IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v15y2022i4p1495-d751789.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Fossil Fuel Financing Affect Banks’ ESG Ratings?

Author

Listed:
  • Michał Bernardelli

    (Institute of Econometrics, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Al. Niepodległości 162, 02-554 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Zbigniew Korzeb

    (Department of Management, Economy and Finance, Bialystok University of Technology, ul. o. Stefana Tarasiuka 2, 16-001 Kleosin, Poland)

  • Paweł Niedziółka

    (Banking Institute, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Al. Niepodległości 162, 02-554 Warsaw, Poland)

Abstract

The study was conducted on a sample of 60 of the world’s biggest banks financing the largest fossil fuel entities. The aim is to identify the determinants of ESG ratings of these banks and to determine how relevant their actual credit and investment exposure is to this assessment. The indirect objective is also an examination of whether coal power financing affects ESG ratings. Two logistic regression models have been explored: one dedicated to the identification of high ESG risk banks and the second to predict low ESG risk, which thereafter were combined into one final model. The results indicate that an increase in the Sustainable Development Index (SDI) translates into a decline in the odds of being assigned to the high-risk ESG group relative to the probability of being qualified to the low- or medium-risk ESG group. This study is the first to analyse the impact of actual exposures of the world’s largest banks to the fossil fuels sector on their ESG ratings. The value added is the use of a unique database, the focus on actual rather than declared effects of banks’ policies, and the use of a two-stage logistic regression model construction. The proved relationships are important and of practical relevance to bank managers, regulators, and ESG rating providers. Since the research is conducted on the basis of ESG provided only by one rating agency verification of conclusions with the use of ratings of other agencies, confronting benefits from financing the fossil fuels sector with losses resulting from an increase in the cost of obtaining financing are only selected directions for further research.

