What is the Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert?

The Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert is a globally recognised professional certification by the Global Leadership Institute (GLI), designed to equip professionals with advanced competencies in Banking & Microfinance.

How long does this certification take?

The programme takes 11 Weeks and can be completed self-paced or with live virtual sessions.

Is this certification globally recognised?

Yes. GLI certifications carry CPD credits and are internationally recognised.

What level is this certification?

This is a Advanced Level certification.

Email info@certifications.ac, WhatsApp +254 722 223 084, or fill in the enrolment form on this page.

What is included in the fee?

All study materials, study guide, examination, digital certificate and badge. Live option adds tutor sessions and priority support.

Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert (CESG2)

Executive Summary

Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert

Designed for today’s high-impact professionals, the Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert (CESG2) delivers a rigorous Advanced-level curriculum that equips participants with the knowledge, tools and frameworks needed to excel in banking operations, credit, payments and financial services.

This 11 Weeks programme is structured around Basel, central-bank regulations and recognised banking and AML standards, ensuring every graduate applies internationally validated methods to real-world challenges.

GLI’s CESG2 holders are recognised by leading organisations across Africa, the Gulf, Europe and the Americas as qualified, results-driven professionals. Whether you are advancing your current career or transitioning into new responsibilities, this certification provides the competitive edge you need in 2026 and beyond.

Programme Overview

Certification at a Glance

Certification

Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert

Acronym

CESG2

Who Should Enrol?

Bank Officers and Tellers
Credit and Loan Officers
Banking Operations Staff
Relationship and Branch Managers

Programme Inclusions

Everything Included in Your Enrolment

All study materials and study guide
Access to GLI online learning portal
Online examination and assessment
Digital certificate and digital badge
Physical certificate (shipped to you)
CPD credits for professional bodies
GLI alumni network membership
Facilitator and tutor support
Resource downloads and reference library
Automatic enrolment confirmation

Certification Benefits

Why This Certification Matters for Your Career

Career Advancement

Accelerate your career towards senior banking operations, credit and branch leadership roles

Professional Recognition

Credential aligned with Basel, central-bank regulations and recognised banking and AML standards

Leadership Capability

Develop the strategic and operational skills to lead complex banking operations functions

Organisational Impact

Design and implement banking operations systems that drive performance and measurable results

Compliance Readiness

Master the standards, compliance and ethical governance central to banking operations

Global Employability

Qualify for banking operations roles across commercial banks, microfinance institutions and financial-services firms worldwide

Competency Framework

Core Competencies You Will Develop

✦ESG in Banking

✦Environmental Risk in Lending

✦ESG Credit Assessment

✦Transition Finance

✦Responsible Banking and Financial Inclusion

✦ESG Portfolio Management

Course Curriculum

Programme Modules

The full programme, module by module.

Core CurriculumModules 1–20 · specific to Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert · module 20 is the capstone

1

ESG in Banking

Banking business models and the balance sheet that carries them · Leadership continuity, legacy and handover · Onboarding, probation and exit · Operating models: how an organisation actually gets work done

2

Sustainable Banking Principles

Responsible and sustainable banking · Sustainable and green banking · Sustainable input management · Preparing the income statement and balance sheet

3

ESG Governance in Financial Institutions

IT governance, compliance and data protection obligations · Types of banks and financial institutions · Banking regulation, capital and supervisory expectations · Reading the numbers: what financial statements tell a manager

4

Environmental Risk in Lending

Environmental governance and climate risk · Conduct risk, fair treatment and responsible lending · Insurance, risk transfer and retained risk · Security assessment, vulnerability management and remediation

5

Social Risk in Lending

Risk, protective and social factors · Security operations: monitoring, incident response and recovery · Liaison with health and social services · Banking operations, controls and customer service

6

Governance Risk in Lending

Risk appetite and governance · Governance, risk and compliance · Risk governance and appetite · Governance, risk and compliance (GRC)

7

ESG Credit Assessment

Credit assessment and the five Cs · Taxation: obligations, computation and dispute · Agricultural finance, credit and investment appraisal · Resilience: recovery, adaptability and sustainable performance

8

Sustainable Lending Frameworks

Procurement strategy: what to buy, how, and from whom · Roles, conduct and professional standards in banking · Ethics and integrity in banking · Digital disruption and the future of banking

