BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM ADVANCED PROGRAM GRADUATION THESIS ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF GREEN BANKING PRACTICES ON BANKS’ ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE Student name : Le Thu Thao Class : K22CLCA Academic year : 2019 - 2023 Faculty : Banking Student ID : 22A4011447 Supervisor : PhD Nguyen Bich Ngoc Hanoi, May 2023 1 BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM ADVANCED PROGRAM GRADUATION THESIS ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF GREEN BANKING PRACTICES ON BANKS’ ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE Student name : Le Thu Thao Class : K22CLCA Academic year : 2019 - 2023 Faculty : Banking Student ID : 22A4011447 Supervisor : PhD Nguyen Bich Ngoc Hanoi, May 2023 2 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this is my own research work, with the guidance of my supervisor. This study has never been used in any previous research. The study's findings are accurate, and the information it presents has obvious provenance and is correctly cited. Hanoi, May 2023 Signature Lê Thu Thảo i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to Dr.
Nguyen Bich Ngoc for accompanying me at important milestones during my 4 years of studying at Banking Academy. Ngoc is not only the instructor for my graduation thesis, but from 1 year ago, she was also the one who mentored my group to participate and won the second prize at the Tomorrow Banker Competition with the theme of “Green Banking for Sustainable Future”. It is my honour to have the opportunity to work with Ms. Ngoc, although I was not directly taught by her.
I will always appreciate her comments, which have helped me to deepen my understanding and have broader knowledge within the framework of the thesis. Secondly, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Banking Faculty lecturers for imparting professional knowledge combined with practical contact to us during our time studying at the academy. Banking faculty lectures always give special attention to students and give their best support throughout the learning process. As a result, I have the expertise I need to perform my job.
Thirdly, I would also want to send my gratitude to my friends who really made a turning point in my life. I would like to thank Phuong, a friend and competitor who accompanied me during my 4 years of studying. Phuong helped me overcome difficult times when working on my thesis, and at the same time continuously supported me in studying and believing in me. I'm grateful to Phuong for demonstrating to me what good rivalry and true friendship look like.
I also want to thank Nhung and Hong Anh, because this time last year, they accompanied me to participate in the Tomorrow Banker Competition, where I discovered the area I really want to advance in. Also, thank the friends in room 302 for always being there for me. Fourthly, I also want to thank my family, who urged me to enrol in the Advanced program of Banking Academy four years ago so that I could reach my full potential. I appreciate my family's patience with me during exam seasons when I got overly sensitive and frustrated while working under pressure.
Last but not least, I want to thank me. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. ii LIST OF ABBREVIATION. v LIST OF IMAGES.
v LIST OF TABLES. vi LIST OF FIGURES. The necessity of the study. Object and Scope of the Study.
8 CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES ON THE “GREEN BANKING” PRACTICES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE IN COMMERCIAL BANKS. Overview of "Green Banking". The concept of "Green Banking". Formation and development of "Green Banking".
The Role of "Green Banking". "Green Banking” practices. Overview of Banks’ Environmental Performance. Banks’ environmental performance in some countries.
Relationship between “Green Banking” Practices and Bank’s Environmental Performance. 21 CHAPTER II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND RESULT OF THE IMPACT OF “GREEN BANKING” PRACTICES ON ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE IN VIETNAM COMMERCIAL BANKS. Method of data collection. Data analysis methods.
Green Banking activities and bank's environmental performance in Vietnam 30 2. Basis implementation of "Green Banking" practices in Vietnam commercial banks. Actual implementation of "Green Banking" practices in Vietnam commercial banks. Bank's environmental performance in Vietnam.
The effect of "Green Banking" Practices on environmental performance in Vietnamese commercial banks. Suitability accreditation and reliability of the factors. 60 CHAPTER III: DISCUSSION OF THE RESULT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT IN VIETNAM COMMERCIAL BANKS. Discussion of the results.
Recommendations for commercial banks in Vietnam. Banks’ Policy-related Practice. Employee-related practice. Customer-related practice.
Daily Operation related practice. Recommendations for the Government. Recommendations for the State Bank of Vietnam. Research limitations and proposals.
86 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATION Abbreviation Interpretation ANOVA Analysis of Variance EFA Exploratory Factor analysis EPI Environmental Performance Index GHG Greenhouse Gas IDRBT Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology IFC International Finance Corporation KMO Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design NDC Nationally Determined Contribution SBV State Bank of Vietnam UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change LIST OF IMAGES Image Page Image 1.1: ECB environmental statement 2021 18 Image 1.2: TD Bank environmental statement 2020 19 Image 1.3: CIBC Environmental performance in 2022 20 Image 1.4: DBS Bank annual GHG Emissions by scope 21 Image 2.1: Research model 24 Image 2.2: Techcombank Electricity and Water consumption 2022 42 Image 2.3: VPBank’s Metrics and targets to manage climate-related risks 44 and opportunities and performance Image 2.4: VPBank’s GHG emissions data 44 Image 2.5: Standard Chartered Bank Carbon Emission Criteria 2022 46 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table 2.1: MBBank Environmental Performance 43 Table 2. General information of survey participants 48 Table 2. Selected survey respondents' information 49 Table 2. Green Banking evaluation based on respondents’ perspectives 51 Table 2.
