BAC International Bank has been serious about corporate responsibility for many years. In February this year the bank joined the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative, complementing its longstanding commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. BAC has now reached over one million people in central America with its financial education programme and has supported over 120,000 SMEs throughout the region with training, development and network initiatives.
BAC, under the regional leadership of chief executive Rodolfo Tabash, is also a vigorous supporter of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the region. The bank sees this as an efficient way to align its efforts with others who are working to alleviate poverty and foster economic development. This progamme, Yo Me Uno (I’m in), helps NGOs and non-profit organizations promote their work and attract private-sector financing; and by December 2020 over $4 million had been raised through 100 fundraising campaigns in five countries.
BAC also made its own $100,000 donation to Fusal, El Salvador’s foundation for health and development, to enable it to buy Covid tests and personal protective equipment. In total, the bank estimates it has reached 228 NGOs benefiting more than 30 million people in central America.
In the past year BAC also grasped the pandemic challenge to expand its direct support of its employees and clients throughout its operations. The bank doubled down on its employee wellness programme to provide more than 5,000 employees with interventions covering virtual medical assistance, working from home provision and financial relief measures. BAC was also proactive in offering assistance to its 3.6 million customers, 870,000 of whom benefited from debt relief measures totalling $8.7 billion.