9

Green Loans

Sustainability and green IT · Banking KPIs and branch scorecards · Continuous improvement and lean banking · Driving measurable banking improvement

10

Transition Finance

Finance KPIs and the finance scorecard · Succession, talent pipelines and leadership continuity · Life transitions: adjustment, loss and meaning · Life transitions and meaning

11

Sustainable Investment Products

Banking operations control and reconciliation · Banking supervision, prudential returns and resolution · Financial inclusion, agency banking and mobile money · Investment appraisal and the cost of capital

12

Climate Risk and Banking

Climate-smart agriculture and seasonal risk · Climate risk, adaptation and just transition · Climate-smart agriculture principles · Financial analysis, modelling and valuation

13

Responsible Banking and Financial Inclusion

Diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the employment lifecycle · Financial inclusion and the evolving customer · Financial inclusion and serving underbanked markets · Inclusive, remote and distributed leadership

14

ESG Customer Due Diligence

Know Your Customer and enhanced due diligence · KYC, customer due diligence and transaction monitoring · Account opening, KYC and customer due diligence · Anti-corruption and financial-crime ethics

15

Sustainable Banking Products

Sustainability, handover and what happens after the project · Supervision, reflective practice and practitioner sustainability · Sustainability of microfinance · Sustainability reporting standards, boundaries and assurance

16

ESG Portfolio Management

Managing technology assets, vendors and technical debt · Competitive advantage: positioning, resources and sustainability · Monitoring sustainability outcomes · Evaluation use: reporting findings that change decisions

17

ESG Data and Analytics

Project data, reporting and analytics · Agricultural data analytics · Data warehousing and data lakes · Learning analytics and data

18

Sustainable Banking Reporting

Incident investigation and corrective action that holds · Climate-smart agriculture: productivity, adaptation, mitigation · Safety culture and climate · Supervision: daily oversight, standards and correction

19

ESG Assurance in Banking

Assurance: the three lines, coordination and avoiding duplicate effort · Assurance mapping and avoiding duplicate assurance · Investigation quality assurance · Public accountability: oversight, audit and answering to citizens

20

Sustainable Banking Strategy

What strategy is: choice, trade-off and the strategy statement · Patrol strategy and response · Stakeholder engagement strategy · Agribusiness models and strategy

Professional ElectivesModules 21–30 · common to all GLI certifications · broaden your professional range

21

Strategic Communication and Executive Presentation

Vision, purpose and translating direction into work · Audience-centred communication and message structure · Executive leadership: the board interface and enterprise stewardship · Persuasive structure: framing, evidence and the ask

22

Leadership and Team Effectiveness

Leadership identity, style and the limits of style · Leadership assessment, feedback and continuous self-review · What critical reasoning is and what it is not · Situational and adaptive leadership

23

Analytical Thinking and Evidence-Based Reasoning

Creativity and critical-thinking development · Analytical techniques and bias · Evidence-based improvement · Problem framing: symptoms, definition and scope

24

Professional Decision-Making

Managerial decision-making, bias and decision rights · Escalation and decision-making · Decision support: briefs, options and judgement under pressure · Decision frameworks: criteria, weighting and trade-offs

25

Negotiation, Influence and Stakeholder Management

Negotiation preparation: interests, options and the walk-away · Power, followership and organisational politics · Negotiation: preparation, interests and value creation · Concessions, anchoring and the shape of a bargain

26

Project and Execution Management

Proposals, bids and the business case · Project roles and the project manager · Developing the project business case · Planning, scheduling and personal workflow systems

27

Financial Literacy for Professionals

Financial reporting standards and their application · Financial management for the operating manager · Liquidity, funding and balance sheet management · Management accounting: costing, budgeting and decision support

28

Digital Skills, AI and Technology for Professionals

Digital workplace, collaboration and user support · Productivity, collaboration and workflow tools · Tools for interaction and collaboration · Working with data: quality, interpretation and honest presentation

29

Ethics, Governance and Professional Accountability

Ethical leadership: integrity, tolerated behaviour and moral courage · Ethics, conduct and speaking up · Business development risk, ethics and integrity · AI for managers: adoption, oversight and governance

30

Personal Effectiveness, Productivity and Career Growth

Emotional competence: awareness, regulation and expression · Self-awareness, strengths and the accuracy of self-image · Emotional intelligence and self-regulation · Priority: outcomes, importance and the urgency trap

Every module opens in the learning portal with its full lesson set, worked examples, further reading and video masterclasses. 30 modules · 150 lessons.

