Our vision on our role in society

We create trust not only by creating financial sustainability but also by meeting the expectations of our clients, our employees, our shareholders and society. Therefore we are continuously building and re-earning customer loyalty and preference, relentlessly building employee engagement and proving how we contribute positively to society day by day.

To contribute positively to society, we stimulate the local economy of all our core markets, we prepare solutions today for the problems of tomorrow, we develop innovative solutions to today’s societal challenges and we communicate as transparently as possible on socially sensitive issues.

We protect and empower people so that they can realize their dreams

The way society, especially consumers, views the financial sector is changing. Consumers are increasingly rewarding those brands that listen to them, rating them on relevant aspects such as delivering good quality, launching innovative products at fair prices, focusing on things which make their lives happier, easier and healthier, and which are beneficial to the economy, environment and community. Value is no longer measured purely in terms of money, but also based on emotional parameters like trust and pride.

We strive to earn and keep the trust of our stakeholders…

At the same time, suspicion of business – in the financial sector certainly – has never been greater, and companies are also being held to account on issues like fair trade, their impact on the environment and responsible behaviour, even at the local level. The bar for the financial world has been set at a high level, especially after the financial crisis, and ‘trust’ is now the licence to operate. Being a responsible and respected player in this new world therefore means primarily working to create or restore trust.

…by carefully listening to and understanding their expectations

Consequently, we are keen to know what our stakeholders consider important. To this end, we regularly launch extensive survey of our stakeholders. The result of the stakeholder survey is set out in the matrix which is published in the annual report.

We monitor our performance to always meet expectations

We will also follow up our focus on socially relevant themes and on our performance in terms of meeting stakeholder expectations via a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The most important, including effective results per KPI, can be found in the annual report.