The Canadian banking sector is under pressure to balance financial growth with sustainability. The Big Five banks of the country - Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Bank of Montreal (BMO), Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank), TD Bank, and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) - have all reported their latest earnings while advancing their climate commitments.

The Big Five banks' financial results reflect the strength of the Canadian economy, while their sustainability and net-zero initiatives show how committed they're to reducing carbon emissions.

But how do these Canadian banks compare? Let’s dive into their latest earnings and see who is leading the charge toward a greener future.

Financial Performance: A Competitive Landscape

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC): Record Earnings with Strong Performance

RBC reported a net income of CAD 5.13 billion in Q1 2025, up from CAD 3.52 billion in Q1 2024. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) stood at CAD 3.62, surpassing analyst expectations of CAD 3.24.

• Revenue: CAD 16.74 billion (up from 13.49 billion year-over-year)
• Provision for Credit Losses (PCL): CAD 1.05 billion (up from 815 million)

RBC's financial performance was bolstered by a strong wealth management division, which saw a 48% increase in income, and robust capital markets earnings. The acquisition of HSBC Bank Canada contributed an additional CAD 214 million to net income. 

Bank of Montreal (BMO): Solid Growth Amid Economic Challenges

BMO reported a net income of CAD 2.14 billion in Q1 2025, up from CAD 1.29 billion in Q1 2024. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) stood at CAD 3.04, surpassing analyst expectations of CAD 2.41.

• Revenue: CAD 7.28 billion (up from 6.22 billion year-over-year)
• Provision for Credit Losses (PCL): CAD 573 million (slightly down from 585 million a year ago)

BMO’s financial performance was strong despite higher credit provisions. Its capital markets division contributed significantly, with a 45% increase in adjusted net income, reaching CAD 591 million.

Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank): Facing Margin Pressure

Scotiabank’s Q1 2025 net income stood at CAD 2.02 billion, slightly lower than CAD 2.12 billion in Q1 2024. Adjusted EPS was CAD 1.68, missing expectations of CAD 1.70.

• Revenue: CAD 8.16 billion (down slightly from 8.23 billion)
• Provision for Credit Losses: CAD 955 million (up from 910 million)

While Scotiabank saw modest revenue growth, higher loan loss provisions and lower NIMs affected profitability. The bank’s Latin American operations performed well, helping offset domestic weakness.

TD Bank: Strong Performance Despite Loan Losses

TD Bank announced a net income of CAD 2.79 billion in Q1 2025, a slight decline from CAD 2.82 billion in Q1 2024. Adjusted EPS was CAD 1.55, remaining flat year-over-year.

• Revenue: CAD 14.05 billion (up from 13.71 billion)
• Provision for Credit Losses: CAD 1.21 billion (up from 1.02 billion)

TD’s performance was driven by strong deposit growth and capital markets revenue. However, increased provisions for credit losses reflect potential economic headwinds.

CIBC: Higher Earnings But Growing Risks

CIBC posted a Q1 2025 net income of CAD 2.18 billion, up from CAD 1.73 billion in Q1 2024. Adjusted EPS was CAD 2.20, above the consensus estimate of CAD 1.81.

• Revenue: CAD 7.3 billion (up from 6.14 billion)
• Provision for Credit Losses (PCL): CAD 573 million (down from 585 million)

CIBC’s earnings growth was supported by strong loan and deposit growth. Its capital markets unit saw a 19% increase in net income, reaching CAD 619 million. However, rising provisions for bad loans signal caution.

Carbon Emission Reductions and Sustainability Race: Who’s Leading?

As these Big Five Canadian banks are going after profits, they, too, are under pressure to go after their sustainable and net-zero goals. Let's see what they're doing to hit their climate goals.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC): Advancing Towards Net Zero

RBC has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions in its operations and financed emissions by 2050. The bank is aligning its lending and investment activities with global climate targets, focusing on energy efficiency, sustainable finance, and emissions reductions.

RBC’s GHG emissions totaled 119,802 metric tons of CO₂e in 2023, reflecting a steady decline from previous years. The bank has committed CAD 500 billion in sustainable finance by 2025.

Source: RBC Climate Report

As of 2023, RBC has allocated CAD 393 billion in sustainable finance, making progress toward its CAD 500 billion target by 2025.

Source: RBC Climate Report

The most valuable bank in Canada also used carbon offsets as part of its strategy to neutralize its operational footprint. 

Key emission reduction initiatives are:

• Expanding financing for renewable energy and clean technology projects.
• Increasing investments in green buildings and energy-efficient operations.
• Strengthening partnerships in climate finance and transition investments.
• Supporting industries in their transition to a low-carbon economy.

RBC remains committed to climate risk management and improving transparency in its sustainability disclosures. The bank continues to refine its financed emissions tracking and collaborates with businesses to meet shared net-zero goals.

Bank of Montreal (BMO): Charging its Net-Zero Ambitions

BMO has committed to achieving net-zero emissions in its operations by 2050. The bank has been carbon-neutral in its operations since 2010 and aims to cut its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline). The bank has achieved this by:

• Upgrading heating and cooling infrastructure across its buildings.
• Purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) to match 100% of its global electricity consumption.
• Offsetting residual emissions through high-quality carbon credits, including projects like the Great Bear Rainforest conservation initiative..

In 2023, the bank’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions stood at 101,960 metric tons CO₂e, down 12% from 2022 levels. The bank retired 45,918 tCO₂e of carbon credits in the same year as part of its emission reduction strategies. 

Source: BMO Climate Report

Major climate actions include:

• Issued CAD 10 billion in sustainability bonds.
• Financed CAD 70 billion in sustainable lending projects.
• Pledged to provide CAD 150 billion in green financing by 2025.
• BMO’s Asset Management division offers multiple sustainable investment options, focusing on ESG-oriented portfolios.

