Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd – Lobbying Governance & Transparency

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Lobbying Governance

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Moderate	Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has established an ESG Policy Framework and a dedicated “Policy Advocacy” policy under the oversight of its Board’s CSR and ESG Committee, which “will be responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the Bank’s ESG framework” with progress tracked by an ESG Taskforce reporting to the Head of the ESG function and Board. However, the governance process for ensuring climate-related lobbying alignment remains limited: while “in line with the commitments articulated in the ESG Policy Framework, the Bank gives inputs on surveys and consultations by regulatory bodies on ESG and climate action,” and “whilst engaging with industry trade associations, Kotak supports industry level initiatives towards mitigating the negative effects of Climate change,” the Bank itself notes that “the Bank does not directly influence policies or policy makers on issues such as Climate Change” and provides no public commitment to align engagement with the Paris Agreement, stating “No, and we do not plan to have one in the next two years.” This indicates that although formal oversight exists and some alignment of direct and indirect advocacy is described, the Bank does not disclose a clear, repeatable process or criteria for reviewing and managing its climate-related policy engagement. View Sources	C

Overall Assessment

Analysis

Score

Moderate

Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has established an ESG Policy Framework and a dedicated “Policy Advocacy” policy under the oversight of its Board’s CSR and ESG Committee, which “will be responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the Bank’s ESG framework” with progress tracked by an ESG Taskforce reporting to the Head of the ESG function and Board. However, the governance process for ensuring climate-related lobbying alignment remains limited: while “in line with the commitments articulated in the ESG Policy Framework, the Bank gives inputs on surveys and consultations by regulatory bodies on ESG and climate action,” and “whilst engaging with industry trade associations, Kotak supports industry level initiatives towards mitigating the negative effects of Climate change,” the Bank itself notes that “the Bank does not directly influence policies or policy makers on issues such as Climate Change” and provides no public commitment to align engagement with the Paris Agreement, stating “No, and we do not plan to have one in the next two years.” This indicates that although formal oversight exists and some alignment of direct and indirect advocacy is described, the Bank does not disclose a clear, repeatable process or criteria for reviewing and managing its climate-related policy engagement.

View Sources

Lobbying Transparency

Overall Assessment	Analysis	Score
Limited	Kotak Mahindra Bank provides only limited insight into its climate-policy lobbying. It acknowledges some involvement in policy discussions, noting that it gives “inputs on surveys and consultations by regulatory bodies on ESG and climate action,” and that it participates indirectly through industry bodies such as FICCI and CII, but it does not name any specific climate-related laws, regulations or bills it has tried to influence, nor does it explain the breadth or limits of its engagements. The sole mechanism described is indirect advocacy via trade associations; no details are offered about meetings, letters, consultation submissions or the particular government agencies or officials approached. The bank also states that “The Bank does not directly influence policies or policymakers on issues such as Climate Change,” yet provides no explanation of the outcomes it seeks—there is no indication of desired legislative amendments, new regulations, or other policy changes. As a result, the disclosure shows minimal transparency on which climate policies it addresses, how it seeks to influence them, and with what objectives.	D