Top 10: Green Finance Providers

Green finance has surged in recent years, with the global market valued at US$4.18tn in 2023 and set to reach US$28.71tn by 2033.

Leading the charge are green bonds, making up an impressive 93.1% of all green finance between 2012 and 2021. To put that into perspective, green bond issuance jumped from just US$2.3bn in 2012 to a staggering US$511.5bn by 2021.

The surge in green and sustainability bonds is fuelling this growth, with more investors adopting eco-friendly finance options.

Here, Scope 3 Magazine takes a closer look at the top 10 green finance providers reshaping the industry.

10. N26

Founded: 2013
CEO: Valentin Stalf (Co-Founder and CEO) & Maximilian Tayenthal (Co-Founder, Co-CEO and COO)
Employees: >1,500

N26, the innovative German digital bank, is on a mission to champion sustainability with its green financing initiatives.

Its premium account, Tomorrow Zero, allows customers to support vital climate projects like biogas plants in Vietnam and clean water initiatives in Uganda.

Committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, N26 also backs green bonds from Förderbank Nordrhein-Westfalen. With a digital-only model and eco-friendly card materials, this bank is not just banking on profits but also on a greener future. 

9. Downing

Founded: 1986
CEO: Tony McGing
Employees: 200

Downing combines green finance with smart investing, focusing on renewable energy projects like wind, solar, hydro and battery storage.

With around £900m (US$1.1bn) in assets under management, Downing is committed to generating solid returns while tackling environmental challenges.

Offering sustainable investment options for institutional investors, it integrates ESG principles throughout the process. Its hands-on approach includes monitoring environmental impacts, engaging portfolio companies for positive change and maintaining transparency through sustainability reporting and global initiatives.

8. Doconomy

Founded: 2018
CEO: Mathias Wikström
Employees: 50-100

Doconomy is revolutionising green finance by empowering both banks and consumers to take climate action.

With its DO card and app, customers can track the carbon footprint of their purchases and even set carbon limits on spending.

For banks, Doconomy offers tools like Impact Transactions to measure CO2e from financial activities and Impact Finance to promote sustainable savings.

By making sustainability accessible and weaving it into daily banking, Doconomy is helping everyone make smarter, greener choices.

7. Tred

Founded: 2019
CEO: Will Smith and Peter Kirby (Co-Founders)
Employees: <50

Tred's green business current account makes sustainable finance easy.

By automatically calculating your company’s carbon footprint from transaction data, it simplifies carbon reporting across all emissions scopes.

As a B Corp and certified carbon-neutral, Tred is committed to never investing in fossil fuels. The company is all about making money work for both people and the planet.

Plus, with personalised recommendations, Tred helps businesses cut their environmental impact and drive real, meaningful change every day.

6. Starling

Founded: 2014
CEO: Anne Boden
Employees: 2,000+

Starling Bank, a trailblazing digital bank, is leading the charge in green finance.

With loans tailored for eco-friendly SMEs, Starling helps businesses make a real environmental impact.

Its investments in carbon-reducing projects – ranging from forest protection to solar power – show its commitment to a sustainable future.

Partnering with organisations like Trillion Trees and Kew Gardens for reforestation efforts, Starling's green initiatives are all part of its mission to become a net-zero company by 2030.

5. Cooler Future

Founded: 2019
CEO: Moaffak Ahmed (Chairman)
Employees: Approx. 10-50

Cooler Future is a fintech with a mission: to help you invest in a greener world.

Through its easy-to-use mobile app, you can put your money into climate-positive portfolios, backing companies actively reducing carbon emissions.

The company's curated investment options are designed to deliver solid returns while making a real environmental impact.

With full transparency, the app shows the carbon footprint of its customers' investments, letting them track both their financial growth and contribution to fighting climate change.

4. Clim8

Founded: 2019
CEO: Duncan Grierson
Employees: Approx. 20-50

Clim8 is a digital investment platform focused on sustainable and climate-positive investments.

The company offers a range of green financing options through its mobile app, allowing retail investors to put their money into environmentally-friendly portfolios.

Clim8's offerings include investments in clean energy, sustainable food, smart mobility and circular economy companies.

The platform uses proprietary technology to select companies making a positive impact on climate change, providing users with an easy way to align their investments with environmental values.

3. Aspiration

Founded: 2013
CEO: Andrei Cherny
Employees: Approx. 200-500

Aspiration, a forward-thinking fintech in partnership with Coastal Community Bank, brings a fresh approach to green finance, allowing customers to bank with purpose.

The company's "plant your change" feature makes it easy – round up purchases to the nearest dollar and a tree gets planted. It’s a simple way to contribute to reforestation and help offset carbon emissions with every swipe.

Aspiration also helps you shop smarter with a personal impact score, nudging customers towards more eco-conscious decisions. Plus, its sustainable financing options are designed to support a low-carbon future. 

Banking doesn’t just have to be just about money; it can be about making a difference.

2. Triodos Bank

Founded: 1980
CEO: Jeroen Rijpkema
Employees: 1,700+

Triodos Bank is a pioneer in sustainable banking, offering green financing to support eco-friendly projects.

The company provides loans for renewable energy ventures such as solar, wind and hydro power, as well as sustainable infrastructure and environmental technology.

Its green mortgages promote energy-efficient homes, while commercial building loans focus on sustainability. Triodos also offers green investment funds, like the Stocks & Shares ISA, which targets companies with positive environmental and social impact.

Through its Green Bond Framework, Triodos issues bonds to finance or refinance green loans. The bank is dedicated to transparency, publishing details of all funded organisations, and aims for net-zero emissions across loans and investments by 2035.

1. Stripe (Stripe Climate) 

Founded: 2009 (Stripe) / 2020 (Stripe Climate)
CEO: Patrick Collison
Employees: 7,000+ (Stripe)

Stripe Climate is an initiative enabling businesses to support carbon removal as they grow.

Companies can allocate a portion of their revenue to back permanent carbon removal technologies. There are two ways to participate: direct a percentage of revenue to early-stage carbon removal companies in Frontier's portfolio or pre-order carbon removal tons via Stripe's dashboard or API.

The programme seeks to accelerate carbon removal by boosting demand and encouraging investment in the sector.

Purchases are managed by Frontier, which has pledged to buy more than US$1bn in carbon removal by 2030, supporting solutions like enhanced weathering and direct air capture.

Receive the next edition of Scope 3 Magazine by signing up for its newsletter. 

As part of this portfolio, make sure you check out Procurement Magazine and also sign up to our global conference series - Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE.

Also check out our sister brand, Sustainability Magazine and sign up to its global conference series - Sustainability LIVE.

Scope 3 Magazine is a BizClik brand.