By Nivedita Balu TORONTO (Reuters) -TD Bank, Bank of Montreal and National Bank of Canada said on Friday they were withdrawing from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, joining the big-six U.S. banks in quitting the banking sector climate coalition.

The departures from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance began with Goldman Sachs' announcement on Dec. 6 and come ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House next week. Trump has been critical of efforts by governments to prescribe climate-change policies.

By Nivedita Balu TORONTO (Reuters) -TD Bank, Bank of Montreal and National Bank of Canada said on Friday they were withdrawing from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), joining the big six US banks in quitting the banking sector climate coalition.

Four of Canada’s largest banking institutions, BMO, National Bank, TD Bank Group, and CIBC, have withdrawn from the UN-backed Net-Zero Banking Alliance. Despite their departure, these banks assert that they remain committed to advancing their climate strategies independently.

Four major Canadian banks and six U.S. banking giants have withdrawn from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), a UN initiative aimed at driving net-zero emissions. The departures began with Goldman Sachs announcement