SME Loan Green e-Assessment is targeted at SME clients of e-Assessment's partner banks. The total loan amount is suggested to be 20 million Hong Kong dollars or below. HKQAA will also determine if applications of total loan amount above HK$20 million will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. The Scheme does not impose restrictions on the proportion of green proceeds raised in terms of the total amount of the loan. However, the loan proceeds must allocate to at least one green project. The assessment scope refers to the green portion of the loan. Applicant does not need to provide information for non-green use of proceeds.
During the development of Green Loan e-Assessment, HKQAA have made reference to a series of international and national standards or principles, adopted their key elements and developed as scheme requirement and launched the Scheme in 2020, aiming to promote the development of green project for SMEs in Hong Kong. The references include:
**This scheme is only applicable to assess if the loan project has green nature, but not to demonstrate the alignment of the loan with the Green Loan Principles. Therefore, it is expected that this assessment will not be applicable to the "Green and Sustainable Finance Grant Scheme" of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Applicants with such needs are suggested to apply for the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency's Green and Sustainable Finance Certification Scheme or second-party opinion services instead.**
Assessment is carried out in an online self-service manner and is divided into two stages: the Initial Assessment and the Surveillance assessment. Surveillance Assessment will be carried out one year after the completion of the Initial Assessment. Applicant shall complete both stages.
| Assessment Type | Initial Assessment | Surveillance Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible Applicant | SME clients of e-Assessment's partner banks | |
| Assessment Focus | If the Loan has project(s) of green nature | If the Loan has conducted environmental impact reporting for green projects |
| Assessment Result | Green Nature: Green / Non-green | Green Type: AAA / AA / A / BBB / Unclassified |
| Assessment Fee | Please contact partner banks of e-Assessment or HKQAA to obtain information on assessment fee | |
| Deliverable | Assessment Statement | Assessment Statement |
- This scheme is a green e-assessment service designed for specific partner banks. If it is not an organization referred by the partner bank, the organization cannot apply on this platform.
- This scheme is not equivalent to the Green and Sustainable Finance Certification Scheme or other assessments based on the Green Loan Principles.
- As the first step for SMEs to participate in green finance, this scheme does not aim to be fully compatible with the Green Loan Principles or other references but facilitating SMEs to assess the greenness of use of proceeds at ease, to achieve the ultimate goal of promoting green loan. Fulfillment of scheme requirement does not imply that the loan fully complies with the Green Loan Principles or other references in the scheme. HKQAA also encourages customers to conduct further review or certification based on the Green Loan Principles after completion of e-Assessment, so as to obtain third-party confirmation that they fully comply with the Green Loan Principles.
- The purpose of this statement is to provide confirmation on whether the loan fulfills the assessment criteria based on the information provided by the applicant to HKQAA at the time of self-evaluation submission. Once the applicant's loan or self-evaluation information is changed, or it is not true, accurate and complete, this statement will also become invalid at the same time.
- This statement is prepared in accordance with the assessment criteria as specified in the Handbook; any information contained in this statement does not constitute or contain any investment advice or lending recommendation.
- This assessment procedure is to review the completeness of the self-evaluation information, and does not include interviews, on-site audits or other tests with the applicant’s staff to check the accuracy of the information provided by the applicant. The applicant holds the responsibility to ensure the accuracy, comprehensiveness and reliability of the information submitted. The applicant has the full responsibility to prove that the organization has complied with the commitment in the compliance declaration and is responsible for its implementation and monitoring. HKQAA will not and shall not be responsible for any due diligence, verification and confirmation of whether the applicant has fulfilled its commitments and whether the information provided is true, accurate and complete.
- HKQAA will not refund the assessment fee regardless of whether the assessment result of the application is passed or not.
- The time required for the assessment will vary according to the adequacy of the applicant's information and the speed of responding to inquiries. HKQAA does not guarantee the completion time of the assessment.
- "SME Loan Green e-Assessment" is a scheme developed and owned by the HKQAA. HKQAA may update the scheme content in the future according to market feedback and standards update, including but not limited to the scheme name, the assessment method, the format of the assessment statement and the scheme criteria. HKQAA will not notify the partner banks in advance of any updates to the scheme content but will provide information on the updates on the website.
- If the client fails to complete the Initial assessment and/or the Surveillance assessment within the specified time, the assessment will be deemed as failed. The assessment statement for the Initial assessment will also turn invalid.
- After the Assessment Statement is issued and before the loan expires, HKQAA reserves the right to conduct random sampling checks on assessed loans or follow up any complaints. If receiving a spot check request from HKQAA, applicant should provide relevant documents or evidence to support the continued compliance with the compliance declaration and the commitment made in the Self-evaluation Form. If the applicant is found to have major non-conformities, HKQAA reserves the right to withdraw the validity of Assessment Statement.