Axis Bank's ESG Data Book for FY 2025-26 discloses ₹45,511 crore in green lending and financial outreach to 2.76 million households. The report tracks the bank's sustainable finance portfolio, climate risk management practices, and social impact metrics. It reflects India's growing private-sector alignment with green finance frameworks, including RBI's guidelines on climate-related financial risks and India's broader net-zero commitments under the Paris Agreement.

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting by banks is no longer voluntary optics — it is fast becoming a regulatory expectation. RBI's 2023 draft framework on climate-related financial risks requires banks to disclose physical and transition risks embedded in their loan portfolios. Axis Bank's ESG Data Book is a response to this evolving landscape.

Green lending refers to credit extended for projects with measurable environmental benefits — renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, sustainable agriculture, and clean transportation. When a bank reports ₹45,511 crore in green lending, it is signalling portfolio alignment with taxonomy-based definitions of sustainable finance.

The 2.76 million household outreach figure captures the social dimension: financial inclusion of underserved populations, which is a key NABARD and priority-sector lending concern. RBI mandates that 40% of adjusted net bank credit flow to priority sectors, including agriculture and weaker sections — green rural lending sits at this intersection.

For RBI Grade B aspirants, the key framework is the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF), both of which guide how banks measure and report financed emissions. SEBI's BRSR (Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting) framework similarly mandates ESG disclosure for listed companies. India's NDC targets — 500 GW renewable capacity by 2030 and net zero by 2070 — create the demand-side pull that makes green lending portfolios grow.