As we have seen in the pandemic, a common shock can have asymmetric impacts on countries which have a high concentration of certain sectors, such as tourism. Perhaps more importantly from a financial integration perspective, interconnectedness through supply chains matters. Take manufacturing, which accounts for around 20% of banks’ loan portfolios. While the reported direct emissions of these companies are comparatively lower, indirect exposures through the supply chain are more substantial. The physical risks of climate change have a clearer geographic angle and differ in their regional impact. These risks are also expected to increase in the coming decades, with some likely to be concentrated in particular geographical areas. Floods are the most significant hazard in central and northern Europe, for example, while heatwaves, droughts and wildfires represent the greatest risks in southern Europe. Taken together, around 30% of the credit exposures of euro area banks are to businesses with high or increasing exposure to at least one source of physical risk. Ultimately, the impact of climate change on financial stability depends on the degree of concentration of exposures, and what mitigation measures are in place. Both fronts give cause for concern. Over 70% of identified physical risk exposures in the euro area are held by just 25 banks. There is also a notable concentration by country (Chart 2, left panel), suggesting that physical risk could become a prominent source of asymmetric shocks. Moreover, the physical collateral backing loans may itself be damaged by the event, exacerbating the risk to banks.
Speeches 07 Jun 2022  Opening remarks at the Alliance for Green Commercial Banks Cornerstone Members Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony Eddie Yue, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority Distinguished guests and friends, 1. Good afternoon. It is my great pleasure to join you to celebrate another milestone of the Alliance for Green Commercial Banks. Today we are going to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding that brings in five Cornerstone Members to the Alliance, welcome the on-boarding of four Global Partners and a Knowledge Partner, and publish the Alliance’s first thought leadership paper. 2. My special thanks to the IFC advisory team and the HKMA market outreach team for their hard work and close collaboration that brings out the biggest common denominator among various stakeholders. I would also like to personally thank the Cornerstone Members and Partners for their strong support and contribution throughout the engagement process. What we have achieved today is the product of collective efforts. 3. We at the HKMA feel privileged to have partnered with the IFC in launching the Asia chapter of the Alliance for Green Commercial Banks. This is an important joint commitment and undertaking to support financial institutions in Asia on their journey to become leading green institutions 4. Indeed Asia has the largest need for climate finance among the geographical regions. It is estimated that 66 trillion USD of climate investment is required for the region in the coming three decades.