Content hub

Residential buildings are responsible for nearly a fifth of global emissions. Decarbonising housing is therefore one of the biggest climate challenges we face. The technologies to cut household emissions already exist, from heat pumps and solar panels to insulation and energy-efficient appliances. The real challenge lies in enabling households to overcome the financial and practical barriers to adoption. This is where banks have a unique opportunity to step in.

As banks navigate the complexities of decarbonisation, partnering with green fintechs becomes a crucial strategy for overcoming the challenges they face. This collaboration not only enhances their ability to meet regulatory demands but also drives innovation in customer engagement, accelerating progress toward sustainability goals.

The global shift to a low-carbon economy is transforming the energy market. For energy retailers, this shift brings both pressure and possibility. In this blog, we explore why supporting customers to electrify their homes and transport is both a climate necessity and a commercial growth strategy.

As part of our Engage for Change Series for COP29, we spoke with sustainability expert Mike Berners-Lee on how carbon data and transparency can help mobilise individuals, businesses and governments for impactful climate action. Read on to discover his insights.

Carbon reporting isn’t just a compliance issue for big businesses anymore. As the pressure grows to reduce and report supply chain emissions, small businesses are increasingly expected to measure and manage their carbon footprint even if they’re not legally required to do so. The UK government's carbon reporting regulations require large organisations to report their carbon footprint. After speaking to many small business owners, we found out that people are struggling to navigate the regulatory landscape. So, this blog aims to demystify carbon reporting requirements for UK businesses.

Electrification, once a costly aspiration, is now a realistic and often money-saving pathway for millions of households.

Banks are investing in green tools, but many are struggling to convert interest into engagement. This blog explores how integrating sustainability into the core customer journey can help banks achieve greater impact and value.

At Cogo, we’re united by our mission to create a fairer and more sustainable world. We’re a passionate group of people who believe in the power of collective action. And we are driven to empower and inspire everyone to be more sustainable. So, we’re starting a series where our team shares some of the changes they are making to reduce their carbon footprint, however big or small. Plus, tips on how you can too.

Financial institutions are key to accelerating the home energy transition. This blog explores how banks can leverage data-driven solutions to make sustainable home upgrades more accessible, while also meeting regulatory requirements and seizing new commercial opportunities.

As the net-zero economy continues to outpace the broader market, driven by growing investment in clean technologies, sustainable infrastructure, and socially responsible innovation, ESG is shifting from a compliance requirement to a significant commercial opportunity. This blog explores how ESG can drive commercial value for banks. But first, we take a look at what exactly ESG is and ESG reporting requirements for banks.

The global mortgage market is huge and comes with an equally significant carbon footprint. Banks have the data, tools and influence needed to reduce financed emissions and drive meaningful change. Keep reading to find out how…

In this conversation with Hugh Montgomery—Professor at UCL, Scientist, Clinician, Author, and Co-Founder of Real Zero—he warns us that we’re running out of time to act on climate change. Hugh shares the barriers getting in the way of climate progress and offers a hopeful solution. Hint: it starts with us.

Can education empower climate action? In this episode of our Engage for Change Series, Ravi Vekaria, Digital and Tech Sector Coordinator at The Carbon Literacy Project, explains how knowledge can drive sustainable choices, foster innovation, and inspire collective action.

As part of our Engage for Change Series for COP29, we spoke with sustainability business leader Mike Barry to uncover how businesses can move beyond incremental changes to drive meaningful transformation. Mike shares actionable insights on embedding sustainability into operations, the traits of effective leaders, and the role of global collaboration through COP.

One month after the Labour Party's victory in the UK general election, we spoke with Adam Jackson, Chief Strategy Officer at Innovate Finance, about how this new government might change the fintech and financial services landscape.

Carbon Literacy—the ability to understand how our daily choices impact the environment—is one of the biggest barriers to meaningful climate action. Without knowledge of the impact associated with different actions, it’s difficult for people to make informed decisions that reduce their carbon footprint.

At the start of the year, financial pressures—from Christmas expenses to rising energy bills—leave many households searching for ways to save money. Increasingly, customers are looking to their banks for support.

Today’s digital-savvy customers expect more from banks, seeking personalised experiences and meaningful, value-added services. This blog explores how integrating climate solutions can help banks engage customers, retain their loyalty, and unlock long-term value.

17th June 2024: All private customers can see the CO2 emissions of their expenses in the ING Mobile Banking App. ING does this in collaboration with carbon footprint management experts, Cogo. Through the Footprint Insight functionality, customers can see the impact of their spending on the climate. In addition to insight into their CO2 emissions, customers also receive tips to reduce their emissions and a comparison is made with the average CO2 emissions of the Dutch. For the roll-out to all customers, ING has improved both accessibility and comprehensibility. The customer's footprint is now easier to find, with the customer's spend and related footprint information shown together in the ING App.