BMO has pledged CAD 300 billion in sustainable financing and has surpassed this with CAD 330 billion issued as of 2023. 

The giant financier aims to support businesses transitioning to a low-carbon economy. In 2023, the bank expanded its emissions tracking for lending portfolios, including commercial real estate, and continues to refine its sustainability-linked lending framework.

Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank): Carbon Intensity Reduction

Scotiabank aims for net-zero financed emissions by 2050 and a 40% reduction in operational emissions by 2030. In 2023, its operational carbon emissions were 110,000 metric tons CO₂e, down 9% year-over-year.

Source: Scotiabank Report

The Canadian bank has reduced energy consumption in branches and offices by 25% as part of its net-zero efforts. It has also financed low-carbon initiatives in Latin America

Scotiabank has set a target of providing CAD 350 billion in climate-related financing by 2030. In 2023, the bank provided CAD 36 billion toward this goal, bringing its cumulative total to CAD 132 billion since 2018.

Key climate initiatives include:

• Developing an internal net-zero scoring system to assess client transition plans.
• Setting interim emissions intensity reduction targets for the automotive manufacturing sector.
• Intending to increase internal carbon price to further emission reductions.
• Expanding financing solutions for renewable energy projects and electric vehicle adoption.

The bank also continues to reduce its own operational emissions by securing emissions-free electricity, implementing energy efficiency programs, and integrating climate risk assessments into its lending strategy.

TD Bank: Leading in Sustainable Finance and Decarbonization

TD Bank has the most aggressive green finance strategy among the four banks. It has pledged CAD 500 billion in sustainable and decarbonization finance by 2030, with nearly CAD 70 billion allocated in 2023 alone. 

TD has emitted a total of 117,317 metric tons of CO₂e in 2023, down 14% from 2022. The bank has already achieved a 28% reduction in operational Scope 1 and 2 emissions, surpassing its 2025 target of 25%.

Source: TD Bank climate report

The bank has retired 85,176 verified carbon reduction and removal credits, equal to the bank’s market-based Scope 1 and 2 emissions and Scope 3 category 6 (business travel) emissions.

More notably, the bank has one of the largest direct air capture (DAC) carbon credit purchases in the financial sector. It agreed to buy 27,500 metric tons of carbon removal credits over four years.

• RELATED: What Is Carbon Dioxide Removal? Top Buyers and Sellers of CDR Credits in 2024

Also, TD Bank has expanded its financial emissions tracking across nine high-emission sectors, including energy, automotive, and agriculture. The financier has also improved climate risk assessment tools and developed a central data repository to track emissions reduction progress across its operations and client portfolio.

Source: TD Bank climate report

Other Sustainability Highlights:

• Launched the first net-zero branch in Canada,
• Invested CAD 20 million in community-based climate projects, and
• 60% of power is sourced from renewable energy.

CIBC: Balancing Growth and Sustainability

CIBC is committed to reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions and achieving net zero. In 2023, its operational emissions stood at 71,031 metric tons CO₂e, a 5% increase from 2022.

Source: CIBC Sustainability Report

Per CIBC's sustainability report, the bank has set a 30% operational GHG reduction target by 2028 (compared to 2018 levels). It also aims to achieve carbon neutrality in operations by 2024. The bank is on track to meet this target through:

• Increasing investments in renewable energy.
• Expanding sustainable finance offerings, including carbon capture, hydrogen, and e-mobility financing.
• Implementing energy-efficient technologies in offices.
• Partnering with carbon capture firms for carbon offset projects.
• Enhancing transparency in climate risk reporting and engaging with industry groups 

The bank has issued over CAD 157 billion in sustainable finance investments as of 2023. It has a target of 300 billion by 2030. 

CIBC helped finance sustainable infrastructure projects. This includes battery energy storage systems in the UK and big renewable energy deals.

Who’s Winning the Net Zero Race?

With all the sustainability initiatives and financing solutions provided by each bank, who wins the net-zero race? The chart below shows the comparison of the banks’ GHG emissions and sustainable finance progress as of 2023. 

Source: Companies' Data

Overall, TD Bank and RBC lead with the highest sustainable finance commitment, while BMO has surpassed its financing goal. RBC is also making significant strides in sustainable finance and net-zero initiatives, leveraging its market leadership.

CIBC has made strong progress in both emissions reductions and sustainable investments. Meanwhile, Scotiabank continues expanding its climate financing but has the third-highest operational emissions among the five banks.

Conclusion: Balancing Profitability with Climate Commitments

The five major Canadian banks continue to navigate economic headwinds while strengthening their sustainability and net-zero initiatives. While financial results varied, all banks have made progress in decarbonization efforts, sustainable finance, and emissions reductions.

• RBC leads in net income and is expanding climate finance and net-zero initiatives.
• BMO remains a leader in carbon-neutral operations and financed emissions tracking.
• Scotiabank is aggressively expanding climate-related finance and client net-zero assessments.
• TD Bank is surpassing emissions reduction targets and making innovative carbon credit investments.
• CIBC is strengthening its renewable energy financing and operational net-zero transition.

As regulatory pressure and investor expectations increase, these Big Five Canadian banks will need to accelerate their climate and net-zero strategies while maintaining profitability. Future progress will depend on expanding sustainable finance, improving emissions tracking, and supporting client transitions to a low-carbon economy.

• READ MORE: First the Americans, Now the Canadians: What Banks Are Making an Exodus from NZBA?

For real-time insights into carbon pricing, visit our Live Carbon Pricing page.