Banks’ desires to step up their efforts in corporate social responsibility were a victim of timing. The rush to prove their good corporate citizen credentials coincided with the fall-out from the global financial crisis. Inevitably, such efforts were greeted with a degree of cynicism.
But the competencies of many leading banks in this area are growing fast, and moving beyond charitable largesse and marketing manoeuvres to become a core strategic concern. And, crucially, the conversation now revolves around not just one-off projects, but also long-term, sustainable initiatives, many of them rooted in finance.
They range from localised efforts to improve educational facilities in Africa, to bringing about changes to central bank regulations in Brazil and leading the charge in developing impact investment.
And the push into CSR is diversifying: you are now as likely to see a small bank in a developing country devoting its resources to sustainable goals as you are one of the big global banks.
To recognize the increasing importance of this area, Euromoney reveals the winners of its inaugural Achievement in CSR Awards. These 10 winners from around the globe complement the recognition already given to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which won our global award for excellence in CSR for 2015.
Winners in alphabetical order:
Banco Comercial e de Investimentos (BCI)
Maputo, Mozambique
“Daki” social fund raising debit card initiative
BNP Paribas
Washington DC, US
Launch of Green Growth Bonds in partnership with World Bank
Barcelona, Spain
Increased financing of projects to increase environmental efficiency
HSBC
London, UK
Forestry and agricultural commodities policies issued
São Paulo, Brazil
Work leading to the enactment of new rules demanding Social and Environmental Responsibility Policies at all banks
KBZ Bank
Yangon, Myanmar
$2.4 million invested in Water Project
Lafise Bancentro
Managua, Nicaragua
Supplying IT equipment and support for children in 121 schools
Morgan Stanley
New York, US
Sustainable finance work including the Investing with Impact Platform with over $5 billion AUM
Santander
Brazil
€146 million invested in higher education projects in 2014 (457 universities supported in Brazil)
UBS
Zurich, Switzerland
Contributions to impact investment development globally
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