BNP Paribas Sustainable Finance Challenge Singapore 2025 : Accelerating Innovation in Sustainable Finance
THE CHALLENGE IN A FEW WORDS
At BNP Paribas, we are convinced that collaboration and diversity are key enablers of innovation.
The purpose of this challenge is to bring together your ideas and BNP Paribas’ sector expertise to create a positive impact. As the bank for a changing world, BNP Paribas understands that the impact of climate change and shifts in social and consumer expectations are transforming businesses. This is happening at an unprecedented speed, making it necessary to accelerate innovation in sustainable finance.
In this context, this challenge is an opportunity for you to solve, with the guidance and support of BNP Paribas senior mentors, a concrete issue for the bank in the sustainable finance field.
This is a unique chance to better understand how a leading international financial institution works and to make a difference.
LATEST UPDATES
Thank you to those who joined our kick-off webinar for the Sustainable Finance University Challenge on Thursday, 16 January. Watch the replay below to discover the Challenge and hear from our mentors this year.
The registration deadline is this Friday, 24 January. If you are interested to enter the Challenge, please fill out and submit your team’s Registration Form. If you have any questions, feel free to email sfchallenge@asia.bnpparibas.com
WHY COMPETE ?
But also..
- Solve a real problem by designing a practical solution and get the chance to see your project implemented
- Benefit from the mentorship from seasoned bankers and expand your professional network
- Differentiate your resume highlighting your sustainable finance innovation
JOINING THE CHALLENGE
This challenge invites students in the penultimate year of their undergraduate studies or higher (including postgraduates) of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Management University (SMU) from any academic programmes to design a solution addressing a specific issue on sustainability. Each team should consist of 3-5 students from the same university but can be enrolled in different academic programmes.
You can refer to these resources for more details:
Flyer: Sustainable Finance Challenge Overview
FAQ
Registration Form
WATCH A RECAP OF SUSTAINABLE FINANCE UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE SINGAPORE IN 2023
TIMELINE
CHOOSE YOUR PROBLEM STATEMENT
The problem statements below are carefully selected by our panel of seasoned bankers and sustainability experts. These are real issues faced in sustainable finance faced by banks and the wider financial sector.
When registering your team for the challenge, please specify which problem statement you will work on.
Nature and Biodiversity
A. As Singapore faces various challenges related to biodiversity loss, rising sea level (up to 1m projected by 2100) and increasing temperatures, how can financial institutions further support the adoption and financing of nature-based solutions in Singapore to enhance urban resilience?
B. Can trade and supply chain finance help to tackle deforestation, land degradation and loss of biodiversity in Southeast Asia?
Sustainable Investment
C. As the NextGen becomes increasingly ESG-aware, how can financial institutions like BNP Paribas cater to their interest and needs and design innovative SRI products tailored to younger investors?
D. As investors increasingly consider ESG factors, what sustainability-related data is financially material?
Carbon Markets
E. What does it take to further scale up carbon markets in Singapore and what role can BNP Paribas play?
Sustainable Supply Chain
F. How can BNP Paribas’ trade and supply chain finance solutions help Asian exporters comply with new ESG regulations and meet the European/US importers’ ESG requirements?
G. How can banks facilitate trade and supply chain finance embedding E & S criteria in cross-border transactions?
Energy transition
H. What role is Singapore expected to play in the green fuels value chain, particularly in the new areas of gNH3 and green H2. Can Singapore replicate its success in the LNG value chain in the green fuels space and what are the new business opportunities for next 10 years for investors and lenders?
I. As Singapore is seeking to increase its mix of renewable energy in the grid, what are the challenges being faced by the country given most of the new sources are outside Singapore and therefore need to be imported?
J. How can trade and supply chain finance contribute to the development of the EV value chain and to accelerate EV adoption in Southeast Asia?
Data and AI for Sustainable Finance
K. How can banks use data analytics and technology to enhance transparency, traceability and ethical sourcing practices within large supply chains?
