Deutsche Bank sets up sustainable finance team to meet demand for ESG products

Deutsche Bank headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The bank joins other lenders in offering ESG products. EPA

Deutsche Bank has set up a dedicated sustainable finance team within its capital markets division in response to the growing focus on environmental, social and governance issues among its clients.

The German lender has hired Trisha Taneja from Sustainalytics to lead the team, which will operate within its existing capital solutions and sustainable financing group, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg. Green and social financing has become an increasingly competitive sector globally as the fight against climate change steps up.

A Deustche Bank spokesperson confirmed the internal announcement.

“Being able to offer global clients further ESG product expertise, regulatory guidance and investor perspectives will be key a differentiator, opening the door to broader strategic dialogue,” Henrik Johnsson, co-head of capital markets, and Frazer Ross, head of EMEA investment grade debt capital markets syndicate, said in the memo.

Federica Calvetti will lead on ESG issues within debt capital markets, while retaining her current DCM coverage responsibilities. Henrike Pfannenberg will continue and expand on her current role within the Institutional Client Group (ICG) group, specifically focusing on how investors drive the ESG topic.

Tamara Atanasova and Kevin Laubach will remain within capital solutions while continuing to cover ESG matters with bank, insurance and asset management clients that are subject to financial regulation.