16th May 2024: OTP customers are showing just how keen they are to measure their carbon footprint with over 600,000 visits to the bank’s carbon tracker in its first six months. The opt-in feature is powered by the green fintech, Cogo’s, carbon footprint methodology which is seamlessly integrated into the banking experience.

In 2025, climate reporting will no longer be optional for listed and large non-listed companies in Singapore. The specific obligations for different businesses will be phased in over time; but will include Scope 3 emissions.

Measurement is an important first step in a business’s journey towards carbon reduction. But the perceived complexity of measuring carbon emissions often stops SMEs before they’ve even started. The spend-based method offers a simple, speedy, cost-effective solution for businesses.

Gen Z, labelled the ‘most disruptive generation ever’, is reshaping the consumer landscape. Banks need to rethink their engagement strategies to attract and retain this generation. This blog explores what drives Gen Z’s financial behaviour and outlines steps banks can take to meet their evolving expectations.

Banks recognise the need to align their offerings with growing consumer demand for sustainability. But despite efforts, many struggle to effectively embed green products and services into their offerings, hindered by outdated systems and a lack of customer data.

TLDR: As public concern about ‘greenwashing’ grows, there is a tendency for businesses to stop communicating their climate initiatives (greenhushing) or even shut them down. Greenhushing is a significant threat to climate progress; and it’s time for businesses to proudly communicate their legitimate efforts.

Most people recognise the scale of climate change and the need to take action, but they don’t know where to start. It’s a complex subject, and many feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information. This ironically leads to disengagement rather than action. Keep reading to find out how Cogo engages people on their sustainability journey and drives meaningful behaviour change.

The UK has set ambitious targets, aiming to cut emissions by 67% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Among the various sectors contributing to carbon emissions, one stands out as both a challenge and an opportunity: our homes. This blog explores why banks should lead the way in decarbonising homes.

The financial landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by fintech innovations and an increasing focus on sustainability. In this exclusive interview with Innovate Finance, we explore the trends, challenges, and opportunities that are expected to shape the finance industry in 2024.

Cogo announces it is taking part in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s trade delegation to Australia as part of a group of companies undergoing expansion into the region.

Cogo's new Business Carbon Manager app enables Xero customers to understand, measure, reduce and share their business’ carbon emissions.

Cogo partners with NewDay to empower Bip credit card customers to manage their carbon footprints. Keep reading to learn more about the partnership.

We’re proud to announce that we have successfully recertified as a B Corporation and improved our B Impact Score! Keep reading to find out how.

Global carbon footprint management fintech, Cogo, today announced that its carbon footprint management software is now listed on AWS Marketplace, a digital catalogue with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Cogo is partnering with Eliq - the experts in making sense of energy data - to inform and support banks and their customers as they navigate the challenges faced by climate change and the cost of living and energy crises.

People are more motivated by sustainability impact than financial savings when it comes to making greener lifestyle choices, according to new behavioural research by carbon footprint management experts, Cogo.

Cogo and Moneyhub, the award-winning data and payments platform built on Open Banking and Open Finance principles, are joining forces to help banks and financial institutions develop more ethical and sustainable financial wellness products, supporting their customers to make better decisions for their finances, lifestyle and climate.

7th May 2024: Cogo, the sustainability fintech, that works with banks to help customers lower their carbon footprint, has established a new partnership with Bantotal, the customer centric banking platform.

17 April 2024: Carbon footprint tracking expert Cogo has announced a partnership with Personetics, the global leader in AI-based personalised engagement platforms for financial institutions, to make it easier for banks to provide their customers with climate-conscious banking solutions.

Explore how Cogo’s innovative user experience (UX) design helps improve people’s awareness and understanding of their environmental impact, ultimately inspiring more effective climate action.

20th February 2024: Cogo and NatWest have launched a new easy-to-use toolkit to help SMEs meet increasing pressure on climate reporting.

We’ve launched a new personalised climate action feature in the NatWest carbon tracker. Discover how this new update increases engagement, develops carbon literacy and helps NatWest's 8 million customers take more meaningful climate action.

We live in a critical decade to address the climate crisis. Urgent collective action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change. It is only through cooperation and collaboration at all levels of society that we can hope to address this challenge and protect our planet for future generations. In this blog, we explore the power of collaboration between fintechs and banks to facilitate more urgent and effective climate action.

The recent World Climate Action Summit at COP28 marked a pivotal moment as 121 countries committed to the Global Pledge on Renewables and Energy Efficiency. This pledge aims to triple renewable energy capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. Now, the focus turns to how to achieve these ambitious targets.

