During the 2008 financial crisis, central banks deployed unconventional means to rescue failing banks and insulate economies from depression. Their asset purchases have had strong social impacts, but traditionally, central banks have not explicitly factored social objectives into their decisions or evaluated their impacts beyond the narrow monetary domain.
In this paper Andrew Sheng argues that central banks, when purchasing financial assets, should consider selecting assets that will promote sustainability, including climate change mitigation and adaptation. Social impact investing he argues is consistent with a central bank’s mandate to maintain price stability. They could incentivize bankers and asset managers to invest in, or lend to, climate mitigation activities and low-emission growth.