This year BMO Financial Group is celebrating Earth Day by kicking off the inaugural BMO Capital Markets “Trees from Trades” initiative — donating part of the day’s global fixed-income trading proceeds to plant thousands of trees.
Trees from Trades day is an innovative approach to fundraising, similar to BMO’s annual Equity Through Education day, which raises funds through a percentage of institutional equity commissions on one day each autumn. On Earth Day, BMO Capital Markets has committed to planting trees for fixed income securities traded around the world, including 10 trees for every $1 million of ESG bonds traded (bonds with proceeds raised specifically for Environmental, Social and Governance uses or with pricing linked to progress on sustainability goals).
“At BMO, we are proud to help Grow the Good in business and in life, and to take every opportunity to help build a more sustainable world,” said Deland Kamanga, Head, Global Markets, BMO Capital Markets. “Our new Trees from Trades program will see BMO Capital Markets Fixed Income Currencies and Commodities group help fund tree planting for a greener planet.”
“Planting trees is a nature-based solution to reducing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions that also helps create jobs, reforest lands and recharge local ecosystems,” said Michael Torrance, BMO Chief Sustainability Officer. “The trees we plant as a result of Trees from Trades and other critical partnerships further our ongoing commitment to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions and working toward a net zero future.”
Tree planting will be carried out in partnership with the Priceless Planet Coalition and Veritree. In 2020, BMO was the first Canadian bank to join the Mastercard Priceless Planet Coalition which was created by Mastercard to unite businesses and consumers in the restoration of 100 million trees in five years. Veritree is a platform that provides on-the-ground transparency to global reforestation efforts.
BMO continues to make significant progress on its Purpose to double the good for a sustainable future:
BMO’s leadership on sustainability has been recognized on numerous rankings:
For more information on BMO’s commitment to a sustainable future, please visit the bank’s Sustainability Report.
About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider – the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $973 billion as of January 31, 2021, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.