As a customer-owned, values-driven bank, Bank Australia is committed to using money as a force for good. One way we do that is through impact lending – financing projects that create real social and environmental benefits. We sat down with Tim Von Ess, Head of Impact Lending, to learn more about how this works in practice.
Whether it’s home loans, personal loans or business loans, lending is one of the fundamental aspects of the banking system and broader economy. Banks provide funds to individuals and organisations with repayment terms, often with interest, giving borrowers access to capital when they need it most.
Like most banks, Bank Australia offers business loans – but through our impact lending team, we do things a little differently. “As a customer-owned bank, impact lending is how we align our customers’ money with purpose,” says Tim Von Ess, Bank Australia’s Head of Impact Lending. “It’s about supporting initiatives that deliver both financial returns and meaningful, positive social and environmental change. It’s a way of using banking for good, and that’s what Bank Australia is all about.”
A different approach to lending
With a background in banking and impact investment, Tim has long believed finance can be a force for good. “Money can be a really powerful lever in driving systems change,” he says. Now, he leads a small, highly skilled team of 12 people across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Their goal? To help purpose-led organisations and sectors that may have been traditionally overlooked to access loans.
“There are great outcomes being delivered by organisations that are addressing some of the big challenges that we face as a society, but these can be quite difficult for banks to wrap their heads around when assessing a loan,” he says. “We see our role as being a supportive financier. We spend a lot of time with our borrowers to understand the risks that they face, how they plan to manage these and also the impact they’re delivering.”
This thorough approach ensures Bank Australia loans are safe for both borrower and bank, while unlocking projects that align with things our customers value.
Our four key areas of focus
Bank Australia’s impact lending strategy is guided by four key areas:
- Climate transition: Supporting the shift to a low-carbon economy
- First Nations self-determination: Backing Indigenous-led projects
- Nature and biodiversity: Restoring ecosystems and protecting our natural world
- Housing: From social and affordable to specialist disability accommodation (SDA)
These pillars are shaped by our ethical framework and responsible banking policy, which rules out lending to industries like fossil fuels, gambling, live animal export, tobacco or firearms. “We also support values-aligned B Corps and not-for-profits,” Tim says. “These priorities reflect what our customers have told us they want from their bank.”
When assessing transactions, the impact lending team uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative factors. “We’re not just looking at risk and return,” Tim says. “We’re also looking at impact. For a social housing project, it might be the number of people housed and the building’s operating efficiency. For a climate project, it might be tonnes of CO2 sequestered. We use frameworks like the Impact Management Project and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to guide our assessment of the social and environmental impacts of a loan.”
Bank Australia often steps in at key moments, when an organisation is ready to scale but needs patient, purpose-aligned funding to do so. “An organisation might come into a step-change or a transformational opportunity to expand its impact,” Tim says. “We take a forward-looking view to help make sure we can achieve the best possible outcome together.”
Creating real-world impact
So what does impact lending look like in practice?
One standout example is a recent loan to the Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community La Grange Inc, helping them acquire 300 hectares of freehold land in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. This land is both ecologically and culturally significant – and ideal for a new horticulture enterprise growing watermelon, rockmelon, pumpkin, sweet potato, and maize.
“This project creates long-term income, jobs and training for the local community, and also helps it build an asset base,” Tim says. “It’s a great self-determination story.”
Another recent example is our loan to Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ENTNTAC), the organisation representing the Wudjari Traditional Owners in Kepa Kurl, or Esperance, in WA. With our support, ETNTAC purchased ‘Shaster Downs’, a property of deep cultural and ecological significance that supports self-determination, cultural connection, and climate resilience as its regeneration work allows access to carbon markets. “It’s a powerful example of what nature-positive finance can look like,” Tim says.
Another key area of support is specialist disability accommodation (SDA), where Bank Australia has built strong, ongoing partnerships. Les Silverstone, Group Managing Director of Coffee Cub Investment Group, which develops SDA, says Bank Australia has been essential to their success. “It’s crucial to have a capital partner who’s patient, understanding, and focused on the long term,” Les says. “Bank Australia has rolled with the punches, supported us through NDIS challenges, and believed in the bigger picture.”
Tom Ray, Managing Director of Accessible Homes Australia, agrees. “They’ve been like a partner for us since day one,” he says. “They’re more than just a lender – they genuinely understand what we do and help guide us through it.”
As AHA Co-founder Perry Cross OAM puts it: “It’s nice to work with a team who really cares.”
Relationships, not transactions
For Tim and his team, lending is about more than just funds in, funds out.
“One thing I truly believe is that relationships get better over time,” Tim says. “We're about building that trust and working with our borrowers. These are such important areas, and there's really important work that needs to be done. By nurturing relationships that grow and evolve, we’re able to support an organisation’s immediate needs and be there for what comes next.”
Because Bank Australia is customer-owned and not driven by share prices or short-term profit, the team can take the time needed to truly understand each borrower’s impact model and help them succeed. “We’re not the biggest player in the bank market,” Tim says. “But the work we do gets noticed. A lot of our enquiries come through word of mouth, and that says a lot.”
The impact lending team brings a clear set of values to their work, and it helps that everyone is there for the same reason. “When you’re dealing in this space, and you bring these qualities of empathy, integrity and a bit of innovation, you can actually do a whole lot,” Tim says. “Everyone in this team is here to make a real difference. It’s as simple as that.”
Learn more about how Bank Australia uses finance to make a positive impact.
