(Reuters) – Morgan Stanley said on Tuesday it would seek to encourage an additional $750 billion worth of spending on low-carbon solutions by 2030 under a scheme which two years ago targeted $250 billion in investment.
As part of the commitment, the bank said it would escalate activities such as green-bond financing and financing companies that support clean technology and renewable energy.
The announcement follows that of Bank of America, which expanded its commitment to green finance last week. The second largest U.S. bank said it would mobilise $1 trillion to help its push for a more sustainable economy by 2030, up from the $300 billion announced earlier.
As investor interest surges in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, a fleet of companies have taken steps to improve their performance on this front.
Larry Fink, chief executive officer of BlackRock Inc, the world’s largest asset manager, has also called for more disclosure requirements from private companies.
Morgan Stanley said it had deployed around $80 billion under the low-carbon initiative, since it was announced in 2018.
In September, the bank had committed to reaching net-zero financed emissions by 2050.
(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Amy Caren Daniel)
