Responsible Banking

In addition, RBI AG has issued the first green Tier2 capital bond from Austria and is thus also a pioneer in this respect.

A report on RBI AG's green bonds is published annually at the end of April and shows the use of funds and environmental effects resulting from green lending.

With our expertise, we also support our customers in issuing sustainable financing products, such as bonds, schuldschein loans or syndicated loans. The RBI Group is the leading sustainable bond house in its home market(1).

If we can assist you in structuring sustainable financing products, please contact Mario Spatling.

(1) Bloomberg League Tables, Region: Eastern Europe and Austria, Instruments: Green/Social/Sustainable & Sustainability-Linked Bonds; Period: 2021

Why green bonds?

By issuing green bonds for group refinancing and sustainable customer lending, we directly link the issue of sustainability to the bank's business performance, thereby creating greater sustainability awareness throughout the organization.

As an additional incentive, we introduced an incentive program for social and environmentally friendly projects in January 2019 to promote the long-term development of the sustainable loan portfolio. The program’s objective is to expand the portfolio and support our issuance activities in the area of green and social bonds.

Kickstarter Package

• Tailored to your company and your sustainability strategy
• ESG workshop: ESG rating agencies and ESG investor requirements
• Consulting on quick wins and long shots
• Peer comparison/benchmarking
• Advice on the selection of suitable ESG rating agencies
• Overview and advice on disclosure and reporting requirements
• and more

Ongoing Partnership Package

• Ongoing advice on ESG reporting requirements and standards
• Support in the ESG rating process from our experts
• Analyst and investor updates
• Feedback on peer group/best-in-class ESG reporting
• Assistance in identifying potential developments during the ESG rating process
• Exclusive ESG conferences and events
• and more

Green Guarantee Line

The Green Guarantee Line, in conjunction with other forms of sustainable financing, supports you in your Net Zero strategy and provides greater transparency on how companies intend to achieve their goals. The contract is based on the concept of proper use of funds for eligible green projects and is directly related to the investment to be financed, which must meet certain criteria to be an eligible green investment. Green criteria are typically derived from the EU Taxonomy or the RBI Green Bond Framework.

For each guarantee that qualifies as green, a report is prepared once a year that also shows the associated environmental impact.

For questions regarding the Green Guarantee Line, please contact Martina Zimmerl.

ESG-linked derivatives

RBI has offered ESG-linked hedging instruments for interest rate and currency risks since 2021.

The derivatives are linked to the customer’s respective sustainability targets by means of ESG key performance indicators or the ESG rating. An incentive system motivates you as our customer to achieve the targets set. If they have not been achieved at the end of the term, you make an additional payment that can be donated to an ESG-related cause, for example.

We therefore not only support you in hedging against market risks, but also enable you to take ESG criteria into account at every step of your financial risk management. By using ESG-linked derivatives, you can link both new and existing "green" or "non-green" liabilities to your company's ESG objectives.

For questions on ESG-linked derivatives, please contact Harald Schönauer.

ESG rating-linked financing

Since 2019, we have offered ESG-linked financing instruments in the form of a loan, bond or schuldschein linked to agreed sustainability targets such as an improved ESG rating.

The agreement stipulates that the interest margin is linked to the ESG rating of a renowned sustainability rating agency. If the respective ESG rating of the borrower improves, this also has a positive effect on the margin and thus the interest rate.

ESG-KPI-linked financing

With this product innovation, we can cater to your company even more individually. KPI-linked loans, bonds or schuldschein loans are financing instruments that offer the borrower a financial incentive to improve ESG-relevant KPIs and thus achieve agreed sustainability targets.

Improved ESG performance of your company thus also reduces the overall cost of debt. A key feature of this product is a mechanism that links discounts and premiums on financing terms to the borrower's agreed KPIs. If the company's performance reaches a certain threshold, the financing margin decreases and vice versa. Our experts can help you identify meaningful ESG KPIs.