Today, the UN-convened International Network of Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S) network expanded its network in the Americas with the induction of its newest member, Finance Montreal. With the addition of Montreal, the FC4S network has now grown to 32 members from 5 continents.  As one of North America’s most vibrant financial centres, Montreal houses more than 3,000 companies in the financial services that employ over 100,000 skilled workers, 25,000 of whom are financial specialists.

At the heart of this scene is Finance Montréal which unites the sector into a province-wide cluster of forward-thinking organizations all dedicated to the growth and development of the Quebec and Montréal financial ecosystem. Finance Montreal, Quebec’s national cluster was created in 2010 by institutions in the financial services industry at the invitation of the Québec Government. Its mission is to develop and promote Quebec’s financial services industry though consultation and mobilization in order to make Quebec a competitive, attractive and innovative financial centre.

Within Finance Montreal their dedicated Finance and Sustainability Initiative (FSI) brings together the players in the financial center of Montreal and Quebec who respond to environmental, social and governance issues (ESG), while looking for positive spinoffs for the economy and communities. 

Recently Finance Montreal conducted a strategic planning exercise on sustainable finance, where they identified and prioritized 15 strategic initiatives to be undertaken in the short term. One of which was the increased connection with sustainable finance networks, a priority that led it directly to joining FC4S, as it is one of the world’s premier sustainable finance networks.

“For many years now, Finance Montreal has been actively involved with financial institutions to go beyond responsible investment and foster the emergence of sustainable finance in Quebec. Today we are thrilled to join FC4S as a new member which allows us to differentiate Montreal at an international level, consolidate synergies within the ecosystem, and promote the financial center globally. We look forward to working alongside other financial centers and establishing a constructive dialogue on the relation between economic development, environmental protection and sustainable development, and on how finance can tackle those challenges,” Jacques Deforges, Chief Executive Officer, Finance Montréal

“Finance Montreal is the perfect addition to the FC4S network and we are especially interested in learning from their collaborative approach bringing together all the players of their rich ecosystem. Their work with universities and educational institutions has led for instance to the creation of the Sustainable Investment Professional Certification (SIPC), an innovative skills development programme which is designed with an emphasis to help students understand concepts of environmental, social, financial and ethical sustainability in real-world settings. This is the type of initiatives we are hoping to encourage at FC4S,” said Kong Wei, Co-chair, FC4S.    

The FC4S network and Finance Montreal will work together to promote strategic action in Canada, the Americas and globally.

For more information, please contact:

Nader Rahman
Communications Manager (New York)
nader.rahman@un.org

Julie Perrone
Director of Communications & Marketing (Montréal)
julie.perrone@finance-montreal.com