Awards for Excellence 2018
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It is perhaps obvious that Erste Bank is leading the charge to help the unbanked and underbanked across central and eastern Europe – it was part of its mission when it was established in 1819 after all. And some 200 years later, financial inclusion is still just as pressing in the countries it operates.
Some 27% of the adult population across the region where Erste operates are at risk of poverty and 75% have no savings at all. To respond, the bank set up Step-By-Step as a social banking programme aimed at serving low-income customers, creating jobs and providing NGOs and social organizations with working capital. The bank has become a lifeline for many in the region, and its commitment to its communities earns it the award as CEE’s best bank for corporate social responsibility.
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| Andreas Treichl |
The stories and numbers speak for themselves. Through its local network of banks across the region, Erste, under group CEO Andreas Treichl, has helped 17,000 clients gain access to banking and savings, and has created more than 2,500 jobs through financing new entrepreneurs. It has provided $30 million in loans to social organizations, as well as offering mentoring. It also finances through its micro-lending initiative, ‘good.bee credit’, with the bank’s foundation.
The bank is also a champion for diversity and inclusion, both in the institution and among its clients and communities. Around gender diversity, the bank has committed to improve its female representation; now four in 10 managerial positions are held by women. The bank has also sponsored research on women and finance, hosts events of female clients, promotes flexible working hours and encourages men to take paternal leave. This year it launched Erste Women in IT (Erste WIT), which strives to encourage more women to pursue careers in IT.
