London, April 16, 2009─
The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, have announced the shortlists for the 2009 FT Sustainable Banking Awards. The Awards, now in their fourth year, were created to recognise banks and other financial institutions that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance considerations into their operations.
The Awards have grown in popularity and this year the nominees were selected from among 165 entries from 117 institutions across 42 countries. Three categories – Achievement in Basic Needs Financing, Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid, and Sustainable Investor of the Year – were open to non-banking financial institutions as well as banks.
The judging panel, which includes leading figures involved in sustainable finance and development, met last week at the Financial Times offices in London to agree on a short-list of five institutions for each category of award
–
except Emerging Markets Bank of the Year, where three banks were nominated for each regional sub-category. The nominees are as follows:
Sustainable Bank of the Year
· Deutsche Bank, Germany
· Grupo Santander Brasil
· Industrial Bank, China
· Standard Chartered, UK
· Triodos Bank, Netherlands
Sustainable Emerging Markets Bank of the Year
Africa/Middle East
· Access Bank, Nigeria
· Equity Bank, Kenya
· Nedbank, South Africa
Asia
· ACLEDA Bank, Cambodia
· Industrial Bank, China
· YES Bank, India
Eastern Europe
· AccessBank, Azerbaijan
· Center-Invest Bank, Russia
· Industrial Development Bank of Turkey (TSKB)
Latin America
· Banco do Brasil
· Banco Galicia, Argentina
· Itau Unibanco, Brazil
Achievement in Basic Needs Financing
· Acumen Fund, US
· MicroEnsure, UK
· ParaLife Group, Switzerland
· Trust Bank, Ghana
· Water Capital, Mexico
Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid
· ABN AMRO India
· Bank of Kathmandu, Nepal
· Opportunity International, UK
· Root Capital, US
· Wizzit, South Africa
Sustainable Investor of the Year
· Actis, UK
· Calvert Foundation, US
· E+Co, US
· Global Environment Fund, US
· Pictet Asset Management, US
“The entries to this year’s Awards were of particularly high quality, underlining the extent to which financial institutions are focusing on environmental, social and corporate governance considerations in these challenging times,” said Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times. “We are especially pleased to see the growing global interest in these awards, reflecting the increasing importance of sustainability across all markets.”
"The crisis has underscored the vital role of finance in economic growth and development, as well as the need to incorporate the principles of sustainability into business and banking models," said Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO. "The high level of interest in this year’s awards is an encouraging sign that commitment to sustainability remains strong in the financial community."
The judging panel that selected the nominees and will choose the award winners includes leading figures involved in sustainable finance and development:
· John Willman, Former UK Business Editor, Financial Times (co-chair)
· Rachel Kyte, Vice President, Business Advisory Services, IFC (co-chair)
· David Harris, Manager, Responsible Investment, FTSE Group
· Richard Laing, Chief Executive, CDC Group Ltd
· Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
· Herman Mulder, international sustainable development advisor
· Tessa Tennant, Co-founder, Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA)
Leading consultancy Sustainable Finance Ltd is technical advisor for the programme.
The winners of the awards will be announced at a special dinner at the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel in London on 4 June 2008.
The awards dinner will conclude the 2009 FT/IFC Sustainable Banking Conference, a full-day gathering of major decision-makers, strategists and visionaries involved in sustainable finance. Confirmed speakers for the Sustainable Banking Conference include:
· Fabio Barbosa, Chairman, Banco Real
· Beet Heemskerk, Chairman, Rabobank International
· Simon Zadek, CEO, AccountAbility
· Alex Counts, President and CEO, Grameen Foundation
· Prof Jules Pretty OBE, Professor of Environment and Society, University of Essex
· Tom Scholar, Managing Director, International and Finance, HM Treasury
· Lars Thunell, Executive Vice President and CEO, IFC
For further information on the Awards and Conference, please contact:
Emma Gilpin-Jacobs, Financial Times, London, +44 (0) 20 7873 4447
Lizzie Allen, Financial Times, London, +44 (0) 20 7873 4463
Azmar Sukandar, Financial Times, Hong Kong, +852 2905 5519
Lotte Pang, IFC, Washington, DC, +1 (202) 758 4290
lpang@ifc.org
Notes to Editors:
About the Financial Times
The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business news organisations, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing extensive news, comment and analysis, the newspaper is printed at 24 print sites across the globe, has a daily circulation of 431,900 (ABC figures, March, 2009) and a readership of 1.3 million people worldwide. FT.com is the definitive home for business intelligence on the web, providing an essential source of news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community. FT.com attracts 7.1 million unique users, generating 72 million page views (ABCe figures, March 2008) and now has over 1.2 million registered users.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, creates opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We foster sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. Our new investments totaled $16.2 billion in fiscal 2008, a 34 percent increase over the previous year. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
.
