The world’s biggest banks significantly increased their fossil fuel finance in 2024, according to an analysis.
The top 65 lenders – which include UK giants Barclays, HSBC, Natwest and Lloyds Banking Group – committed 869 billion dollars (£639 billion) in financing to fossil fuels, the 16th annual Banking on Climate Chaos report said.
A coalition of research and campaign groups, including the Rainforest Action Network and Reclaim finance, analysed the banks’ lending and underwriting to 2,730 companies active across the fossil fuel industry.
These were reported in sources such as Urgewald’s Global Oil and Gas Exit List (GOGEL) and Global Coal Exit List (GCEL), Bloomberg and London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).
According to this year’s findings, the top banks increased fossil fuel financing by 162 billion dollars (£120 billion) from 2023 to 2024.
This marks a shift in direction after fossil fuel financing had been decreasing over the previous years since 2021.
Since Donald Trump’s election victory in the US last year, companies across many sectors have been weakening their climate commitments, cutting ESG investments and pulling out of climate groups.
Major US lenders have left the Net Zero Banking Alliance, the sector’s top climate coalition, and an increasing number of banks have watered down, or abandoned, past commitments regarding fossil fuels.
The Banking on Climate Chaos report found that since the 2015 UN Paris Agreement – an international deal secured in 2015 in France to limit rising temperatures – banks have now financed fossil fuels by 7.9 trillion dollars (£5.8 trillion).
The analysis also suggests that loans were the top form of financing last year, with an increase to 467 billion dollars (£343 billion) from 422 billion dollars (£310 billion) in 2023.
The International Energy Agency has said that no new fossil fuel projects should be developed beyond existing fields to remain within the temperature limit.
However, the report found that banks have financed companies that are expanding fossil fuels with 1.6 trillion dollars (£1.1 trillion) since 2021, and 429 billion dollars (£315 billion) alone in 2024 – a rise of 85 billion dollars (£62 billion) from the year before.
The report also identifies JP Morgan Chase as the largest fossil fuel financier in the world, committing 53.5 billion dollars (£39.3 billion) to fossil fuel companies in 2024.
British bank Barclays was the largest fossil fuel financier Europe in 2024, at 35.4 billion dollars (£26.0 billion), according to the report, which also found it to be among the top four with the largest absolute increase in fossil fuel financing.
For the other UK banks on the list, HSBC provided a total of 16.2 billion dollars (£11.9 billion) in fossil fuel financing, Natwest provided 2.7 billion dollars (£1.9 billion), and Lloyds provided 1.6 billion dollars (£1.1 billion) – although the latter comes as a decrease from 2.3 billion dollars (£1.7 billion) in 2023, according to the analysis.
Banking on Climate Chaos is authored by Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, the Centre for Energy, Ecology, and Development, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance, Sierra Club, and Urgewald.
Allison Fajans-Turner, policy Lead at Rainforest Action Network, said: “Even in the face of worsening disasters and increasingly dire warnings of scientists and policy experts, banks actually increased their financing to fossil fuels between 2023 and 2024 and still poured billions into expanded fossil infrastructure.
“Only rapid and robust binding government regulation and oversight can make banks change course.
“Without binding regulation, banking on climate chaos will remain banks’ dominant investment strategy, tanking our economy and our planet.”
Tom BK Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, said: “Despite their greenwashing and false promises, these banks continue to bankroll the expansion of the fossil fuel industry and the false solutions that deepen climate injustice, land grabbing, and human rights abuse.
“From carbon markets to carbon capture to geoengineering techno-fixes, these schemes are distractions from the real solutions rooted in Indigenous sovereignty, traditional Indigenous knowledge, land and oceans defence, and a just and energy transition away from extractive capitalism.
“Our lands and waters are not sacrifice zones, and our Peoples are not collateral damage.”
David Tong, global industry campaign manager at Oil Change International, said: “In 2025, banks have no excuse to keep financing fossil fuel companies.
“No major oil and gas companies we analyse plan to do anything even close to what is needed to hold global warming to 1.5C.”
Lucie Pinson, director and founder at Reclaim Finance, said: “This year, banks have shown their true colours — many have walked away from climate commitments and doubled down on financing fossil fuel expansion, even as global temperatures break records.
“A few European banks may have inched forward, but for most, the lure of dirty money has proven too strong.”
The PA news agency has contacted JP Morgan Chase, Barclays, HSBC, Natwest and Lloyds for comment.
