Green Financial Products and Services: Current Trends and Future Opportunities in North America
Green car loans, energy efficiency mortgages, alternative energy venture capital, eco-savings deposits, and green credit cards; these items represent merely a handful of innovative, green financial products that are currently offered around the globe. In an age where environmental risks and opportunities abound, so too have the options for reconciling environmental matters with lending and financing arrangements.
The purpose of this report is to examine the currently available green financial products and services, with a focus on lesson learning opportunities, the nature and transferability of best practices, and how key designs can potentially increase market share and generate profits, while improving brand recognition and enhancing reputation.
Following an overview of green banking’s current state of play, both in North America and abroad, this report discusses potential options for future environmental banking products and services for the North American financial sector.
Steering the direction of this report are several key questions, focused on existing and potential issues related to the demand and supply of green financial products and services:
- What are the main drivers and trends behind green financial product and service development?
- What is the current and potential demand for green financial products and services?
- What green financial products and services are currently being offered by different financial institutions?
- What best practices and lessons learned can be identified in terms of experience with green financial products and services?
- What are the key opportunities for North American financial institutions to consider in terms of the development and marketing of green financial product and services?
