66 sustainable finance terms in English and Arabic, as they are used on a lending desk.
Each term has a short definition and the source of its Arabic form: the Central Bank of Egypt, the Financial Regulatory Authority, the Egyptian Banking Institute, IFC guidance in Arabic or the established Arabic financial press. Where no official term exists, the entry says it is an editorial choice.
A requirement in a loan agreement that must be met before the lender releases any funds.
Use "CPs" once. In legal Arabic: الشرط الواقف. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
A bank drawing a tranche of funds from a credit line provided by a development finance institution.
A bank drawing on a DFI line. Tranche: شريحة. Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The release of loan funds by the bank to the sub-borrower.
To the sub-borrower. Keep السحب and الصرف distinct. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
The technical and financial tests a project must pass to be financed under a credit line.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The activities a loan or bond may fund, as defined in its documentation.
Keep the English once. For bonds: استخدام العائدات. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
An agreed amount a lender makes available for a borrower to draw over time.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
A bank lending development finance funds onward; the sub-borrower is the final company or household that receives them.
Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
A promise in a loan agreement that the borrower must keep for the life of the loan.
Financial or E&S covenants: التعهدات المالية / البيئية والاجتماعية. Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
A breach defined in the loan agreement that lets the lender demand early repayment or stop funding.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
A short summary of the main terms of a financing, agreed before the full documentation.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The information a borrower must send the lender, in what form and how often.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
A development finance institution: a publicly backed lender or investor such as EBRD or IFC.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The risk that a financed activity harms people or the environment, and the financial loss that can follow.
The FRA says «المجتمعية»; use it only when quoting the FRA. Source of the Arabic term: Central Bank of Egypt.
The policies, procedures and tools a lender uses to identify and manage environmental and social risk in its lending.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: IFC Arabic guidance notes, Egyptian Banking Institute.
The review of a client's or project's environmental and social risks before a financing decision.
Not «الفحص النافي للجهالة», which is M&A usage. Source of the Arabic term: IFC Arabic guidance notes.
Grading a project by the scale of its potential environmental and social impact, from significant (A) to minimal (C).
Never bare «التصنيف», which clashes with taxonomy. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Activities a lender will not finance under any circumstances.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
IFC's eight standards for managing environmental and social risk, the common benchmark in project finance.
Write "IFC PS" once. Source of the Arabic term: IFC Arabic guidance notes.
A study that identifies a project's environmental and social impacts and how to avoid or reduce them.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
A time-bound list of actions a client agrees to take to meet the lender's environmental and social requirements.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
A channel for affected people or workers to raise complaints and get a response.
Source of the Arabic term: IFC Arabic guidance notes.
Informing and consulting the people affected by a project throughout its life.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent: the common unit for adding different greenhouse gases together.
Keep the unit. First use: «1,200 طن مكافئ (tCO2e)». Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Direct emissions (1), emissions from purchased energy (2), and all other indirect emissions, upstream and downstream (3).
Write "(Scope 3)" once. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
The emissions of borrowers and investees attributed to a lender in proportion to its financing.
Always vowel it: المموَّلة, not المموِّلة. Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials, whose standard is the common method for measuring financed emissions.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The share of a borrower's emissions assigned to the lender, based on the lender's share of the borrower's financing.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
PCAF's score from 1 to 5 for how reliable emissions data is, with 1 the best.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
The emissions produced per unit of activity, such as per kilowatt-hour or per tonne.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The starting measurement that later results are compared against.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organisation, product or activity.
Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which charges importers for the carbon embedded in certain goods.
Keep the acronym. Never «ضريبة الكربون». Source of the Arabic term: Central Bank of Egypt, Cabinet Information and Decision Support Centre.
The emissions released in producing a good, counted when it enters the EU under CBAM.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
The unit an importer surrenders for each tonne of embedded emissions, priced against the EU ETS.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The importer or representative authorised to bring CBAM goods into the EU and report their emissions.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
The EU Emissions Trading System: a capped market in emission allowances.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Production moving to countries with weaker climate rules to avoid carbon costs.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The cost put on each tonne of emissions, through a tax or a trading system.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
Measurement, reporting and verification: the process that makes emissions figures checkable.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Independent checks: validation tests a project's design before it starts; verification tests its reported results after.
Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
A certificate representing one tonne of emissions reduced or removed.
The FRA's legal term; «رصيد كربوني» only informally. Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
A market where companies buy carbon credits by choice rather than by legal obligation.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
The record that issues, tracks and retires carbon credits so that each is counted once.
Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
Finance that takes environmental, social and governance factors into account in lending and investment.
Source of the Arabic term: Central Bank of Egypt.
Finance directed at activities with environmental benefits, such as renewables or energy efficiency.
Source of the Arabic term: Central Bank of Egypt.
An official list defining which activities count as green, with technical criteria.
Always with «الأخضر». Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
A company's or bank's plan for aligning its business with a low-carbon economy, with targets and actions.
Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Financial risk from policy, technology and market shifts towards a low-carbon economy.
Source of the Arabic term: Egyptian Banking Institute.
Financial risk from climate hazards such as floods, heat and drought.
Not «المادية», which clashes with materiality. Source of the Arabic term: Egyptian Banking Institute.
Whether information is significant enough to influence decisions; double materiality adds the company's impact on people and the planet.
Double materiality: الأهمية النسبية المزدوجة. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Testing how a portfolio performs across different possible climate futures.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
Measuring losses under a severe but plausible shock.
Gulf texts often use «اختبارات التحمّل». Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
The internal capital adequacy assessment process a bank runs to show its capital covers its risks.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: Central Bank of Egypt.
The International Sustainability Standards Board and its first two standards: general sustainability disclosure (S1) and climate (S2).
Keep the English names. Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, whose recommendations are now built into IFRS S2.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures: a framework for reporting nature-related risks.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Environmental, social and governance factors used to assess a company beyond its financial results.
Keep the English acronym. Source of the Arabic term: Financial Regulatory Authority.
Claiming environmental benefits that the evidence does not support.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
An independent check of reported information; limited assurance is lighter, and reasonable assurance is closer to an audit.
Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
A building designed to use less energy, water and materials than a conventional one.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
IFC's green building certification, which requires at least 20 per cent savings in energy, water and the embodied energy of materials against a local baseline.
Keep the English name. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Delivering the same output with less energy.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
A bond whose proceeds fund eligible green projects.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.
A loan whose price changes with the borrower's performance against sustainability targets.
Also: مؤشر أداء رئيسي (KPI), هدف أداء الاستدامة (SPT). Keep the English once. Source of the Arabic term: Editorial choice where no official term exists.
Using public or philanthropic money to reduce risk and draw private investment into a project.
Source of the Arabic term: Established Arabic financial press.