A recent report by the Forests & Finance Coalition highlights a troubling trend: banks and financial institutions have ramped up their investments in companies associated with deforestation, increasing their financial backing by nearly $8 billion since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. As of September 2025, these institutions held $42 billion in bonds and shares in over 191 forest-risk companies. Major investors include Malaysian state-owned entities and U.S. investment manager Vanguard. The report indicates that loans and underwriting from banks to forest-risk companies rose by 35% from 2016 to 2024. Despite voluntary commitments like the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, the report concludes that these measures have failed to curb destructive financing. It calls for mandatory regulations to ensure financial institutions consider biodiversity and human rights risks, emphasizing the need for accountability and stronger due diligence processes.