Building greener by funding smarter
Over the past four years, FNB and RMB have facilitated approximately R30 billion in green building finance across residential, commercial and institutional markets.
Buildings are where people live, work and trade, and where some of the biggest operational costs lie. Poorly designed or managed buildings waste power, water and money. The most effective way to combat this and build resilience is to start with better buildings, designed to use fewer resources, and which hold their value. FNB and RMB support a more sustainable property market, scaling finance for certified, high-performance green buildings. To date, more than R30 billion has been facilitated across retail, commercial and institutional markets - helping clients realise cost efficiencies, improve resilience and protect value.
The product and solutions provided by RMB and FNB are structured to meet the needs of the various participants throughout the real-estate value chain. At RMB, the investment approach lies in rewarding corporates in the real estate sector with preferential funding terms for their investments into ensuring the sustainability of their property portfolios, as well as providing advisory services in support of any sustainability-related strategic objectives. On the other hand, at FNB, the investment approach starts with identifying efficiency in the building, then enhancing said efficiency with investments such as rooftop solar and water systems - ultimately resulting in compounded savings and strengthening of the asset's performance.
Green commercial funding that defends value
FNB Commercial Property Finance supports new energy efficient buildings and retrofits existing commercial properties to enhance their energy efficiency. To qualify, borrowers must complete an energy efficiency audit and implement a list of eligible upgrades. Projects must align with the national Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) framework and meet strict standards. Buildings must also have a Green Star 4-Star category (or similar) showing at least a 20% reduction in energy and water use (and materials, if it is a new build).
Qualifying clients benefit from a discount on the loan rate. Valuations also typically benefit, as energy-efficient properties attract stronger tenant demand and have lower running costs. Commercial customers increasingly do not want the capital expenditure and maintenance costs of owning solar infrastructure. FNB responded by offering customers solar energy either through a rental model or via power purchase agreements. With EPC regulations set to be mandatory by December 2025, FNB is advising clients on renewable and efficient energy solutions to meet compliance.
From mortgages to microgrids
FNB helps households cut utility costs through its ecoEnergy home loan, which provides a 25-basis point discount on the personalised rate for EDGE-certified properties. Since launching in 2020, the product has disbursed over R2.5 billion in loans for efficient homes, with R834 million disbursed in 2025 alone. Once certification is obtained, qualifying homes priced under R2 million can receive a cashback offer of up to R55 000. This limited offer supports green housing in the low-income housing market FNB's residential solar solution is integrated into the home loan process. Buyers can fund installations at home loan rates by lending up to 15% of the property's value. Additional finance is available through the bank's personal and asset finance products, and discovery tools and education are built into the FNB App - reinforcing its "conserve, then generate" energy philosophy.
Scaling impact through innovaton in Capital Markets
FNB drives growth in retail and commercial sectors, while RMB accelerates progress in capital markets. Between the 2022 and 2025 financial years, RMB has facilitated 64 green buildings and R202 billion in sustainable and transition finance in Africa. "South Africa faces a transformative time in the overhauling and greening of a substantial amount of its building stock, for which capital is becoming increasingly available. As the demand for sustainability rises, there is a growing niche market for green finance as issuers, building buyers and renters becoming increasingly ESG-focused," says Nigel Beck, Sustainable Finance and ESG Advisory Executive Head at RMB. "For FNB, sustainability is not a product feature; it's a performance threshold that is becoming non-negotiable in the built environment," explains Kyle Durham, Head of Sustainability at FNB Commercial. "FNB's focus is on funding and enabling a green built environment that delivers optimal outcomes at a scale that works." The result of this focus is more than R30 billion facilitated for green buildings - and that figure is growing fast.
Help Changes everything
Explore FNB Business Sustainability solutions
