Focus on Arts and Ecology

Hi Jon,

Banks and investors have made an astonishing $26 billion in profits from financing companies driving deforestation since the Paris climate agreement.

Our new investigation, released ahead of COP30 in Brazil, reveals the scale of the problem:

• US financial firms earned $5.4 billion, led by Vanguard, JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock.

• EU banks brought in $3.5 billion, with BNP Paribas and Rabobank at the top.

• UK banks raked in $1.2 billion, with HSBC, Aberdeen group and Schroders leading.

• Outside these hubs, banks in Brazil and Indonesia made billions more.

This is the largest ever mapping of bank income from companies accused of deforestation, land grabs and human rights abuses. It exposes a stark contradiction: while governments prepare to invest in protecting forests, financial giants are still profiting from their destruction.

With COP30 on the horizon, leaders must act. The financial system cannot continue to bankroll the destruction of our forests – and the lives, communities, and climate they sustain.

Thank you for standing with us,

Kieran, Global Witness

(Sources: Global Witness)