Green Bonds, Taxonomy, CSRD & SFDR: A practical guide to ESG finance, EU regulation, and sustainable investment
Sustainable finance has moved from a niche topic to a core element of financial markets, corporate strategy, and regulation in the European Union. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors now directly influence investment decisions, access to capital, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Understanding how these elements fit together is essential for professionals working with finance, sustainability, or EU regulation.
What you’ll learn
- Understand the EU Sustainable Finance Framework.
- Apply ESG and double materiality concepts in practice.
- Evaluate sustainable finance instruments and products.
- Assess sustainability-related financial risks.
- Navigate EU disclosure and reporting requirements.
- Use sustainability data for decision-making.
- Avoid greenwashing and compliance risks.
Course Content
- Introduction to Sustainable Finance –> 2 lectures • 14min.
- The Foundations: ESG, Materiality & Impact –> 3 lectures • 24min.
- Instruments of Sustainable Finance –> 3 lectures • 23min.
- EU Sustainable Finance Framework –> 4 lectures • 27min.
- Risk Management in Sustainable Finance –> 3 lectures • 12min.
- Practical Implementation for Companies & Investors –> 1 lecture • 6min.
- Closing –> 1 lecture • 4min.
Requirements
Sustainable finance has moved from a niche topic to a core element of financial markets, corporate strategy, and regulation in the European Union. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors now directly influence investment decisions, access to capital, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Understanding how these elements fit together is essential for professionals working with finance, sustainability, or EU regulation.
This course provides a structured and practical introduction to the EU Sustainable Finance Framework, covering green bonds, the EU Taxonomy Regulation, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). Rather than treating these rules in isolation, the course explains how they interact and how they are applied in real-world financial and corporate decision-making.
You will start with the foundations of sustainable finance, ESG, and double materiality, before moving to sustainable finance instruments such as green, social, and sustainability-linked bonds, sustainable loans, and transition finance. The course then examines the EU regulatory architecture, including the European Green Deal, the EU Taxonomy, SFDR product classifications, and CSRD and ESRS reporting requirements.
A dedicated section focuses on risk management, explaining how climate, nature-related, social, and governance risks translate into financial exposure and enforcement risk. The final section shows how companies and investors implement sustainable finance in practice, using credible data, governance structures, and sustainability analysis to support capital allocation and investment decisions.
This course is designed for professionals who need a clear, regulation-focused, and practical understanding of EU sustainable finance, without unnecessary theory or technical complexity.