CII IGBC and GRESB Sign MoU to Advance Green Finance in Real Estate

The Confederation of Indian Industry’s Indian Green Building Council (CII-IGBC) and Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) signed a pivotal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to scale up green finance flows into India’s real estate sector and support the shift towards net zero buildings

The MoU, signed at the 23rd Green Building Congress 2025 at Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre, aims to work with developers, lenders and investors to structure green loans, dedicated credit lines and ESG-linked instruments for projects aligned with IGBC ratings and GRESB benchmarks. The partnership seeks to make green-certified portfolios more bankable and comparable, improving risk assessment and attracting long-term capital. 

The pact was signed by GRESB Chief Product Officer Roxana van den Berg and CII-Green Business Centre Executive Director K.S. Venkatagiri. They highlighted the need for common frameworks and data standards to integrate sustainability metrics into mainstream credit appraisal and investment decisions.

CII-IGBC said the National Housing Bank has already deployed over ₹2,200 crore through green housing schemes into IGBC-certified projects, while banks including SIDBI, SBI, HDFC, ICICI and Standard Chartered are offering concessional finance, green home loans and green bonds linked to IGBC ratings.[1][6] IGBC certifications are recognised by the Climate Bonds Initiative and Asian Development Bank for green finance eligibility, helping Indian projects tap global pools of sustainable capital

This strategic collaboration aims to accelerate India’s transition towards net zero real estate by bridging the existing green finance gap. The MoU formalizes cooperation to advance sustainable finance mechanisms that will enable real estate developers and financial institutions to scale green building projects across India through enhanced access to green loans, credit lines, and ESG-aligned financial instruments.

This MoU marks a significant milestone in India’s journey to mainstream green finance for the built environment sector. The alliance of CII-IGBC’s robust certification platform with GRESB’s global ESG benchmarking expertise will further enhance transparency, accountability, and investor confidence in sustainable real estate.