London, June 3, 2008
—The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today announced the winners of the 2008 FT Sustainable Banking Awards, with Banco Real of Brazil being named Sustainable Bank of the Year as well as taking the overall Emerging Markets prize.
Now in their third year, the awards recognize banks and other financial institutions that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental, and corporate governance considerations into their operations.
The program has grown in popularity, and this year’s winners were selected from a record 182 entries from 129 institutions across 54 countries. Two new categories—Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid and Sustainable Investor of the Year—were open to nonbank financial institutions as well as banks.
The awards were presented at a dinner at the Dorchester in London, and the event was attended by more than 250 senior bankers and decision-makers in the area of sustainability. Boris Johnson, the newly elected Mayor of London, was keynote speaker. The event followed a Sustainable Banking Conference organized by the Financial Times and IFC.
The 2008 winners and runners-up in each category are:
Sustainable Bank of the Year
Winner: Banco Real, Brazil
Runner-up: Rabobank, the Netherlands
Sustainable Emerging Markets Bank of the Year
Winner: Banco Real, Brazil
Regional winner, Africa/Middle East: Nedbank, South Africa
Regional winner, Asia: YES Bank, India
Regional winner, Eastern Europe: Industrial Development Bank of Turkey (TSKB)
Regional winner, Latin America: Banco Real, Brazil
Sustainable Deal of the Year
Winner: BlueOrchard Finance, Switzerland, and Morgan Stanley, the United States
Runner-up: Glitnir Bank, Iceland
Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Winner: ASA, Bangladesh
Runner-up: Wizzit, South Africa
Sustainable Investor of the Year
Winner: E+Co, the United States
Runner-up: SAM Sustainable Asset Management, Switzerland
“The winners of the FT Sustainable Banking Awards are leading the way in meeting combined social, environmental, and financial goals. With financial institutions around the world reassessing risk and opportunity under increasingly challenging circumstances, we hope these awards will continue to encourage more transparent and sustainable practices in their lending, financing, and investing,” said Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times.
“The FT Sustainable Banking Awards have demonstrated that the business case for sustainable banking remains strong, despite the current economic environment. I am delighted to see so many strong entries from emerging markets and increased attention on microfinance investments and products targeting people at the bottom of the pyramid,” said Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO.
The judging panel, which included leading figures involved in sustainable finance and development, initially narrowed down the entries to a short-list of five institutions for each category—and three banks for each regional sub-category under Emerging Markets Bank of the Year—before selecting the overall winners.
The judges were:
John Willman, 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
Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute
Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor
Tessa Tennant, Co-founder, Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia
Leading consultancy Sustainable Finance Ltd was technical advisor for the program.
For further information, please contact:
Lizzie Allen, Financial Times, London, +44 (0)20 78734463
Azmar Sukandar, Financial Times, Hong Kong, +852 2905 5519
Lucie Giraud, IFC, Washington, D.C., +1 (202) 458-4662
E-mail:
lgiraud@ifc.org
Notes to Editors:
About the Financial Times
The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers, is recognized internationally for its authority, integrity, and accuracy. Providing extensive news, comment, and analysis, the newspaper is printed at 24 sites across the globe, has a daily circulation of 454,937 (ABC figures, March 2008) and a readership of more than 1.3 million people worldwide. FT.com is one of the world’s leading business information Web sites, and the internet partner of the FT newspaper. 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 6.2 million unique users, generating 48 million page views. FT.com has 101,000 subscribers.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC’s vision is that poor people should have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through syndications and structured finance for 299 investments in 69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
.
FT Sustainable Banking Awards 2008: Winner and Runner-up Press contact details
Sustainable Bank of the Year
Winner: Banco Real
Daniela Trolesi
Tel: +55 11 3174 6086
Runner-up: Rabobank
Roelina Bolding
Tel: +31 30 216 43 04
Sustainable Emerging Markets Bank of the Year
Winner: Banco Real
Daniela Trolesi
Tel: +55 11 3174 6086
Winner, Africa / Middle East: Nedbank, South Africa
Brigitte Burnett, Enterprise Governance and Compliance
Tel: + 27 11 294 3692
Fax: + 27 11 295 3592
Kerri Savin, Group Communications
Tel: + 27 11 295 5672
Fax: + 27 11 294 5672
Winner, Asia: YES Bank, India
YES Bank, Somak Ghosh
Tel: +91-22-6669 9050
Winner, Eastern Europe: Industrial Development Bank of Turkey (TSKB)
Canan Eguz, Corporate Communications
Tel: +90 212 334 52 19
Winner, Latin America: Banco Real, Brazil
Daniela Trolesi
Tel: +55 11 3174 6086
Sustainable Deal of the Year
Winner: Blue Orchard Finance / Morgan Stanley
Blue Orchard
Antonella Notari
Head of Corporate Communication
Tel: +41225964767
Mob: +41794704707
Fax: +41225964799
Morgan Stanley
Jennifer Sala
Tel: +1 212 762-6885
Runner-up: Glitnir Bank, Iceland
Bjørn Richard Johansen
Managing Director, Corporate Communication
Mob: +47 47 800 100
Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Winner: ASA
Habibur Rahman
Media Relations Officer
Tel: +880 2 8110934-5
Runner-up: Wizzit
Brian Richardson
Tel: +27 - 11 523-5600
Mob: + 27 - 836750171
Sustainable Investor of the Year
Winner: E+Co
Tracy Smith
Tel: 1.973.680.9100
Fax: 1.973.680.8066
Runner-up: SAM Sustainable Asset Management, Switzerland
Kim-My Schefer, Head of Communications
Tel: +41 44 397 10 02
Mob: +41 79 744 78 07
