PayPal does its part in Ukraine, recognition for U.S. Bank and more in banking news this week.

European banks trying to decide whether and how to leave Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine are finding that extracting themselves will be slow, costly, and may come with a reputational price no matter what they do.

Texas is seeking information from more than a dozen major finance firms on whether their operations discriminate against the fossil-fuel industry. 

HSBC Holdings promised to “phase down” its financing of the fossil fuel industry, sending a warning to oil and gas clients as the bank works toward its target of net-zero emissions.

A group of religiously affiliated shareholders that had pushed the bank to write the report says it does not include the voices of key stakeholders. The report's recommendations, written by an outside law firm, touch on workforce diversity, customer remediation and preventing retaliation against employees.

West Virginia’s legislature has approved a proposal that could restrict the state’s work with financial institutions that have limited their business with coal and oil companies. 

Citigroup, the U.S. bank with the largest presence in Russia, will broaden its withdrawal beyond previously announced plans to dispose of consumer operations there.

Toronto-Dominion Bank set targets for reducing the emissions intensity of lending to certain energy industries, charting a clearer path for a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 while still boosting its loan book in those sectors.

Royal Bank of Canada shareholders will vote on whether the bank should tighten its standards for sustainable finance, action inspired by a 2021 pipeline financing deal that was criticized for greenwashing and general concern over lax standards for so-called sustainability-linked debt.

The program is aligned with an initiative Bank of Montreal started in 2019 to double its support for small businesses and female entrepreneurs.