SUSTAINABLE BANKING ABOVE BOARD: 2024 ASSESSMENT OF BANKS’ SEAFOOD SECTOR POLICIES

The 2024 assessment of 40 global banks reveals a slight increase in the average seafood policy score to 25%, up from 21% in 2023. While 48% of banks showed year-on-year improvements, the majority of policies remain insufficient to address key business resilience risks. European banks continue to lead in policy depth, while Asian banks are showing strong progress in sustainable finance frameworks. Despite 83% of banks recognizing general climate and nature risks, only 33% have seafood-specific policies. The report highlights a growing but still small market for 'blue' financial products, with 38% of assessed banks now disclosing blue-labeled products or eligibility criteria.

• The average score for the 40 assessed banks across 34 indicators was 25% in 2024, representing a slight increase from 21% in 2023 and 17% in 2022.
• Nineteen banks (48%) showed year-on-year improvements between 2023 and 2024, with 11 banks (28%) showing minor improvements and 8 banks (20%) showing moderate improvements.
• European banks maintain the most robust seafood-related risk management policies and occupy the top five scoring positions, though Asian banks are demonstrating strong progress in nature-related policies and sustainable finance.
• There is a significant gap between general awareness of nature risks and the implementation of sector-specific policies: 83% of banks recognize climate and nature loss risks, but only 33% have seafood-specific policies.
• The adoption of 'blue' financial products is increasing, with 15 banks (38%) in 2024 disclosing blue-labeled products or including sustainable blue economy activities in their eligibility frameworks, up from 17% in 2022.
• Eight banks (Deutsche Bank, Kasikornbank, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Societe Generale, Standard Chartered, OCBC, and UOB) updated or published new seafood policies since 2022, and these banks committed approximately US $27 billion to 29 major seafood companies between 2019 and 2025.
• Voluntary frameworks like the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) are influencing bank action, with 30% of assessed banks formally adopting TNFD recommendations and 65% participating in their development or implementation.
• Despite progress in disclosure, no assessed bank has yet disclosed the environmental performance or impact of its seafood lending portfolios or set specific targets for improvement.

APA

Lynch, L. M., & Richardson, M. (2025). SUSTAINABLE BANKING ABOVE BOARD: 2024 ASSESSMENT OF BANKS’ SEAFOOD SECTOR POLICIES. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/98/x9s28slao_WWF_Above_Board_June2025.pdf

Chicago

Lynch, Lauren Meghan, and Mark Richardson. SUSTAINABLE BANKING ABOVE BOARD: 2024 ASSESSMENT OF BANKS’ SEAFOOD SECTOR POLICIES. WWF International, 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/98/x9s28slao_WWF_Above_Board_June2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lynch |first1=Lauren Meghan |last2=Richardson |first2=Mark |title=SUSTAINABLE BANKING ABOVE BOARD: 2024 ASSESSMENT OF BANKS’ SEAFOOD SECTOR POLICIES |publisher=WWF International |date=June 2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/98/x9s28slao_WWF_Above_Board_June2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lynch2025sustainable, author = {Lynch, Lauren Meghan and Richardson, Mark}, title = {{SUSTAINABLE BANKING ABOVE BOARD: 2024 ASSESSMENT OF BANKS’ SEAFOOD SECTOR POLICIES}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/98/x9s28slao_WWF_Above_Board_June2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }