Sustainable Finance - Foundation

The Sustainable Finance (Foundation) module is offered by Forethix Academy.

It is now widely acknowledged within the financial sector that institutions must clearly define and demonstrate how they create value for society. Beyond this, they are expected to contribute to maintaining legitimacy and trust, while supporting the financing of a dynamic and evolving policy landscape.

The growing momentum around Sustainable Finance is driven by several key factors:

• a rising awareness in the financial community of the material impact of ESG factors ;

• increasing EU regulatory requirements aimed at safeguarding the long-term interests of investors, beneficiaries, and the broader financial system ;

• heightened market competition pushing institutions to expand their sustainable product offerings ;

• growing stakeholder demands for transparency about the destination and impact of their investments ;

• an enhanced risk management approach designed to prevent reputational damage and protect value.

This course is tailored for banks, asset managers, insurance companies, and other relevant organizations seeking to integrate sustainability into their business models, offering a first introduction into the topic.

The course features an innovative teaching approach that blends theoretical frameworks with real world examples, enabling participants to apply key concepts and definitions in real-world contexts.

Provide professionals working in the financial sector with fundamental knowledge on sustainable finance.

Part I – The Sustainable Finance Ecosystem

• Sustainable Finance NewsWatch: Key market trends, evolving investor expectations, and recent developments in ESG finance

• From Roots to Mainstream: The evolution from CSR to ESG to integrated sustainable finance

• Why Sustainable Finance Matters: Linking sustainability performance, risk management, and long-term financial value creation

• Mapping the Key Actors: Overview of the EU and Luxembourg ecosystems — institutions, regulators, asset managers, and market enablers

• Sustainable Finance Products & Strategies: Understanding the full spectrum — from green bonds and sustainability-linked loans to ESG funds and impact investing

Practical Exercise: participants match different types of sustainable finance products with their main objectives and investor benefits (e.g., risk reduction, impact creation, reputation enhancement).

Part II – The Regulatory Framework 

• The EU Sustainable Finance Architecture: How the main regulations interconnect and reinforce each other

• EU Taxonomy: Objectives, criteria, and practical use cases

• SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation): Classification, disclosure obligations, and greenwashing risks

• CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive): New reporting requirements and implications for finance

• CS3D (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive): Integrating human rights and environmental due diligence

• Pillar 3 ESG: Sustainability risk disclosure and prudential supervision in banking

Practical Exercise : based on a fictional financial institution, participants identify which EU regulations apply (Taxonomy, SFDR, CSRD, CS3D) and design an integrated compliance and disclosure approach for sustainable finance. 

All professionals working in banks, asset management, insurance companies and other financial institutions who need to capture fundamental knowledge on sustainable finance. No pre-requisites are required.

This training is offered in blended-learning, you will receive access to a preparatory course in e-learning 5 days before the course.

CERTIFICATE

At the end of the training, a certificate of attendance will be available either on your client account or on demand to the customer service.

ADVANCED TRAININGS

• Sustainable Finance: Operational aspects (advanced)

• Sustainable Finance: The Case of Green, Social and Sustainability Bonds and ESG Funds (advanced) (virtual classroom)

• Sustainable Finance: Regulatory Aspects (virtual classroom)