(SACE, Rome, 19 April 2024) The leaders of official export credit agencies from the G7 nations – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the USA – met on April 16th, in Tokyo, hosted by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), to discuss recent business trends and challenges. In the light of the increasing global geopolitical risks, the G7 ECA Heads have reaffirmed their role in protecting and promoting international trade and investment, and have recognised the importance of risk management for ECAs. The G7 ECA Heads recognise the need to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change and to support businesses in responding to global climate issues. Acknowledging the need for urgency, the G7 ECA Heads agree to continue to proactively engage in a review of climate-related provisions under the framework of the OECD Arrangement and the Common Approaches for Officially Supported Export Credits and Environmental and Social Due Diligence. The G7 ECA Heads acknowledge the important role that ECAs continue to play in supporting their own exports and foreign investments and confirm that now, a variety of roles are expected, including promoting inclusive and sustainable trade and investment in developing countries, emerging markets and more established economies, and contributing to the realization of various policy agendas of their respective governments. In particular the G7 ECA Heads underlined their commitment to supporting Ukraine and reaffirmed their role in mobilizing private sector funds, and to continue this dialogue at the next Ukraine Recovery Conference on 11 June 2024 in Berlin.
Newsletter
ECAs continue to debate fate of Mozambique LNG project
(Global Trade Review, London, 17 April 2024) Financial backers are continuing to assess whether they should reaffirm their support for a multi-billion-dollar LNG project in Mozambique as operator Total looks to restart work. The project was suspended in 2021 after insurgents known as the Islamic State Mozambique attacked Palma, a town in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. Total declared force majeure and withdrew its staff from the nearby Afungi project site. But earlier this year, the French energy major announced its intention to restart the project, meaning its financial partners are also expected to confirm their commitment. A coalition of 124 civil society groups, including BankTrack and Friends of the Earth, have called on financial backers to reconsider their support of the project and urged them to withdraw their funding due to “the continuation of insurgent attacks and the failure of the Mozambican government and TotalEnergies to tackle the drivers of the conflict”. They also cite “ongoing human rights violations” and “irreversible climate and environmental impacts” as reasons to end support. The project is backed by a range of public and private financial institutions, including eight export credit agencies (ECAs) and 15 commercial banks. The ECAs involved are the Export-Import Bank of the United States (US Exim), UK Export Finance (UKEF), the Export-Import Bank of Thailand, Italy’s Sace, Japan’s Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (Nexi), the Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa (ECIC), Atradius DSB of the Netherlands and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
ECAs continue to favour fossil fuels over clean energy
(Global Trade Review, London, 10 April 2024) Export credit agencies (ECAs) in the world’s largest economies are still pumping billions of dollars more annually into fossil fuels than clean energy projects, fresh data shows, spurring calls for reform within the OECD Arrangement. ECAs in the G20 group of nations provided US$96bn towards fossil fuel projects between 2020 and 2022, finds a report published this week by campaign groups Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth. The US$32bn per year supplied by these institutions represents a 20% drop compared to the US$40.1bn yearly average from 2018 and 2020, figures show, highlighting efforts to reduce fossil fuel exposures. Yet the volume of ECA financing directed towards fossil fuels is still six times larger than that allocated to clean energy, which averaged US$5bn annually during this same period.
EU ECA fossil fuel phase-out tracker reveals Member States are lagging commitment to Paris Agreement goals in export credit policies
(Both Ends, Utrecht, 4 April 2024) The EU ECA fossil fuel phase-out tracker sheds light on the concerning lack of harmony between EU Member States’ export credit climate policies. The report was updated on April 17th, following new responses by Member States on their respective policies. Despite increasing global efforts towards sustainability, export credit agencies (ECAs) play a key role in providing loans, guarantees and insurance backed by public budgets to companies from their countries, including polluting industries. At present, ECAs continue to be the world’s largest international public financiers of fossil fuels, sorely misaligned with climate goals. In March 2022, during the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, Member States made a crucial commitment to end public finance through ECAs for fossil fuel energy projects by the end of 2023. Recent findings reveal that half of the 23 EU member states with ECAs are fulfilling their commitments, while the others lag behind. Our findings show that only eight EU Member States, such as Denmark, France and the Netherlands, have fully implemented policies to phase out public support for fossil fuel projects. Conversely, five countries, including Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Portugal, have no formal policy but claim not to finance such projects. However, a worrying trend is emerging, with 10 Member States failing to honour their commitments. Some, such as Croatia, the Czech Republic and Greece, have yet to establish a policy to phase out export credit support for fossil fuels. Others, such as Austria and Italy, have published policies that are not in line with climate science and the mandatory 1.5°C pathway.
