The CaixaBank Group has been recognised this year with three awards at the Awards for Excellence held by the Euromoney magazine. The annual awards, organised by the leading European business and finance magazine, acts as the annual barometer highlighting the leaders in banking services across various areas globally. This year, CaixaBank has been named Best Bank in Spain 2022 and Western Europe's Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility 2022. This is on top of a win for BPI, the Group's Portuguese bank, as the Best Bank in Portugal 2022.
The jury, made up of the magazine's editorial committee, chose the CaixaBank Group for its leadership in the Iberian Peninsula, its excellence in customer service and innovation, and its commitment to ESG and sustainability. At the end of the first quarter of 2022, CaixaBank had a 24% market share in Spain in loans to individuals and business and 25.2% in deposits. BPI is now the fourth largest bank in Portugal, with assets amounting to over €40 billion.
Commenting on the achievement, CaixaBank's Chairman, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, said: “These awards are an acknowledgment of the way the Group provides its banking services, based on a model that is highly inclusive and very close to the families, businesses and society we serve. They are especially significant in a year during which, in addition to completing a major integration process, we have reinforced our commitment towards innovation and sustainability.”
Adding to this, Gonzalo Gortazar, CaixaBank's CEO, said: “These international awards are, without a doubt, the result of our teams' steadfast commitment and hard work. The wins energise us to continue moving forward in terms of delivering upon the bank's strategic pillars, which focus on driving the business' growth, evolving the customer service model in accordance with our clients’ preferences and consolidating the bank as the benchmark financial group for sustainability in Europe.”
Commenting specifically on BPI’s win, João Pedro Oliveira e Costa, BPI's CEO, stated: “This award is the result of the bank's positive evolution and an acknowledgement of the quality of BPI's teams, which is reflected in our customers' continued trust. We aspire to maintain this leading position, and we are working towards consolidating BPI as the leader in sustainable banking in Portugal, just like it currently is in online banking and has always been in financial best practices, soundness and risk indicators, as well as social commitment.”
Among CaixaBank's most notable milestones achieved between April 2021 and March 2022 are the Group's technological and organisational integration following the merger with Bankia, the reinforcement of the service programme for seniors – the most comprehensive in Spain – and the increase in sustainable financing, in terms of sustainable bonds and sustainable financing to corporations, businesses and individuals via innovative solutions.
CaixaBank has received the top national award given by Euromoney seven times in the last 10 years and the continental award for corporate responsibility three times. This latest recognition by Euromoney comes in addition to the bank winning the ‘Best Bank in Spain 2022’ and the ‘Best Bank in Western Europe 2022’ awards by the US magazine Global Finance. What is more, it is the second time that BPI is named ‘Best Bank in Portugal’ by Euromoney.
Western Europe's Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility 2022
In addition to the national award, CaixaBank has been named Western Europe's Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility 2022, an acknowledgement it has received for the third time and which is the result of the bank's continued commitment to sustainability.
CaixaBank kicked-off 2022 by issuing a new social bond for €1 billion in the wholesale market, seeking to finance activities and projects that contribute to combating poverty, fostering education and welfare and promoting economic and social development in the most disadvantaged areas of Spain.
The 2022 issuance is the fourth social bond by CaixaBank and the eighth bond linked to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thus reinforcing the bank's position as a leading bank in ESG-linked issuances in the euro market.
The Bank also allocated over €31 billion in sustainable financing in 2021, 150% more than the previous year.
With regard to the protection of the most vulnerable groups, the bank has rolled out a broad package of measures to help the civilian population affected by the invasion of Ukraine.
Benchmark in sustainability in Europe
CaixaBank's sustainability initiatives seek to drive the energy transition of businesses and society as a whole and include development of solutions for individuals that focus on sustainable mobility and housing, while also promoting investments into assets fitting ESG criteria.
Within the framework of the CaixaBank’s 2022-2024 Strategic Plan, the bank plans to offer €64 billion in sustainable financing by promoting various initiatives focused on its product range, ESG advisory services, awareness-raising activity and training.
