Climate Governance in Social Finance: From Compliance to Strategic Leadership

Climate risk no longer sits outside the credit process. It travels through it. A flood, drought or heatwave hits clients first, lowering their income and damaging their assets, then it shows up as repayment stress, credit losses, concentration and liquidity risk, and reputational damage for the institution that serves them. For microfinance and social finance providers, client resilience and institutional resilience are the same thing. Climate governance is how boards and management bring climate into strategy, risk oversight, resource allocation and accountability. It is not a separate “green” initiative. Done well, it protects portfolio quality, meets rising investor and regulatory expectations, and keeps the social mission intact. In this webinar you will learn: Why climate change is now a material financial issue for social finance, and how a client-level shock becomes an institutional risk IFC’s six-pillar Climate Governance Approach: commitment, board structure and function, control environment, disclosure and transparency, shareholder treatment and stakeholder engagement Who does what: the roles of the full board, risk, audit and credit committees, management and implementation teams How to assess climate risk across a lending portfolio by segmenting, scoring and weighting sectors by exposure Embedding climate into lending decisions through risk thresholds, climate scores, covenants and limits, while avoiding mission drift A 12-month roadmap from foundation to embedding, plus proportionate data approaches for large banks, mid-size banks and MFIs Practical tools to take away, including IFC’s Climate Governance Progression Matrix and Tip Sheet Experts: Adalyat Abdumanapova – Corporate Governance and Sustainability Expert, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group Adalyat is a corporate governance and sustainability expert with more than 20 years of professional experience. Since joining IFC in 2006, she has led and supported corporate governance advisory engagements across Central Asia, Türkiye and Europe, working with private-sector companies, state-owned enterprises, and financial institutions to strengthen governance and sustainability practices. Adalyat is currently undertaking a corporate governance assignment with IFC’s Global Team at its headquarters in Washington, DC. Her expertise spans board effectiveness, group governance, climate and sustainability governance, family and state-owned enterprise governance, SME governance and gender diversity in leadership. Before joining IFC, Adalyat worked at PalTel International Holding and GRATA Law Firm. She holds an LL.M. from the University of Essex, a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Management, and Entrepreneurship from the International Academy of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Law from the Kazakh State Law Academy. Anne Kullman – Corporate Governance Climate Lead, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group Anne is a Corporate Governance Officer at IFC, where she helps boards and senior executives in emerging markets strengthen oversight of climate-related risks and transition opportunities. She leads the development of IFC guidance, tools, knowledge products, and training programs that enable board directors to advance climate governance and enhance the long-term stewardship of their companies. Before joining IFC, Anne worked with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the United Nations across Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. She brings extensive experience partnering with private-sector organizations, investors, and financial institutions on sustainable finance, disclosure and transparency, and sustainability in global value chains. Anne is a political scientist with a master’s degree in change management and environmental management systems.