Case study: How Shiga Bank identifies and works on strategic business opportunities to increase positive and reduce negative impacts
Shiga Bank, a regional bank in Japan, primarily operates and maintains branches in Shiga Prefecture, with additional locations in Kyoto, Osaka, Gifu, Aichi, Mie Prefectures, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. The bank offers a range of products and services, focusing on financial intermediation through deposits and loans, to serve local customers including individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises, and municipal governments. As of the end of March 2025, the total individual deposit balance was approximately 5.8 trillion yen, with about 5.2 trillion yen held in Shiga Prefecture. The total outstanding loans amounted to around 4.6 trillion yen, of which approximately 2.6 trillion yen were in Shiga Prefecture. Shiga Bank is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) and is, accordingly, identifying and working on strategic business opportunities to increase positive and reduce negative impacts. Tweet This!
This case study is based on the 2025 PRB Reporting and Self-Assessment Template by Shiga Bank prepared in relation to its implementation of the PRB, that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Which Principles for Responsible Banking have been addressed?
The Principles for Responsible Banking addressed in this case are:
- Principle 3: Clients and Customers
- Principle 4: Stakeholders
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- How Shiga Bank proceeded with stakeholder identification and consultation, and
- How Shiga Bank identified and worked on strategic business opportunities to increase positive and reduce negative impacts
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Stakeholder identification and consultation
Please describe which stakeholders (or groups/ types of stakeholders) you have identified, consulted, engaged, collaborated or partnered with for the purpose of implementing the Principles and improving your bank’s impacts. This should include a high-level overview of how your bank has identified relevant stakeholders, what issues were addressed/results achieved and how they fed into the action planning process.
Shiga Bank’s Management Principles affirm the bank’s dedication to fostering mutual prosperity with regional communities, its employees, and the environment, emphasizing a focus on co-creation with all stakeholders.
The bank’s long-term strategy is shaped not only by internal perspectives but also incorporates insights from various external experts, gathered through stakeholder dialogues.
How did Shiga Bank identify and work on strategic business opportunities to increase positive and reduce negative impacts?
In its 2025 PRB Reporting and Self-Assessment Template Shiga Bank reports that it identified and worked on strategic business opportunities to increase positive and reduce negative impacts as follows:
Shiga Bank has supported its customers in enhancing their corporate value through sustainability-oriented management, primarily via dedicated ESG finance and carbon neutrality teams established within the Business Promotion Department. The relationships between each type of financing and their impact categories are outlined as follows:
- SDGs consulting: climate change, employment, human rights, and overall SDGs
- Green loans/bonds: climate change and the natural environment
- Social loans/bonds: health and safety, social protection, human rights, etc.
- Sustainability-linked loans/bonds: climate change, natural environment, health and safety, and overall SDGs
- Sustainability-linked loans (Shiga CO2 Net Zero Plan): climate change
- Transition Finance: climate change
- Positive impact finance: overall SDGs
- Shigagin Sustainable Assessment Loan: overall SDGs
- Miraiyoshi Step: overall SDGs
- Carbon Neutral Loan, Mirai-Yoshi: climate change
- Super Housing Loan, Mirai-Yoshi: climate change
UN Principles for Responsible Banking: Accelerating a positive global transition for people and the planet
With over 300 signatory banks representing almost half of the global banking industry, the Principles for Responsible Banking are the world’s foremost sustainable banking framework. Through these Principles, the banking community takes action to align core strategies, decision-making, lending and investment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and international agreements such as the Paris Climate Agreement.
FBRH Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) Assurance:
First class PRB assurance services: The result of solid, hands-on ESG/ Sustainability experience
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- FBRH is a GRI Certified Training Partner (Global), ISEP Training Centre and a member of CPD.
- FBRH builds trust. Over 200 reviews from top professionals from around the world demonstrate our ability to build strong, trusting business relationships.
- FBRH possesses a unique skill set that combines ESG/sustainability certified training, experience in advisory services and report preparation, and ESG/sustainability report assurance.
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The combination of all the above empowers FBRH to provide first class Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) assurance services.
References:
This case study is based on published information by Shiga Bank, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original please revert to the following link:
https://www.shigagin.com/pdf/ESG_PRB_KPI_Sep2025_en.pdf
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