercial and private bankers, and offering professional membership to qualified individuals. For more information, please visit: www.charteredbanker.com.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

GIZ is a German public-benefit federal enterprise that works jointly with governments, international organizations, businesses, civil society actors and research institutions worldwide to foster international cooperation for sustainable development. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and other commissioning parties, GIZ supports sustainable development in emerging markets and developing countries.

In the field of sustainable finance, GIZ aims to accelerate the transformation towards sustainable financial systems in partner countries. GIZ’s approach is to help create enabling framework conditions through policy and reform processes, support the implementation of ambitious sustainable finance practices in the financial sector, and to raise awareness and capacities through training, research and peer learning.