By renewing its listing on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), BBVA has maintained its position among the leading companies in terms of sustainability at international level. Inclusion on the DJSI reflects the steady integration of the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) variables into the day-to-day management of the Bank. BBVA has worked to integrate these aspects across its value chain for years, from product design, advertising and sales to risk management. BBVA’s full rating in the analysis carried out by the SAM agency for DJSI is available on the Group’s Corporate Responsibility website, www.bancaparatodos.com.
Below are the corporate responsibility milestones for the third quarter of 2012:
Financial Inclusion
BBVA Bancomer will promote access to banking for 1.5 million users through the Dinero móvil (Mobile money) initiative, which enables people to send money to others in any part of the country through the electronic banking channel of their choice. The aim of the project is to make it easier for customers to access low-cost banking services that are secure, approachable, accessible, time-saving and convenient.
Financial Literacy
Figures for the third Valores de futuro (Future values) campaign were published in July. It closed at the end of the school year with around 800,000 participants in Spain. In Mexico, BBVA Bancomer has reached an agreement with the National Adult Education Institute (INEA) to foster financial literacy in the country, and has included workshops dealing with saving and credit into the INEA family finance module as part of adult education. It has also included two new workshops to support the Mexican SME sector.
Responsible Banking
Customer-Centric Approach. Through its “Blue BBVA” program, BBVA has given young university students a number of exclusive advantages and services to finance their studies. This program is specifically targeted at young adults and reflects the Bank’s strategy of offering innovative products that meet the specific needs of different customer segments.
Environment. BBVA Colombia has joined the “Green Protocol”, an agreement underwritten by the financial sector to promote sustainable development in the country. Through this agreement the Bank commits voluntarily to implement policies and practices that can be recognized as a model in terms of environmental responsibility. In addition to this, the BBVA Foundation has awarded its “Biodiversity Conservation” prize to WWF Spain for its key innovative actions in various areas of conservation.
Community Involvement
The winner of BBVA’s 4th INTEGRA Award was the Catalan cooperative La Fageda. The award is worth 200,000 euros. The award recognizes the work of non-profit organizations or self-employed people who carry out projects that bring people into the labor market and boost new initiatives and good practices in this field. In addition, Spain and Portugal have launched the 2nd Territorios Solidarios (Solidarity Territories) program, which makes 1.8 million euros available for employees in Spain to develop supportive projects led by non-profit organizations. Finally, the Momentum Project, BBVA’s initiative supporting social entrepreneurship, was launched in Mexico for the first time. The aim is to boost SMEs through a strategic alliance with prestigious institutions such as the EGADE Business School and New Ventures Mexico, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
BBVA in the Sustainability Indices
BBVA has a prominent position in the main international sustainability indices, with the following weighting at the close of September:
