(4 August 2025 -United Kingdom) Barclays has exited the UN-backed Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), following HSBC and a wave of major US lenders. The UK-based bank says the alliance “no longer has the membership to support our transition,” referencing the recent departures of major players.
Launched in 2021, the NZBA committed members to align their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions pathways by 2050 or earlier. At its height, the alliance included around 150 banks globally. But this number has sharply declined, especially after several US banks — including JPMorgan, Citi, and Goldman Sachs — withdrew in early 2025.
The US departures came amid Republican criticism of ESG-focused finance, with House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan calling climate alliances a “climate cartel.”
Despite leaving the NZBA, Barclays reaffirmed its sustainability goals:
“Our targets to mobilise $1 trillion of Sustainable and Transition Financing and for financed emissions remain unchanged. We continue to work with our clients on their transition, finance the transition and scale climate tech, while helping to ensure energy security for our customers and clients.”
Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters recently criticised banks for backtracking on climate:
“People that said a lot of stuff, but [when] it was fashionable to say it, [and] who are saying either nothing or the opposite now: shame on them,” he told The Guardian.