Banks play a crucial role in allocating financial resources with companies, governments and the whole economy depending on the financial services they provide, as has been proved by the recent financial crisis and its effects on the economy as a whole. Banks play an important role in the resource sector with not only the banks of industrialised countries being important players but banks from emerging market economies as well. Due to strong civil society criticism some banks have developed sectoral standards and a growing group of banks commits to follow the so called Equator Principles to lead some of their investments.