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Укр Ukrainian banks and financial companies on the path to sustainable development: results of the ESG training from AUB
On March 19, 2025, the Association of Ukrainian Banks (AUB) organized a training on ESG, which aroused significant interest among the financial and banking community of Ukraine. The event brought together more than 100 representatives of banks and financial institutions, provoking increased attention to sustainable development issues in the financial sector. The keynote speaker of the training was Dr. Jukka Honkaniemi - a banking executive with 30 years of experience at Citibank and SEB, co-founder and CEO of esgResilience.
During the training, participants received practical knowledge on issues such as polycrisis, climate change and natural capital, sustainable development and the EU regulatory context, as well as opportunities and challenges for Ukrainian banks. Special attention was paid to the discussion on the real implementation of ESG in Ukraine during martial law, which allowed participants to discuss current problems and provide opportunities for ways to solve them.
In his presentation “Building Resilient Financial Systems in Uncertainty,” Dr. Jukka Honkaniemi emphasized the importance of integrating ESG principles to ensure the stability and adaptability of financial institutions, especially in the face of global challenges and economic changes.
The event established that the implementation of ESG principles (environmental, social and governance aspects) is a critical place for the Ukrainian financial sector. This contributes to increasing the reliability of banking operations, transparency and effectiveness of risk management. According to recent studies, the integration of ESG criteria can positively affect the stability of banks and their ability to adapt to global challenges.
The Association of Ukrainian Banks pays great attention to the implementation of ESG principles in its activities. This is a step towards European integration and increasing the competitiveness of the Ukrainian financial sector. AUB actively cooperates with the National Bank of Ukraine and other state institutions to adapt European standards and practices in the banking sector.
According to participants, the training organized by AUB with the participation of Dr. Jukka Honkaniemi provided valuable practical knowledge in the field of ESG. Participants noted the opportunity to improve their knowledge in the direction of sustainable financing, risk analysis and implementation of ESG initiatives in their institutions. The training was held in a dynamic atmosphere, ensuring a constructive exchange of experience and new ideas.
The Association of Ukrainian Banks expresses its sincere gratitude to Dr. Jukka Honkaniemi for the meaningful and practically oriented training, to Oleksiy Aniper for his active participation in the organization and moderation of the training, as well as together with the participants for their participation and interest in the development of ESG in Ukraine.
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Dr. Jukka Honkaniemi is a banking manager with 30 years of experience at Citibank and SEB. Jukka was the first global head of sustainability at SEB in the Corporate Business and Institutions Department, as well as the developer of ESG roadmaps and the sustainability risk management system. He is also co-founder and CEO of esgResilience, a company specializing in fixed-income financing and consulting, and an advisor to the Climate Leadership Coalition, the largest non-profit climate business network in Europe.
