Erste Group’s approach to corporate responsibility is rooted in its Social Banking programme, which has grown into one of the most comprehensive financial inclusion platforms in Central and Eastern Europe.
Since its launch in 2016, the programme has provided €732 million ($851 million) in funding to more than 23,000 clients and supported over 90,000 education participants across Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia.
In 2024, Erste disbursed €101 million in social banking loans, with 42% going to social organisations, 33% to microfinance businesses and 22% to starting entrepreneurs. The bank also reached nearly 5,000 clients and delivered financial education to more than 18,000 people.
Erste’s model is built around tailored support for underserved groups. It offers startup loans, mentoring and networking for entrepreneurs, working capital and investment loans for microbusinesses, and bridge and quasi-equity financing for social enterprises. Its support for people in financial distress includes debt advisory, housing microloans and access to basic banking services through Zweite Sparkasse.
Erste Group has demonstrated a consistent, measurable and replicable approach to corporate responsibility
One of the most notable initiatives is Dostupný Domov, a public-private partnership in Slovakia that addresses the country’s acute housing shortage. Backed by catalytic capital from Slovak Investment Holding and Erste’s social finance arm, the venture has acquired over 450 rental apartments and provided stable housing to nearly 600 people, including seniors, domestic violence survivors and the homeless. It is the first privately operated affordable housing company in Slovakia.
Erste also uses innovative financing tools to scale impact. In 2024, it supported five new clients with quasi-equity financing and launched a social impact bond with Atempo, a social enterprise in Austria. The bond funded digital training for unemployed women to become care assistants, generating nearly 30,000 hours of care work and addressing labour shortages in the disability care sector.
By embedding social impact into its core banking model and scaling it across seven CEE markets, Erste Group has demonstrated a consistent, measurable and replicable approach to corporate responsibility.
