PRESS RELEASE: Financial Times Awards Sustainable Banking Honors to Many, Including Banco Real of Brazil as Sustainable Bank of the Year and Tops in Emerging Markets

Original press release available here.

LONDON, June 3 – The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced the winners of the 2008 FT Sustainable Banking Awards, with Banco Real of Brazil named as Sustainable Bank of the Year and also taking the overall Emerging Markets prize.

Now in their third year, the awards recognise banks and other financial institutions that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance considerations into their operations.The programme has grown in popularity and this year’s winners were selected from a record 182 entries from 129 institutions across 54 countries. Two new categories – Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid and Sustainable Investor of the Year – were open to non-banking financial institutions as well as banks.

The awards were presented at a gala dinner at the Dorchester in London attended by senior bankers and decision-makers in the area of sustainability. Boris Johnson, the newly elected Mayor of London, was keynote speaker at the dinner. The event followed a one-day Sustainable Banking Conference organised by the Financial Times and IFC.

The 2008 winners and runners-up in each category are:

Sustainable Bank of the Year
• Winner: Banco Real, Brazil
• Runner-up: Rabobank, Netherlands

Sustainable Emerging Markets Bank of the Year
• Winner: Banco Real, Brazil
• Regional winner Africa/Middle East: Nedbank, South Africa
• Regional winner Asia: YES Bank, India
• Regional winner Eastern Europe: Industrial Development Bank of Turkey (TSKB)
• Regional winner Latin America: Banco Real, Brazil

Sustainable Deal of the Year
• Winner: BlueOrchard Finance, Switzerland/Morgan Stanley, US
• Runner-up: Glitnir Bank, Iceland

Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid
• Winner: ASA, Bangladesh
• Runner-up: Wizzit, South Africa

Sustainable Investor of the Year
• Winner: E+Co, US
• Runner-up: SAM Sustainable Asset Management, Switzerland

For more details on the winners and runners-up please click here.

“The winners of the FT Sustainable Banking Awards are leading the way in meeting combined social, environmental and financial goals. With financial institutions around the world re-assessing risk and opportunity under increasingly challenging circumstances, we hope these awards will continue to encourage more transparent and sustainable practices in their lending, financing and investing,” said Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times.

“The FT Sustainable Banking Awards have demonstrated that the business case for sustainable banking remains strong, despite the current economic environment. I am delighted to see so many strong entries from emerging markets and increased attention on microfinance investments and products targeting the bottom of the pyramid,” said Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO.

The judging panel, which included leading figures involved in sustainable finance and development, initially narrowed down the entries to a short-list of five institutions for each category of award — and three banks for each regional sub-category under Emerging Markets Bank of the Year — before selecting the overall winners.

The judges were:
• John Willman, UK Business Editor, Financial Times (co-chair)
• Rachel Kyte, Vice President, Advisory Services, IFC (co-chair)
• David Harris, Manager, Responsible Investment, FTSE Group
• Richard Laing, Chief Executive, CDC Group Ltd
• Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute (WRI)
• Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
• Tessa Tennant, Co-founder, Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA)

For further information on the judging panel click here.

Leading consultancy Sustainable Finance Ltd was technical advisor for the programme.

Similar Posts: