An aerial view shows deforestation near a forest on the border between Amazonia and Cerrado in Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso state, Brazil July 28, 2021.
Issued by the Forests & Finance Coalition of NGOs, which looks to improve transparency, policies, systems and regulations in the financial sector, the report found that finance to those companies rose over 60% to $47 billion between 2020 and 2021.
"The world's financial institutions are actually increasing their lending to the very industries driving humanity to the brink," Tom Picken, director of Rainforest Action Network's Forest and Finance Campaign, said in a statement, citing "dangerously inadequate" policies.
"This latest assessment shows how big banks and institutional investors are blind to the urgency of the moment," Picken stated.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Juliette Portala, editing by Simon Jessop, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.