L. How can AI accelerate the origination and structuring of sustainable finance transaction (Green / Use of Proceed and KPI-linked)?
M. What are the key E&S metrics and data sources that banks can use to rapidly scale Sustainable Supply Chain Finance across sectors in Asia?
DELIVERABLES & JUDGING CRITERIA
What is required for Phase 1
For the qualification phase, we are looking for a short slide deck in PDF format. You can also include research materials such as excel tables. The document should outline how your solution can help to solve the problem statement.
You are welcome to exercise your creativity and describe your solution in the most compelling way. However, we do expect your slide deck to include the following elements to facilitate the judges’ deliberation in Phase 1:
- Description of the solution
- Analysis of the proposition (e.g SWOT analysis)
- Resources needed to develop the solution (cost, stakeholders involved, timeline of implementation, etc.)
What is required for Phase 2
For the final phase, the finalist teams will be invited to present your proposal in form of a pitch presentation (with supporting material). Finalists will be supported by their mentor to present a high quality pitch to the jury.
Judging criteria
Your proposition will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Creativity and innovation
- Relevance of the solution to the problem statement
- Impact
- Feasibility
- Overall quality of the presentation
THE JURY
The finalists will be invited to present their solution to a panel of jury from BNP Paribas management.
Karine Delvallée, Chief Executive Officer, BNP Paribas Singapore Branch and Regional Head for Southeast Asia*
Karine Delvallée has built a successful career with BNP Paribas over the past 30 years. Beginning as a Relationship Manager for Corporate clients in 1993, she has progressed through a series of roles with increasing responsibility across Europe
and Asia. She has developed deep expertise in credit and risk management for more than 20 years in these areas. Key positions held include Head of Energy and Commodities Finance Credit Management (2009); Head of RISK, Corporate APAC (2011); and Chief Risk Officer, APAC (2015), where she was responsible for a team of 200 professionals. In 2019, Karine relocated to Australia to assume the role of Head of Territory for Australia and New Zealand and General Manager of the BNP Paribas Australia Branch.
In February 2025, she will take over the role as Regional Head of Southeast Asia and Chief Executive Officer, BNP Paribas Singapore Branch. Karine is a dedicated and experienced leader with a proven track record of driving strategic growth and managing risk effectively. She is passionate about fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation and is deeply committed to serving the needs of BNP Paribas and its clients. Karine graduated from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) in 1993 majoring in Finance and Law.
* with effect from February 2025, subject to regulatory approval
Sabrina Noiran, Chief Sustainable Business Officer, BNP Paribas Corporate and Institutional Banking APAC
Sabrina Noiran is the Chief Sustainable Business Officer for BNP Paribas Corporate and Institutional Banking in Asia Pacific, leading the implementation of the Bank’s sustainability strategy across the region. With two decades of international banking experience spanning France, Hong Kong, and Singapore, she brings a wealth of expertise to this critical role.
As an experienced practitioner in sustainable finance, Sabrina serves on the BNP Paribas CIB Global Sustainability Board and is an alternate board member of the Singapore Green Finance Centre (SGFC). She actively contributes to numerous regional working groups, shaping the development of sustainable finance in Asia Pacific. Sabrina holds a Master’s degree in International Business Law from the University of Toulouse 1, France.
Florence Foo, Head of Human Resources Southeast Asia and Singapore, BNP Paribas
Florence is the Head of Human Resources, Singapore & Southeast Asia for BNP Paribas. Florence was educated in Singapore and Canada, and has lived and worked in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan for over the 29 years of her professional experience, predominantly in the financial services industry.
The first 7+ years of her career was in Financial Markets Trading and Sales. Post the Asian crisis, Florence embarked on the second phase of her career in the area of Human Resources. She now has over 20 years of human resources experience, having held roles at country, regional and global level, across the full spectrum of HR activities (recruitment, employee relations, business partnering, leadership facilitation, etc) with several global banks.