Suggested Citation

  • Michał Bernardelli & Zbigniew Korzeb & Paweł Niedziółka, 2022. "Does Fossil Fuel Financing Affect Banks’ ESG Ratings?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:4:p:1495-:d:751789
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/4/1495/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/4/1495/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mario La Torre & Sabrina Leo & Ida Claudia Panetta, 2021. "Banks and environmental, social and governance drivers: Follow the market or the authorities?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1620-1634, November.
    2. Haniffa, R.M. & Cooke, T.E., 2005. "The impact of culture and governance on corporate social reporting," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 391-430.
    3. Fard, Amirhossein & Javadi, Siamak & Kim, Incheol, 2020. "Environmental regulation and the cost of bank loans: International evidence," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    4. Jeong Won Kim & Jae-Seung Lee, 2021. "Greening Energy Finance of Multilateral Development Banks: Review of the World Bank’s Energy Project Investment (1985–2019)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-23, May.
    5. Samuel Drempetic & Christian Klein & Bernhard Zwergel, 2020. "The Influence of Firm Size on the ESG Score: Corporate Sustainability Ratings Under Review," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(2), pages 333-360, November.
    6. Jeffrey D. Sachs & Wing Thye Woo & Naoyuki Yoshino & Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2019. "Why is Green Finance Important ?," Working Papers id:12983, eSocialSciences.
    7. Ehlers, Torsten & Packer, Frank & de Greiff, Kathrin, 2022. "The pricing of carbon risk in syndicated loans: Which risks are priced and why?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    8. Chen, Xu & Li, Zhongshu & Gallagher, Kevin P. & Mauzerall, Denise L., 2021. "Financing carbon lock-in in developing countries: Bilateral financing for power generation technologies from China, Japan, and the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 300(C).
    9. World Bank, 2020. "World Development Report 2020," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 32437, December.
    10. Hyoungkun Park & Jong Dae Kim, 2020. "Transition towards green banking: role of financial regulators and financial institutions," Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 1-25, December.
    11. Michal Bernardelli & Zbigniew Korzeb & Pawel Niedziolka, 2021. "The banking sector as the absorber of the COVID-19 crisis’ economic consequences: perception of WSE investors," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 12(2), pages 335-374, June.
    12. Reghezza, Alessio & Altunbas, Yener & Marques-Ibanez, David & Rodriguez d’Acri, Costanza & Spaggiari, Martina, 2022. "Do banks fuel climate change?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    13. Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli & Pedraza, Alvaro & Ruiz-Ortega, Claudia, 2021. "Banking sector performance during the COVID-19 crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    14. Hsiang-Lin Chih & Hsiang-Hsuan Chih & Tzu-Yin Chen, 2010. "On the Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility: International Evidence on the Financial Industry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 115-135, April.
    15. Gunnar Friede & Timo Busch & Alexander Bassen, 2015. "ESG and financial performance: aggregated evidence from more than 2000 empirical studies," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(4), pages 210-233, October.
    16. Auke Plantinga & Bert Scholtens, 2021. "The financial impact of fossil fuel divestment," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(1), pages 107-119, January.
    17. World Bank, 2019. "World Development Report 2019 [Rapport sur le développement dans le monde 2019]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 30435, December.
    18. Gamze Ozturk Danisman & Ender Demir & Adam Zaremba, 2021. "Financial Resilience To The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role Of Banking Market Structure," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(39), pages 4481-4504, August.
    19. Rishikesh Ram Bhandary & Kelly Sims Gallagher & Fang Zhang, 2021. "Climate finance policy in practice: a review of the evidence," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(4), pages 529-545, April.
    20. Zbigniew Korzeb & Pawel Niedziolka, 2020. "Resistance of commercial banks to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Poland," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 15(2), pages 205-234, June.
    21. Fabrizio Crespi & Milena Migliavacca, 2020. "The Determinants of ESG Rating in the Financial Industry: The Same Old Story or a Different Tale?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-20, August.
    22. Caruso, G. & Gattone, S.A. & Fortuna, F. & Di Battista, T., 2021. "Cluster Analysis for mixed data: An application to credit risk evaluation," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    23. Best, Rohan, 2017. "Switching towards coal or renewable energy? The effects of financial capital on energy transitions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 75-83.
    24. Caterina Di Tommaso & John Thornton, 2020. "Do ESG scores effect bank risk taking and value? Evidence from European banks," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2286-2298, September.
    25. Cornett, Marcia Millon & Erhemjamts, Otgontsetseg & Tehranian, Hassan, 2016. "Greed or good deeds: An examination of the relation between corporate social responsibility and the financial performance of U.S. commercial banks around the financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 137-159.
    26. Hickel, Jason, 2020. "The sustainable development index: Measuring the ecological efficiency of human development in the anthropocene," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    27. Azmi, Wajahat & Hassan, M. Kabir & Houston, Reza & Karim, Mohammad Sydul, 2021. "ESG activities and banking performance: International evidence from emerging economies," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    28. Safarzyńska, Karolina & van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M., 2017. "Financial stability at risk due to investing rapidly in renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 12-20.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eleni Zafeiriou & Konstantinos Spinthiropoulos & Constantinos Tsanaktsidis & Stavros Garefalakis & Konstantinos Panitsidis & Alexandros Garefalakis & Garyfallos Arabatzis, 2022. "Energy and Mineral Resources Exploitation in the Delignitization Era: The Case of Greek Peripheries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-20, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Galletta, Simona & Mazzù, Sebastiano & Naciti, Valeria, 2022. "A bibliometric analysis of ESG performance in the banking industry: From the current status to future directions," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    2. Fiordelisi, Franco & Ricci, Ornella & Santilli, Gianluca, 2023. "Environmental engagement and stock price crash risk: Evidence from the European banking industry," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    3. Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Tarazi, Amine, 2024. "ESG activity and bank lending during financial crises," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    4. Massimiliano Cerciello & Francesco Busato & Simone Taddeo, 2023. "The effect of sustainable business practices on profitability. Accounting for strategic disclosure," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 802-819, March.
    5. Halit Gonenc & Bert Scholtens, 2019. "Responsibility and Performance Relationship in the Banking Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-49, June.
    6. Monika Klimontowicz & Anna Losa-Jonczyk & Bogna Zacny, 2021. "Banks’ Energy Behavior: Impacts of the Disparity in the Quality and Quantity of the Disclosures," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-14, November.
    7. Mueller, Isabella & Sfrappini, Eleonora, 2022. "Climate Change-Related Regulatory Risks and Bank Lending," Working Paper Series 2670, European Central Bank.
    8. David Castillo-Merino & Gonzalo Rodríguez-Pérez, 2021. "The Effects of Legal Origin and Corporate Governance on Financial Firms’ Sustainability Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-20, July.
    9. Paola Fandella & Bruno S. Sergi & Emiliano Sironi, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility performance and the cost of capital in BRICS countries. The problem of selectivity using environmental, social and governance scores," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 1712-1722, July.
    10. Gianpaolo Iazzolino & Maria Elena Bruni & Stefania Veltri & Donato Morea & Giovanni Baldissarro, 2023. "The impact of ESG factors on financial efficiency: An empirical analysis for the selection of sustainable firm portfolios," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 1917-1927, July.
    11. Lei Ruan & Heng Liu, 2021. "Environmental, Social, Governance Activities and Firm Performance: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.
    12. Hai-Yen Chang & Lien-Wen Liang & Yu-Luan Liu, 2021. "Using Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and Financial Indicators to Measure Bank Cost Efficiency in Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    13. Shouwei Li & Xin Wu, 2023. "How does climate risk affect bank loan supply? Empirical evidence from China," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 2169-2204, August.
    14. Amir Gholami & Peter A. Murray & John Sands, 2022. "Environmental, Social, Governance & Financial Performance Disclosure for Large Firms: Is This Different for SME Firms?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-21, May.
    15. Chunya Ren & Irene Wei Kiong Ting & Wen‐Min Lu & Qian Long Kweh, 2022. "Nonlinear effects of ESG on energy‐adjusted firm efficiency: Evidence from the stakeholder engagement of apple incorporated," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1231-1246, September.
    16. Bert Scholtens & Sophie van’t Klooster, 2019. "Sustainability and bank risk," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, December.
    17. Jing Lu & Kathleen Rodenburg & Lianne Foti & Ann Pegoraro, 2022. "Are firms with better sustainability performance more resilient during crises?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3354-3370, November.
    18. Ashis Kumar Pradhan & Gourishankar S Hiremath, 2020. "Do external commercial borrowings and financial development affect exports?," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 1796269-179, January.
    19. Mohamed Albaity & Ray Saadaoui Mallek & Hasan Mustafa, 2022. "Bank Stock Return Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Investor Sentiment in MENA Countries," Risks, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, February.
    20. Al-Shaer, Habiba & Uyar, Ali & Kuzey, Cemil & Karaman, Abdullah S., 2023. "Do shareholders punish or reward excessive CSR engagement? Moderating effect of cash flow and firm growth," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    bank; ESG rating; fossil fuel;
    All these keywords.

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:4:p:1495-:d:751789. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.