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A new study by Finanzwende and Urgewald in cooperation with Facing Finance shows: The naming guidelines introduced by the regulator European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) in May 2025 led to more transparency and fewer fossil investments in ESG funds. However, many providers remain heavily invested in coal, oil and gas by selectively renaming their funds.

A protest by a broad civil society alliance will take place in front of the Siemens Energy Annual General Meeting in Berlin on Thursday. The nine participating organizations and groups criticize the company's sprawling business with gas turbines and Siemens Energy's activities in conflict regions and autocratically governed states. Participating in the protest are: Fridays for Future, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Urgewald, Beyond Fossil Fuels, Dachverband der kritischen Aktionärinnen und Aktionäre, Gaswende, GegenStrömung, PowerShift, Parents for Future.

Toplines

• 92.6% of all Yamal LNG exports in January 2026 went to the EU, totalling 1,690,517 tonnes.
 • 23 of 25 Yamal LNG cargoes were delivered to EU ports, despite Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
 • EU imports from Yamal rose 8% compared with January 2025.
 • 20 of 25 cargoes were transported by vessels linked to Seapeak (UK) and Dynagas (Greece).
 • All vessels delivering cargoes were insured in Europe.

Campaigners say the figures underscore that European infrastructure and maritime services remain central to Russia’s LNG export revenues, and they are urging governments to close remaining sanctions loopholes.

Today, Urgewald and 13 partner organizations released the 2026 Metallurgical Coal Exit List (MCEL), the most comprehensive public database tracking companies expanding their met coal mining activities. 

On January 2, 2026, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank  (AIIB) disclosed its newly updated Project-affected People’s Mechanism (PPM) Policy after Board approval. After a two year review process, the new PPM policy includes some improvements to respond to selected civil society concerns. However, there has been a failure to fundamentally change the structural problems around accessibility and effectiveness that have afflicted the PPM since inception, leading to 0 eligible cases in 7 years. Instead the new Policy simply papers over the cracks, offering improvements that are piecemeal or applicable only in limited circumstances. As a result, the Policy still falls well below international good practice. We also remain concerned about whether the improvements are sufficient to allow affected communities facing environmental and social impact to access the PPM. 

New analysis from Urgewald shows that a Glasgow based shipping company, Seapeak, played the single largest role in transporting liquefied natural gas from Russia’s flagship Arctic Yamal LNG project in 2025, with shipments corresponding to an estimated £2.3 billion (€2.7 billion) in revenue for the Kremlin.