PRESS RELEASE

 

INTESA SANPAOLO ONCE AGAIN INCLUDED IN THE DOW JONES ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY INDICES

 

For the seventh year in a row the Bank has been recognised for this prestigious benchmark

 

Milan - Turin, 07 September 2017 - Intesa Sanpaolo confirms itself as one of the most active groups in the world in terms of economic, social and environmental sustainability. In fact, for the seventh year running the Bank has been included - the only Italian bank - in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World financial indices which are among the most important global and European stock market indices for assessing corporate social responsibility.

 

Intesa Sanpaolo achieved an overall score of 84 out of 100, compared to the sector average of 58. Excellent performance in the environmental area with a score of 98 versus the sector average of 55. The highest possible score was achieved in the sections dedicated to financial stability, strategy and risk management and business opportunities in the environmental area, social and environmental reporting and financial inclusion. With regard to the financial sector, in 2017 28 banks were included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World, and 10 in the Europe index.

 

“Being included once again in this index, one of the most authoritative and selective indices, recognises our commitment to growth that is responsible and caring towards people, the communities and the environment. These are the elements that inspire our strategic decisions as well as our daily operations”, explained Carlo Messina, Intesa Sanpaolo Managing Director and CEO. Being the first bank in Italy and among the top in Europe means reacting responsibly to guarantee solidity and transparency, elements that are at the heart of a sustainable present and future. We are very happy that even investors are increasingly more sensitive to these aspects, which they see as strengths.

 

Environmental sustainability

Intesa Sanpaolo’s attention to the topic of sustainability has, over the years, led it to adhering to numerous international standards aimed at respecting the environment such as the UNEP FI (United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative), the Equator Principles (voluntary international guidelines for project financing activities) and the Carbon Disclosure Project (an international non-profit organisation that manages a global disclosure system on climate change for companies). Intesa Sanpaolo has several green finance initiatives for the development of innovative products and services, and the financing of environmental projects. Around 1.7 billion euro was paid out in 2016, and nearly 3.9 billion euro over the last three years. Included in this strategy are the 500 million in green bonds that Intesa Sanpaolo, the first bank in Italy, just successfully placed and that will be used to finance renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

 

 

 

Social sustainability

In 2016, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group paid out new loans to businesses with a high social impact totalling more than 4.6 billion euro (8.3% of the total new loans), contributing to the creation of entrepreneurial and work opportunities, as well as helping people in difficulty in various ways: microcredit, anti-usury lending, loans to the Public Administration for the development of socially beneficial services and activities and products dedicated to more vulnerable categories aimed at their financial inclusion. Intesa Sanpaolo has for a long time recognised the importance of serving the organisations in the non-profit sector through Banca Prossima, which at the end of 2016 had more than 58 thousand customers, direct and indirect funding of 7.7 billion (of which 3.1 was direct) and loans of around 1.7 billion. Banca Prossima is the only Italian bank that is a certified B-Corp, Benefit Corporation.

 

Since 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) have been tracking the environmental, social and financial performance of leading companies listed on stock exchanges worldwide. The securities that are included in the indices are selected based on a rigorous annual assessment conducted by Robeco SAM, a company specialised in sustainable investments. The indices follow a best in class approach, including companies across 24 sectors that outperform their peers in numerous sustainability metrics.

 

 

 

 

 

Press information:

Intesa Sanpaolo

Institutional, Social and Cultural Media Relations

Tel. +39 011 5556203

stampa@intesasanpaolo.com