Guide · Local regulator and supervisor
Good practice guide for managing environmental and social risks in the Dominican banking sector
The Superintendency of Banks offers institutions a practical and proportionate framework for managing environmental and social risks in lending.
- Organization
- Superintendency of Banks of the Dominican Republic (SB)
- Document date
- 10 August 2026
- Type
- Guide
- Language
- Spanish
- Scope
- Dominican Republic
What it contains
The Superintendency of Banks made available to financial intermediation entities (EIFs) a guide of good practices for managing environmental and social risks, communicated through Circular Letter CCI-REG-2026000010 of 10 August 2026. It is a reference document: it sets no regulatory provisions or obligations, and it urges applying it with criteria of proportionality, gradualness and adaptation to each institution’s business model, size, operational complexity and risk profile. It is based on international standards, regional good practices and contributions from the national financial system itself.
The guide is organized into ten chapters: context, conceptual framework, regulatory and normative framework, governance and policies, integration of the ESRMS (Environmental and Social Risk Management System) into the credit cycle, environmental and social risk in financing applications, tools and methodologies, high-impact sectors, training and organizational culture, and practical cases. It closes with a bibliography, a glossary and annexes.
Operationally it proposes dividing responsibilities among senior management, an environmental and social management unit (UGAS) and the business area; screening applications with an exclusion list; categorizing operations as high (A), medium (B) or low (C) risk, with examples by sector; carrying out environmental and social due diligence, with field visits and environmental and social action plans (PAAS); and including contractual compliance clauses. It incorporates risk matrices and checklists by sector, an annual training program approved by the board and practical cases from Dominican institutions, among them the social risk assessment of an energy project and the environmental compliance of rice producers who lacked permits and property titles.
Why it matters for risk management
For EIFs it is the supervisor’s reference for structuring the ESRMS and for incorporating environmental and social criteria into credit assessment. For other risk managers it is a model of how to bring these risks into the credit cycle. Because it is a reference, check current regulation to see what is required in each case.
Summary prepared by the Dominican Republic Risk Management Club from a reading of the original document, with the source verified on 7 October 2026. It does not replace reading the official text and is not advice.
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