Transforming Austria’s Financial Sector for a Climate-Neutral Future

The Green Finance Alliance (GFA) is the flagship initiative of Austria’s Federal Ministry for Climate and Environmental Protection, dedicated to transforming the Austrian financial market towards sustainability and climate neutrality. Financial companies that join the GFA voluntarily commit to aligning their core business with the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

The GFA provides clear, science-based criteria, practical support, and a strong community of ambitious pioneers in sustainable finance.

Key Benefits:

  • Leveraging Financial Power for Climate Protection:
    The GFA unites the influence of Austria’s financial sector to accelerate the transition to a climate-resilient economy.
  • Membership Advantages:
    Access to exclusive workshops, webinars, working groups, and expert guidance.
  • Support for Members:
    From practical tools to up-to-date knowledge on EU regulation, the GFA empowers members to lead in climate finance.
  • Visibility for Climate Leaders:
    Members are recognized as frontrunners in sustainable finance, both at industry events and in public communications.

Overview

Members Member Services How to become a member

Frequently Asked Questions

 Publications Contact

 

    10 members
    6 billion Euros already invested in sustainable sectors
    40 sustainable financial products (Austrian Ecolabel 49)

Members of the Green Finance Alliance

Ten leading Austrian financial companies — including banks, insurance companies, pension funds, and corporate provision funds — have already committed to climate neutrality through the Green Finance Alliance. Discover which organizations are driving the sustainable finance movement in Austria.

Why join the Green Finance Alliance?

Are you a bank, insurance company, pension fund, corporate provision fund, or investment management company based in Austria? Take the next step towards climate-neutral finance and join a unique global initiative. Together, we can drive measurable change for a sustainable future.

  • Accelerate your Climate Transition: The GFA supports your organization in transforming its core business to become climate-neutral by 2050.
  • Manage Climate Risks and Unlock Growth: Align your investment, lending, and underwriting portfolios with climate goals to actively manage climate risks and tap into new growth markets.
  • Continuous Learning and Implementation: Benefit from regular monitoring, workshops, bilateral exchanges, decarbonization methods (I-PEPs), and expert publications—creating a collaborative space for a climate-ready, future-proof financial industry.
  • Exclusive Access: Join thematic working groups focused on transition support, where interdisciplinary teams develop solutions for members’ most pressing challenges.

Member Services

As a GFA member, your financial institution enjoys a range of tailored services, including:

Application as a new member

Are you a bank, insurance company, pension fund, occupational retirement provision fund or asset management company based in Austria and would you like to implement climate protection in a serious and ambitious way? We warmly invite you to become part of a globally unique initiative.

Would you like your core business to be gradually aligned towards climate neutrality? The Green Finance Alliance enables you to pursue long-term climate goals through concrete measures implemented in the short and medium term, and to make an essential contribution in the fight against the climate crisis. You will be supported in implementation by experts through workshops, webinars, working groups and further exchange formats. All under the motto: Together it is easier!

Information services for interested parties

Free soft gap analysis: In order to better estimate the effort required for GFA membership, we offer interested parties a soft gap analysis. As part of this analysis, the GFA coordination office at the Environment Agency Austria provides an initial assessment of the gaps between the current status of the financial institution and the GFA requirements. The evaluation is free of charge and is carried out in close cooperation with the financial institution. The results of the analysis are confidential and are communicated exclusively bilaterally to the financial institution. If you are interested, please contact the GFA helpdesk directly: gf-alliance@umweltbundesamt.at

Observer newsletter: To stay informed about the latest developments and events in the Green Finance Alliance, interested financial institutions as well as other stakeholders can subscribe to the observer newsletter.

Questions and answers: Answers to our most frequently asked questions can be found in our FAQs.

Direct contact: Our Green Finance Alliance helpdesk is available for detailed questions at gf-alliance@umweltbundesamt.at.

How to Become a Member – Five Steps to Climate Leadership

The GFA welcomes both sustainability leaders and organizations just beginning their climate journey. Membership is based on the completeness of your application and fulfillment of basic requirements.

Contact & Information

Frequently Asked Questions about the Green Finance Alliance (GFA)

Publications & Knowledge Hub

Explore our latest progress reports, handbook (Executive Summary), list of criteria, and thematic guidelines to see how Austria’s financial sector is integrating climate protection into strategy and practice.

Green finance alliance progress report 2025
Photo: BMLUK / Nationalpark Gesäuse

Based on the 2025 evaluation process, the progress report summarises the most important results. The highlight: Over 80 percent of the criteria to be met were fully satisfied.

To the progress report 2025 (PDF, 7 MB)

Publications

Presentations

Fact sheets

Key indicator set for steering decarbonisation: The I-PEPs method

With the Indicators for Portfolio-related Emissions Performance (I-PEPs), a new generation of metrics has been developed within the Green Finance Alliance. I-PEPs enable financial institutions to steer the development of their greenhouse gas emissions and thus the decarbonisation of their core business.

GHG neutrality 20250

Measurability of transition progress

I-PEPs analyse the actual transition progress of the existing portfolio business. This innovative indicator set covers a broad spectrum of the financial sector and includes metrics for: investment portfolios, lending portfolios, and insurance business.

Methodological approach

Despite their wide range of applications, the methodological approach of I-PEPs is consistent. As a comprehensive climate steering tool for financial institutions, the indicator set covers the aspect of portfolio decarbonisation. Other aspects, such as the expansion of green activities, the phase-out of fossil fuels, and proactive engagement, are to be managed through additional metrics.

I-PEPs belong to the category of ex-post indicators: they assess the actual transition progress (emissions performance) of the existing portfolio. However, their application also generates important steering signals for the ex-ante evaluation of new business, as credible and ambitious transition plans are a prerequisite for real transition progress. Target-setting using I-PEPs rewards active transition support of even greenhouse gas (GHG)-intensive real-economy companies, since only the development of GHG emissions (and not the absolute emission level) determines the evolution of the indicators.

I-PEPs documents

Contact: How to reach us

Governance Structure

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