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Sustainability at KBC is powered by our business culture and the contributions made by our people, who are instrumental in earning, keeping and growing customers’ trust, through a culture of responsible behaviour.

Irish consumers want more from their bank – more convenience, value and transparency. We are transforming how banking is done and we recognise the opportunity to deliver more for consumers.

To ensure the most positive impact for communities, our sustainability programme is mapped against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of goals agreed by the UN member states to define global sustainable development priorities and aspirations for 2030. We aim to make a positive impact under four key areas of Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, Environmental Responsibility, and Health & Wellbeing. In addition to these pillars, our charity partnership programme is key in supporting charities through skill-sharing and fundraising.

In 2020, the onset of the Covid-19 global pandemic meant that we had to quickly adapt our sustainability strategy to look at the ways that we could best support our customers and society while still focusing on our four pillar areas.

A cultural shift to manage health and wellness is evident in Irish society. Through our sponsorship of Wellfest and the KBC Dublin Marathon, we empower individuals in achieving their goals with training tips and free online programmes.

The importance of looking after physical and mental health has never been so important, and so this year we extended our free WellGood 30-day digital wellness programme, which features tips on exercise, improving nutrition and mindset, to reflect the needs of communities. We are also delighted to announce that we will run a virtual Dublin Marathon in October 2020.

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In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we also put in place a range of measures to support ‘cocooning’ customers, including a series of care calls to over 5,000 people.

More and more, we see that people are changing how they bank, and we continue to see an increasing expectation for online and digital solutions. At KBC, we recognise the role we have to play in improving financial literacy and new ways of banking. We recently hosted a virtual home series event for over 1,000 registered attendees to meet the needs of new buyers. In addition, we have made changes to some of our processes in order to help customers continue their mortgage journey.

Our employees, while working from home, continue to support entrepreneurship and charitable causes. With Enactus Ireland, KBC volunteers mentor students to develop their social enterprise ideas. In response to employee feedback, KBC are focusing our fundraising efforts on the Covid-19 Response Fund managed by The Community Foundation for Ireland, and have provided employees with three volunteering days to support the community response.

Climate change is still one of the biggest challenges of our time and we understand the urgent need for action. Our Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Funds enable clients to invest in sustainable and ethical companies to contribute to a more sustainable society and environment. Internally, we encourage employees to make greener lifestyle choices through our Greener Way programme, reflecting our belief that change starts from within.

We will continue to raise awareness of climate change and as a digital first bank, our approach needs to go hand-in-hand with a greener, more sustainable society.

Photo: Supporting charity partners through volunteering is a key part of KBC's CSR strategy