JIBC provides US$3.3 billion to harmful Asian LNG projects
(Friends of the Earth Japan, Tokyo, 26 April 2024) From the straits of the Philippines to the coasts of the United States, Japan’s fossil fuel financing is harming the environment, climate, and communities at a time when the world is reeling from the ever-intensifying heat waves, floods, droughts, and typhoons brought by the climate crisis. While the world must phase out fossil fuels, as affirmed by the outcomes of COP28, Japan continues to funnel billions of dollars to liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects through its public institutions like the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). In Southeast Asia alone, JBIC provided USD 3.31 billion to LNG projects that harm communities, derailing the region’s just transition to renewable energy. The Natural Resources Defense Council notes that “Japan stands out as one of the world’s top providers of public finance for gas, and the world’s largest provider of international public finance for LNG export capacity, providing $39.7 billion for projects built from 2012 onwards. Just in the two weeks ahead of Kishida’s meeting with Biden, Japan approved over $2.7 billion in financing for new gas projects, such as the controversial gas field in Australia, Block B gas project in Vietnam, the San Luis Potosi and Salamanca gas plants in Mexico, and financing to import LNG.”
European Commission: NET-ZERO BY 2050 THE ROLE OF EXPORT FINANCE
High-Level Conference NET-ZERO BY 2050 THE ROLE OF EXPORT FINANCE
Organised by the Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission
Thursday, 25 April 2024, Thon Hotel EU, Brussels, with online participation
Agenda
• Session one – The Green Transition – Challenges for Export Finance
◦ Panel discussion. Representatives of the International Energy Agency, NGOS, business as well as the European Commission will present the context for export credits efforts towards alianment. and will discuss the challenges of the green transition for export finance.
• Session 2 – National export finance policies: Phasing out fossil fuels and scaling up clean energy
◦ Panel discussion. Representatives from ECAs and national governments will discuss approaches they have taken to support the transition to Net Zero by 2050. In Council Conclusions of 15 March 2022, each Member State committed to establishing a national plan to phase out any official support for fossil fuel related projects, while scaling-up clean energy. The panellists will present their national plans and their implementation, followed by a discussion.
• Session3 – International Cooperation on Export Finance and Climate
◦ Panel 3 will assess efforts made at an international level to align the worldwide export credits community with the climate objectives. Two international coalitions of ECAs will present their efforts and be joined by a representative of the European Commission among others.
• Wrap up & conclusion
Ankura business consultants’ turning points for EXIM
(Ankura Consultants, 20 March 2024) The U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) is among the most impactful government agencies when it comes to helping U.S. companies compete for business internationally, finance domestic manufacturing, and build resilient supply chains. Up until 2019, EXIM policies and products were little changed despite the U.S. economy evolving dramatically away from traditional manufacturing to a technology and services-dominated economy. As a result, EXIM users are calling for EXIM to be more relevant and adaptable to our 21st-century economy. Lawmakers are hearing these calls and becoming more receptive to EXIM reform. For example, in 2019, Congress gave EXIM a mandate to bolster U.S. company competitiveness concerning China. EXIM users applauded. More reforms are under consideration in Washington.
Five Key EXIM Bank Reforms proposed by Ankura in Washington:
- 1. Revise EXIM’s U.S. Content Policies to Reflect the Modern Global Supply Chain and Export Finance Environment.
- 2. Codify EXIM’s “Make More in America Initiative” (MMIA)
- 3. Raise EXIM’s 2% Statutory Default Limit and Exempt Technology, Nuclear and National Security Related Financings.
- 4. Modify EXIM’s Underwriting Criterion of “Reasonable Assurance of Repayment.”
- 5. Repeal or Modify EXIM’s Prohibition of Financing Sales of Defense Articles and Services
UKEFsigns cooperation agreement with U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office
(UK Government, London, 19 March 2024) UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office (LPO). The agreement signals UKEF and the LPO’s interest in considering potential new joint financing opportunities for energy and green infrastructure projects. This is the first-ever MoU between a European export credit agency and LPO, which has closed over $30 billion in financing deals for energy and advanced technology vehicle projects in the last decade. Collaboration and co-financing with UKEF are expected to create new opportunities for British businesses of all sizes – including smaller firms – looking to support US energy and decarbonisation projects.
Pentagon pitched EXIM Australian nickel investment
(Australian Financial Review, Washington, 8 March 2024) The Pentagon held discussions with Resources Minister Madeleine King about how it could co-invest in an Australian nickel project alongside the Australian government to help mitigate the impact of a glut undermining future critical minerals self-reliance. Ms King met with the under-secretary of defence for acquisition and sustainment, Bill La Plante, at the Pentagon on Thursday (Friday AEDT) to discuss options available following a collapse in the nickel price that has led to the closure and write-down of Australian projects. “The options around collaboration of government financing agencies with those out of America might be EXIM, or under the Defence Production Act,” she said. The Export-Import Bank is the export credit arm of the US federal government.
Ineos Receives UKEF Backing for Europe’s Largest Petrochemical Plant
(ChemAnalyst News, New York, 7 March 2024) In a significant development, the UK government has committed to providing a financial guarantee of EUR 700 million to Ineos, led by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, for the construction of Project One. This ambitious project is poised to become Europe’s largest petrochemical plant in three decades. While financial details emerge, environmental groups are gearing up for a legal battle to halt construction, labelling the plant a potential “carbon bomb” that could escalate emissions and contribute to plastic production and waste. The financial backing from the UK government for Ineos’ Project One comes to light amidst growing environmental concerns and impending legal challenges. Detractors of the project view it as a significant contributor to carbon emissions and a catalyst for increased plastic production and subsequent waste. These concerns have prompted environmental groups to prepare for legal action aimed at preventing the construction of the plant.
