Keystone Bank, ING, others launch global principles for responsible banking

Keystone Bank Limited has become one of the founding signatories of the Principles for Responsible Banking, committing to strategically align its business with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

By signing the Principles for Responsible Banking, Keystone Bank joins a coalition of 130 banks worldwide including ING, representing over USD 47 trillion in assets, in committing to taking on a crucial role in helping to achieve a sustainable future.

Taking place at the start of the UN General Assembly, the official launch of the Principles for Responsible Banking marked the beginning of the most significant partnership to date between the global banking industry and the UN.

“The UN Principles for Responsible Banking are a guide for the global banking industry to respond to, drive and benefit from a sustainable development economy. The Principles create the accountability that can realize the responsibility and the ambition that can drive action,” said UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres at the launch event, attended by the 130 founding signatories and over 45 of their CEOS.

Related News

Also speaking, Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) explained that a banking industry that plans for the risks associated with climate change and other environmental challenges cannot only drive the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies, it can benefit from it.

“When the financial system shifts its capital away from resource-hungry, brown investments to those that back nature as solution, everybody wins in the long-term,” Anderson noted.

Commenting on the development, executive director, Keystone Bank Limited, Yemi Odusanya said Keystone Bank is convinced that only in an inclusive society founded on human dignity, equality and the sustainable use of natural resources can our clients, customers and businesses thrive.

Hope Moses-Ashike

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.