OTP Group will be a platinum sponsor of this year's leading sustainability conference in the Western Balkan region, the Western Balkan ESG Summit will be held in Montenegro from April 26 to April 28. 

ESG Western Balkans Summit will be the first major regional event dedicated to Environmental, Social, and Governance standards and topics aiming to become the region's flagship annual sustainability event.

“OTP Group is proud to be the partner of the first-ever ESG Summit in the Western Balkans region. It is a reasonable cooperation founded on the OTP Group’s aim to be the regional leader in financing a fair and gradual transition to a low-carbon economy. The effects of climate change can be felt in the environment, in economic life and at the social level as well, posing significant challenges to the financial sector. We need to make changes to mitigate these effects, to adopt and to work towards a more sustainable economy”, states Gergely Pókos, Executive Director of OTP Bank Hungary’s Green Program Directorate.

In addition to representatives from the Hungarian OTP Bank, its subsidiaries from Montenegro (CKB), Serbia (OTP banka Serbia), Croatia (OTP Bank Croatia), and Albania (OTP Bank Albania) have also confirmed their participation in the summit.

Aspiring to be a reliable partner for a sustainable future OTP Group created its Green Loan Framework. It aims to contribute to the green transition of the economy by financing green investments and lending to sustainably operating businesses. OTP is dedicated to identify investments that increase positive and reduce negative environmental and social impact and that help businesses and societies adapt to the effects of climate change.

“The primary goal of OTP Group is to become the most prepared Central and Eastern European bank in the field of green financing and sustainability. Regulators are placing an increasing responsibility on banks to be enablers, or what is more, leaders of the sustainability transition. To achieve net zero, significant investments - approximately 28 trillion EUR in the EU - need to be financed in the coming decades”, adds Gergely Pókos, Executive Director of OTP Bank Hungary’s Green Program Directorate.

OTP Group adopted its ESG strategy in 2021 and has officially become a signatory of The Principles for Responsible Banking of the UN.

ESG Summit will serve as a networking platform for young entrepreneurs with innovative sustainable ideas and relevant stakeholders from the industry. 

“Summit aspires to connect regional and global government, business leaders and sustainability experts with the young innovative businesses who are the driving engine of sustainable and green development. It aspires to drive positive change for businesses and society by new long-term initiatives and raising awareness of the ESG standards’ importance”, says Biljana Braithwaite, CEO of Sustineri Partners. 

The event is organised by Sustineri Partners and Porto Montenegro. The Summit is convened in partnership with the Government of Montenegro and Bloomberg Adria.