On 28 June LECE held the LECE Conference on Sustainable Finance: "The EU banking industry: a guide on sustainable finance -ESG", at CaixaForum in Madrid. The conference was organised by the LECE International Committee and the LECE Spanish Committee, in collaboration with CaixaBank, Gabeira & Asociados and Fundación Gabeiras.

The conference addressed the criteria proposed by regulatory bodies to promote the role of banking as a promoter of a sustainable European economy. CSRD, SFRD, green funds, impact funds, taxonomies and rating agencies, and discussed the priorities and criteria that will govern the transformation process towards inclusive sustainable finance; convergence with the real economy; assessment of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the absence of rating agencies, level playing field (EU, USA, China).

Agenda

9.00 h welcome Words of Joan Rosàs, International Institutional Relationship director of CaixaBank and deputy chairman of LECE Spain

9.05 Presentation and opening h of the session in charge of Francesc Homs, chairman of ELEC - LECE Spain

9.15 Discourse and words h of Carlos Cuerpo's opening, general secretary for the Treasure – Government of Spain

9.30 Intervention h in charge of Martin Spolc, director of the Unit of Sustainable Finances of the European Commission, DG FISMA

9.45 h First round table: How public agendas underpin a sustainable financing framework for EU financial institutions
Xavier Fortuny, Sustainability Risk Director at CaixaBank
Joseph Noss, Chair of ISO’s Sustainable Finance Committee
Belén Flor Villa, Head of Sustainable Finance Iberia- ING Group
Joaquín Garralda, Chairman of SpainSif
Mónica Malo, Director of Communications, External Relations and Sustainability at CECA
Moderated by Patricia Gabeiras, founding partner of the firm Gabeiras y Asociados

11.15 h Pause and coffee

11.30 h Intervention in charge of Mercedes Olano, Managing Director of Bank Supervision of the Banco de España

11.45 h Segunda round table: Towards promoting a virtuous circle of sustainable finance within the EU. Will Europe propel the implementation of the global agenda?
Olaf Sleijpen, member of the Executive Board of DNB and chairman of the Group of Wise Persons (GWP) of ELEC
Dominique Carriou, Head of Regulatory Affairs, European Savings and Retail Banking Group (ESBG)
Elena Flor, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at the Intesa Sanpaolo Group
Christian Castro, Director of Public Affairs at CaixaBank
Lara de Mesa, Global Head of Responsible Banking, Banco Santander
Moderated by Javier Arias, Chairman of the LECE International Committee

13.15 h Words of close:
Javier Arias, Chairman of the LECE International Committee
Joan Rosàs, Director of International Institutional Relations at CaixaBank and Deputy Chairman of LECE Spain