As part of the Sustainable Financing course by Nina Schweighofer (Senior Lead Supervisor ECB and lecturer at FHWien der WKW), students were able to experience a top-class guest lecture by Matthias Hrinkow (Senior Manager BDO Austria).
Under the title “Greening the Financial System – Sustainable Finance”, Mr. Hrinkow provided in-depth insights into the most important regulatory frameworks at EU level, including the EU Taxonomy, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the EU Green Bond Standard (EUGBS).
Sustainable financing in action
The “Affordable Housing Austria – HYPO NOE” project, which was financed with EUR 105 million via a Sustainability Awareness Bond (SAB) issue, was also presented as a real-life example. This created social and energy-efficient housing in Lower Austria – a clear signal of the social impact of sustainable financing instruments.
One focus was on the green bonds of the European Investment Bank (EIB), in particular the Climate Awareness Bonds (CABs).
Using a practical case study, the students were given the task of analyzing specific Climate Awareness Bond (CAB)-financed projects from the year 2025 from the perspective of an asset manager. In addition to the project objective, scope and location, emission data such as term, coupon and regulatory classification (e.g. EU taxonomy conformity, SDG reference) were also to be considered. A perfect training for later professional life in the field of sustainable investments.
Many thanks to Mr. Hrinkow and the team at BDO Austria for this inspiring and practical contribution!
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