Owning Our Impact & Contributing To a Lower-Carbon Future
At N26, we’re committed to doing our part to tackle climate change, and managing the carbon impact of our business operations.
3 min read
At N26, we’re committed to doing our part to tackle climate change, and managing the carbon impact of our business operations. For us, this means looking beyond just the emissions created by running our operations to also include the broader effects connected to our partners, suppliers, and financial activities.This is why this year, we introduced an Internal Carbon Tax – an internal mechanism that helps us take measurable responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions we generate as a company. The contributions generated through this approach are directed toward carefully selected projects that help reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere, thus helping to compensate for the carbon impact of N26’s business. The idea is simple but powerful: N26 commits a yearly contribution that corresponds to every metric ton of greenhouse gas emissions we produce. Rather than passing this cost on to customers, we fund it ourselves – a reflection of our internal commitment to a lower-carbon future and climate action.We began applying this approach in our 2025 budget, covering direct and indirect emissions from our business operations from 2023 onwards, and will continue to do so going forward. To ensure fairness and long-term effectiveness, we are calculating our carbon impact across two tiers of activity:Instead of supporting a single climate initiative, we’re taking a portfolio approach: Our contributions will go into a mix of carefully selected, impactful projects that either avoid new emissions (keeping emissions from being released into the atmosphere in the first place) or remove existing carbon from the atmosphere. This allows us to balance tangible impact today with support for innovative technologies that will drive long-term change.When evaluating and selecting projects, we take into account several key factors to ensure our choices are responsible, effective, and aligned with N26’s values and sustainability commitments. We look at factors like certified carbon credits, environmental and social impact, local relevance, application of innovative climate technologies, carbon removal potential, and alignment with global standards.Lasting impact requires collaboration. Over time, we want to build long-term partnerships with trusted organisations driving measurable, positive climate action. Working closely with partners helps us learn, track outcomes, and make sure our contributions lead to meaningful, lasting change. We are committed to sharing our progress on our carbon compensation journey, the projects we contribute to and the positive impact achieved along the way.
What Is An Internal Carbon Tax?
- Tier 1 for emissions that N26 has more control over – including our direct emissions for our offices, energy use and business travel.
- Tier 2 for emissions N26 can influence less directly – such as those from suppliers or partners. Emissions associated with N26’s own financial investments, as well as with companies that our customers may invest in via the N26 platform are not included.
Using These Contributions To Fund Positive Climate Action
Building Lasting Partnerships
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