(26 November 2025 – Singapore) CIMB Singapore has deepened its sustainable finance strategy by partnering with ESGpedia to scale its SME Sustainability-Linked Loan and Financing Program, first introduced in August 2024.
More than 100 SMEs have since used the initiative to set greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets and secure preferential rates linked to their sustainability performance.
Sustainability-linked loans have traditionally targeted large corporates, often involving complex KPIs and costly verification. CIMB’s SME-focused program aims to remove these barriers by offering a streamlined, digitally enabled framework aligned with the Loan Market Association’s principles. Through ESGpedia’s platform, SMEs can independently calculate emissions baselines, set targets and monitor progress in a self-directed workflow.
A key feature is a tiered KPI structure that unlocks interest rate discounts from year two onwards, rewarding firms that achieve their Sustainability Performance Targets (SPTs).
“To make sustainability-linked financing truly scalable, we needed a trusted partner who could simplify the process and lower the cost of carbon accounting and verification,” said Adam Lim, Head of Commercial Banking Product and Strategy at CIMB Singapore. “The SME SLL/SLF Programme, in partnership with ESGpedia, offers precisely that—an efficient, credible, and cost-effective process.”
The partnership also enables CIMB to expand the program without building its own technology infrastructure. ESGpedia provides the data and tracking capabilities required to assess client performance and administer rebates efficiently.
“ESGpedia has helped CIMB channel more financing towards impactful outcomes in a simple, transparent, and scalable manner,” Lim noted.
The initiative supports CIMB Group’s goal of mobilising RM300 billion in sustainable finance by 2030. ESGpedia—named Sustainable Innovator of the Year at the 2025 Singapore FinTech Festival—continues to scale climate-aligned finance across Asia.
Founder and Managing Director Benjamin Soh said: “We are delighted to support banks like CIMB in making sustainability-linked financing more accessible and scalable, and in shaping the climate agenda through financial flows.”
CIMB plans to extend these digital sustainability tools across the region as it continues integrating data-driven ESG solutions into its lending frameworks.