The results of Cronbach's Alpha test 53 Table 2. Result of KMO and Bartlett's Test after rerunning 55 Table 2. Result of variance extracted in factor analysis after rerunning 56 Table 2. KMO and Bartlett's Test of dependent variable 58 Table 2.
Variables Descriptive Statistics 59 Table 2. Correlation analysis matrix between variables 60 Table 2. The results of analysis of variance ANOVA 61 Table 2. Estimation results of the model 62 Table 2.
Regression coefficient model of factors affecting environmental 62 performance at commercial banks in Vietnam Table 3. Results Comparison of the study 67 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure 2.1: Green credit structure by sector in the first 6 months of 2021 33 vi INTRODUCTION 1. The necessity of the study Since the COVID-19 pandemic, every nation is currently focusing on and prioritizing economic recovery and development in the direction of green and sustainable growth. For Vietnam, green growth is not only an inevitable choice but also an opportunity to become a pioneer in the region, catching up with the development trend of the world.
Due to its crucial function in the economy, the banking sector has been following the worldwide trend of sustainable development. As a result, demand for environmentally friendly banking has gradually increased and is now a strategic objective for financial institutions. The establishment and adoption of the "Green Banking" model are one of the most efficient ways to address the problems that the banking industry is currently facing, which are to assure economic growth and preserve the primary social environment. Vietnam's EPI ratings and scores are declining after ten years, according to the most recent research and survey issued earlier this year by YCELP (2023).
Vietnam's EPI ranking in 2012 was 79th out of 132 nations, which was lower than the global average. Vietnam's EPI score fell steadily from 50.1 by the end of 2022, and its position slipped to 178 out of 180 listed nations. According to the aforementioned statistics, Vietnam is witnessing an alarming level of environmental pollution, which will have a negative impact on the long-term growth of our economy. This puts pressure on the banking sector, which functions as an economic intermediary, to simultaneously encourage economic growth and ensure operational sustainability to meet economic demands.
Business, consumer demand, and sustainable development are all dependent on sustaining society and the environment. The Vietnamese government is constantly working to create and put into practice new tactics in the era of global economic integration to promptly find the best answer for both economic growth and environmental conservation to approach the sustainable and green development strategy by providing an updated NDC report to raise the contribution of unconditional emission reductions to 2030 from 9% to 15.8% compared to the 2020 NDC, and the conditional contribution from 27% to 43.5% compared to the BAU development scenario, which also require the banking 1 sector participates in the process of implementing this objective by fostering economic restructuring linked to innovative models of economic growth (Khanh Ly, 2022). The "Green Banking" approach has gained popularity in the international economy and is seen as a significant advancement for the banking industry. According to the UNEPFI (2018), it will take an estimated USD 5-7 trillion annually to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and an extra USD 83 billion in energy-related expenditures will be required annually from 2016 to 2050 to prevent global warming to 1.
Unfortunately, many commercial and investment banking processes don't seem to accurately describe such objectives. In circumstances like these, high standards of governance are - from the owners' perspective - a vital component in enterprises' ability to produce good environmental, social, as well as financial performance, rather than being a goal in themselves. Although developed countries throughout the world started implementing "Green Banking" practises particularly early, it takes 5-7 years to successfully shift from standard banks to green banks. As a result, a long-term plan and implementation period are also required for the growth of green banking in Vietnam (Tran Thi Luong Binh and Nguyen Thi Huong 2022).
IFC's Annual Report (2020) states that just $1.6 billion of the projected $33 billion in existing green loans as of 2019 is attributable by developing nations. The banking system, and notably commercial banks, play a significant role in putting into practice the orientation set by the government as a financial intermediary, capital channel, and lifeblood of the economy. An essential tool for environmentally friendly and economically sustainable development is "Green Banking" The community, enterprises, and the nation as a whole will benefit from the positive and efficient implementation of "Green Banking" as it will encourage green economic development and economic restructuring. Hence, the topic "Analysis and Evaluation of the Impact of Green Banking Practices on Banks' Environmental Performance in Vietnam" is crucial to assisting the banking and financial system in Vietnam in orienting an appropriate operating model for sustainable growth after acknowledging 2 the urgency and practical applicability of the sustainability of banking activities in the future.
International studies The development and implementation of "Green Banking" is contingent on a wide range of conditions, but the resulting effects of these activities usually culminate in an improvement in the banks' environmental performance. Considering that there is inadequate study on the implementation of green banking practises in developing nations, particularly in Pakistan, Rehman et al. (2021) examine the connection between green banking practises and their direct and indirect effects on environmental performance. In terms of policy-making and financial investments in environmental projects, the influence of green practices has been recognised as having a significantly greater impact.
The findings show that the adoption of green banking practices is significantly influenced by legislation, daily operations, and investments. In addition, the effect of green banking operations on green financing and banks' environmental performance in Bangladesh is also identified by Xin Zhang et al. According to the empirical findings, green banking practices and sources of green financing greatly improve banks' environmental performance. Additionally, it was found that the relationship between green banking practices and banks' environmental performance is mediated by green financing.