Learning Outcomes

What You Will Achieve

Sustainable Banking Principles — applied to your own work
ESG Governance in Financial Institutions — applied to your own work
Environmental Risk in Lending — applied to your own work
Social Risk in Lending — applied to your own work
Governance Risk in Lending — applied to your own work
ESG Credit Assessment — applied to your own work

Enrolment Process

How to Get Certified

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Step 1: Choose Your Certification

You are viewing Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert — one of GLI's 1,990+ globally recognised professional certifications.

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Step 2: Enrol & Pay Online — Instantly

Click Enrol & Study Online to register and pay securely via Paystack, Visa, Mastercard, M-Pesa or bank transfer. Access is granted the moment payment is confirmed.

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Step 3: Study in the GLI Learning Portal

Work through 30 structured modules and 150 lessons at your own pace, with downloadable resources and expert-designed content — all inside the LMS.

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Step 4: Pass, Get Certified & Verified

Sit your final examination online, earn your certificate instantly, and receive a globally verifiable Certificate ID — plus GLI Alumni Network access.

🎓 Enrol & Study Online — Instant Access

Secure checkout · Instant LMS access · Globally verifiable certificate

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

What is the CESG2 certification?

The Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert (CESG2) is a Advanced-level professional certification awarded by the Global Leadership Institute (GLI). It is designed to equip professionals in banking operations, credit, payments and financial services with practical skills, internationally recognised frameworks, and the credentials needed to advance their careers.

Who should enrol in the CESG2?

This certification is ideal for Bank Officers and Tellers, Credit and Loan Officers, Banking Operations Staff and Relationship and Branch Managers, and other professionals seeking to formalise their expertise in banking operations, credit, payments and financial services with a globally recognised credential.

How long does the CESG2 certification take to complete?

The programme is structured over 11 Weeks and offers flexible learning modes. Self-paced learners can progress at their own schedule, while live virtual participants follow a structured cohort schedule with facilitator-led sessions.

Is the CESG2 internationally recognised?

Yes. GLI certifications are recognised across 100+ countries and are aligned with Basel, central-bank regulations and recognised banking and AML standards. Graduates receive a digital certificate, a physical certificate and CPD credits recognised by employers worldwide.

What is the cost of the CESG2 certification?

The Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert is offered in two formats: Self-Paced at USD 399 and Live Virtual at USD 599. Corporate group rates are available for organisations enrolling 5 or more participants. Contact GLI for a bespoke corporate training quotation.

What does the CESG2 certification include?

Enrolment includes all study materials and study guides, access to GLI's online learning portal, online examination, digital certificate and badge, physical certificate (posted), CPD credits, GLI alumni network membership, and ongoing facilitator support.

What is the assessment format for the CESG2?

The Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert is assessed through an online examination consisting of multiple-choice questions, case study analysis, and practical application assignments. The assessment is designed to evaluate real-world competency, not just theoretical recall.

What CPD credits do I earn from the CESG2?

The Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert carries Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, which can be applied towards professional body requirements including recognised international professional associations.

Can I study the CESG2 while working full-time?

Absolutely. The self-paced option is designed for busy working professionals and allows you to study when and where it suits you. Live virtual sessions are typically scheduled in the evenings or on weekends to accommodate professional commitments.

What career outcomes can I expect from the CESG2?

Graduates progress towards senior banking operations, credit and branch leadership roles. The CESG2 strengthens your expertise in banking operations, credit, payments and financial services and positions you for advancement across commercial banks, microfinance institutions and financial-services firms.

Graduate Voices

What Our Alumni Say

“

The curriculum was directly applicable to my daily work. I immediately applied what I learned and saw results within weeks of completing the programme.

Branch Manager

Private Sector

“

GLI's certification is the most practical professional programme I have attended. The international frameworks gave me credibility with my employer and clients.

Credit Manager

NGO Sector

“

I earned my CESG2 while working full-time. The self-paced format made it possible, and the quality of the content is genuinely world-class.

Banking Operations Lead

Government

Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert

Certified ESG and Sustainable Banking Expert

Certification at a Glance

Who Should Enrol?

Everything Included in Your Enrolment

Why This Certification Matters for Your Career

Core Competencies You Will Develop

Programme Modules

What You Will Achieve

How to Get Certified

Common Questions

What Our Alumni Say

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