Amman – On Sunday, October 5, 2025, the Association of Banks in Jordan, in partnership with the Jordan Green Building Council, held an awareness workshop on green building programs and the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) certification. The workshop was attended by representatives of banks from departments related to real estate financing, green financing, and engineering within the banking sector.

The workshop was opened by Mr. Fadi Mashharawi, Director of the Studies, Policies, and Planning Department at the Association, who emphasized that the workshop aimed to promote and strengthen the orientation toward green building financing in the banking sector. In his remarks, Mr. Mashharawi highlighted the importance of transitioning to green finance, pointing to the green finance strategy currently being implemented by the Central Bank of Jordan in collaboration with its partners. He also stressed the importance of integrating the real estate sector and the transition to green buildings within green transformation activities, given the sector’s significance and its forward and backward linkages in the national economy, which contribute to accelerating the shift toward a sustainable green economy.

Mr. Mashharawi further underscored the numerous opportunities available to the real estate sector, noting that construction accounts for the largest share of banking sector financing—approximately 22% of total credit facilities, amounting to 7.82 billion Jordanian dinars. He also noted that the banking sector provides more than one billion dinars in individual housing loans.

He outlined the main themes of the workshop, which included an introduction to green buildings and the EDGE certification, the key benefits associated with them, and the feasibility of certifications and their linkage with green building financing. The workshop also addressed questions and inquiries from banks on developing financing tools for green buildings and their connection with certification frameworks.

Eng. Abdullah Bdeir, Chairman of the Board of the Jordan Green Building Council, affirmed that the Council continuously works to promote the concept of green buildings in Jordan by raising awareness, providing training and technical support to public and private institutions, and encouraging the adoption of sustainability standards in the construction sector. He emphasized that green buildings are no longer a luxury but have become an economic and environmental necessity that reduces operating costs and the consumption of energy and water, while improving quality of life within buildings.

He also highlighted the importance of partnering with the banking sector to develop green finance tools and link them to sustainable construction projects, thereby strengthening the local market’s capacity to transition to a green economy and to compete regionally in this field. He added that the Jordan Green Building Council welcomes any initiative from banks and financial institutions to support green building projects, offering its technical and advisory expertise to advance these national efforts.

Eng. Maysoon Al- Khreisat, a faculty member at the Jordan Green Building Council and an IFC-accredited trainer for the EDGE green building certification, spoke about the importance of holding this awareness workshop with the banking sector. She emphasized the need for engagement with the sector in implementing certifications, particularly in relation to accessing international green finance resources.

In turn, Ms. Abeer Al-Shalaan, representing the International Finance Corporation (IFC), discussed the IFC’s role in this area, including cooperation with local partners on green buildings to enhance and expand incentive frameworks and broaden the adoption of international certifications. She also highlighted IFC’s support for the transition to a green economy, particularly through its collaboration with the banking sector in issuing green and sustainable bonds. This workshop is part of the Green Building Development Project in Jordan, implemented by the IFC in partnership with the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Participants discussed challenges facing green building financing, including the local adoption of international certifications, the importance of linking incentives to on-the-ground implementation, and the need to raise awareness among borrowers and developers about the importance of transitioning to green buildings. Eng. Khreisat responded to participants’ questions regarding the process of obtaining EDGE certification and confirmed the availability of accredited experts in the Kingdom to fulfill certification requirements.

At the conclusion of the workshop, Mr. Mashharawi expressed his gratitude to the Jordan Green Building Council for its role in organizing the workshop, which he described as an important contribution for professionals in the banking sector. Participants also expressed their deep appreciation to Eng. Khreisat for the valuable information she provided, and to the Association of Banks for supporting the banking sector’s orientation toward green finance. They commended the Association’s commitment to this path, which strengthens the knowledge and capabilities of banking professionals in green finance tools and their application both locally and internationally.