Climate health and financial well-being are linked on both a global and personal level. This blog explores how climate change affects vulnerable communities and economies and the role financial institutions play in mitigating the impact. We also dive into banks' role in empowering individuals to reduce their carbon footprint and consequently improve their financial well-being.

In today's digital age and with the rise of neo-banks, customers seek more engaging and interactive banking experiences. This shift presents traditional banks with a challenge: how to retain and actively engage their customers.

As we approach COP28, it’s a pivotal moment for reflection and action in the ongoing fight against climate change. The harsh reality is that individual efforts, while valuable, are not sufficient in isolation. The climate crisis calls for a unified, collective response, where individual behaviour change, local initiatives, and global movements combine into a powerful force for change.

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are critical in the collective fight against climate change. But without a clear pathway to measure and report carbon emissions, their potential impact is limited. It’s like navigating without a map—it’s difficult to identify the best course of action and impossible to share progress.

It’s been another week of extreme weather events, with storms raging across the UK and other parts of the world. As people are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, there is a growing desire among banking customers to understand and reduce their environmental impact.

The clock is ticking. To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we need to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Achieving these targets requires global systemic change and a collective effort from individuals, governments and businesses. In this blog, we explore the crucial role of SMEs in the transition to net zero and the support banks can provide in overcoming barriers to climate action.

Want to align your business with global climate goals and stay ahead of the curve? Setting science-based targets can be your roadmap to a sustainable future and business success. Keep reading to find out how.

Carbon footprint management fintech Cogo, which works with banks to help customers measure, understand and reduce their carbon impact, has announced that it’s won in the Exporter of the year category at the ExportNZ ASB Wellington Export Awards.

We’re excited to announce the launch of our Business Carbon Manager on the Xero App Store in the UK. Our goal? To empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to measure, reduce, and transparently report their carbon footprint.

NatWest, in partnership with Cogo, has implemented a new “feedback and cues” feature in its carbon tracker. Keep reading to find out how it works and how it deepens customer engagement and encourages more effective climate action.

Dive into our actionable guide to measuring your business's carbon footprint. From understanding reporting requirements to choosing the right tools, we'll lead you through every step.

Carbon accounting offers a dual-benefit solution, enabling businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and cut costs. Read this blog to find out how.

“You can’t manage what you can’t measure” is a common phrase in business. It means you can’t be successful at something unless that success is defined and tracked. At Cogo, we believe measuring your carbon emissions is the starting point to achieving positive impact for your business. Discover how carbon accounting can help you unlock this potential.

The Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Consumer Duty comes into force on 31 July 2023 in the UK. The duty aims to set higher standards of care for customers. The new set of rules will drive a major shift in the financial services sector. In this article, we outline what Consumer Duty is, its impact on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices, and how banks can meet the new requirements.

Our mission at Cogo is to empower hundreds of millions of individuals and businesses to measure, understand and reduce their impact on the environment. We’re attending Money20/20 Amsterdam to spread this message and inspire the banking industry to take climate action. Discover how we plan to tell our story through our sustainable stand design.

The banking and finance sectors globally face broad spectrum key regulatory changes around climate. Hong Kong and Greater China are no exception with an impending tightening in regulations surrounding ESG fraud and greenwashing.

Traditionally, fintech and banking product marketing teams are constantly ideating to come up with new and innovative offerings to entice consumers. However, what if the script was flipped and customer feedback and requirements were leveraged to inform the ideation and planning of new product launches?

On an individual scale, small businesses have a relatively small carbon footprint. But collectively, these businesses have a significant impact on people and the planet.

Money20/20 is the biggest conversation in fintech. It’s the event where executives, innovators and disruptors from across the world come together to shape the future of finance. This year, the Cogo team was part of the conversation. Read our blog to find out what we had to say and discover some of our key takeaways from the event.

Cogo’s research reveals that the higher someone’s carbon literacy, the greater the likelihood of them taking climate action. Read our latest report to uncover these original insights and discover how banks can improve their customer’s carbon literacy.

Following COP27, we gathered leading sustainability experts to discuss how banks can play a more urgent role in the climate transition. Keep reading to discover some of the key insights from the conversation between Gary Kendall, Head of Climate Strategy Implementation at Natwest, Paul Watchman, Special Legal Adviser for UNEP, Jonathan Ward, Senior Carbon Impact Manager at Cogo and Madhvi Mavadiya, Head of Content at Finextra.

At Cogo, we believe that climate action is a team sport. In our partnering for change series, we sit down with some of our valued partners to talk about the importance of forging purposeful connections to help drive change, their sustainability journeys, and why collective action is key to changing the world.

We've joined forces with Eliq to integrate energy data into the online banking experience and support banks and their customers as they navigate the challenges faced by climate change and the cost of living crisis.