GGF starts green finance expert course for Garanti BBVA bank

The Green for Growth Fund’s (GGF) Technical Assistance Facility has launched a dedicated Green Finance Expert course with its longstanding partner Garanti BBVA, in cooperation with the Renewables Academy, RENAC. It will enhance the technical expertise of 30 Garanti employees from different regional offices.

This online course is the first in a series of trainings designed specifically for Turkish GGF partner institutions, like Garanti BBVA, to enhance their capacity in providing green finance to households, small and medium enterprises, and other eligible projects. The course incorporates new case studies via live webinars, tailored specifically to the Turkish market with the support of an experienced consultant on the market.

The GGF has also arranged an in-person study tour in Berlin in September 2022 for top achievers who complete the course.

Garanti BBVA was the first bank in Turkey to set net zero targets and offer sustainable finance solutions for all customer segments. Thanks to a USD 22 million investment provided by the GGF to Garanti BBVA in 2019, the bank has been able to successfully on-lend the funds to businesses and households to finance green measures.

“We are very proud of this innovative online course which aims to enhance the technical expertise of professionals involved in the operation of GGF credit lines. Not only does the launch of this course strengthen the position of the GGF Green Academy as a reputable green finance training provider, but it also builds on the strong partnership we have with Garanti BBVA,” GGF Chairman Olaf Zymelka asserted.

Garanti BBVA CFO Aydın Güler said the bank has been contributing to sustainable development and to the fight against climate change for more than 15 years.

“We have integrated sustainability into the loan structures and in this way, we decrease the margin of the loan if our customer progress in sustainability-related areas. We also develop mechanisms that will encourage our customers’ ways of doing business to be more sustainable and greener. Thanks to our cooperation with GGF, we become more specialized in sustainable finance. We will be able to increase the amount of finance for green projects in our country with our employees whose technical expertise has enhanced,” he added.

For more information on becoming a certified green expert, click here.

The Green for Growth Fund invests in measures designed to cut energy use and CO2 emissions and improve resource efficiency in 19 markets across Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Moldova, the Middle East and North Africa. The fund provides such financing directly to renewable energy projects, businesses and municipalities or indirectly via selected financial institutions. The GGF’s Technical Assistance Facility maximizes the fund’s investment impact through support for capacity building at local financial institutions and partners.