The awards ceremony for the 5th Chinese Securities Journal Cup “Top 10 Listed Companies for Competitiveness & Public Credibility” was held in Shanghai on June, 20. At the awards, the Industrial Bank was awarded 1st prize in the category of best listed company for contribution in social responsibility. Tang Bin, Director and Board Secretary of the Industrial Bank, was also named “Priceless Board Secretary” at the event.
“The Top 10 Listed Companies for Competitiveness & Public Credibility” is sponsored by Chinese Securities Journal and Sina Finance. The event has been held for five consecutive years, and is considered to be highly authoritative by the industry. The appraisal involved voting by small investors, institutional investors, investment-banking experts and research institutions. It consisted of online voting on Sina, voting by readers of the Chinese Securities Journal, questionnaire surveys of institutional investors and an expert review. Candidates were given a comprehensive score on the basis of factors such as operation performance, stockholder's equity, social responsibility and prospects for growth.
The Industrial Bank holds to the belief that the social responsibility of a bank should go further than just making profit and giving out donations, and should be embodied in doing business in the right way, being able to identify and resolve issues of concern among stakeholders, and urge other companies and entire industries to perform their social responsibilities by exerting the unique influence that banks have in social and economic development.
Based on this understanding, the Industrial Bank has always been dedicated to improving its corporate governance. It has established the notion of sustainable development, put forward the concept of “Integrating Morals into Profits” to fulfill social responsibilities, integrated social responsibilities into the business of the bank and sought to let this concept penetrate its operations. Moreover, it has sought out business opportunities whilst fulfilling social responsibilities, and is always in pursuit of a sustainable and developable business mode and social responsibility mode that benefits both the bank as well as society in general.
In 2006, the Industrial Bank became the first bank in China to launch a scheme to finance energy conservation and emissions reduction projects. In 2007, it signed the Statement of Environment and Sustainable Development by the United Nations Environment Program Financial Institutions. In 2008, it became the first bank in China to adopt the Equator Principles. In 2009, it established China's first specialized organization for “carbon finance”. In 2010, it issued the first low-carbon credit card in China. Thanks to unremitting efforts and outstanding results in social responsibility and sustainable finance, the Industrial Bank has been granted a series of awards and titles in appraisals held by authoritative organizations in China and abroad, including “Sustainable Emerging Markets Bank of the Year Asia”, “Sustained Transaction Award of the Year”, “Best Green Bank of the Year” and “China Baosteel Environmental Excellence Award”. Moreover, it has also been named as the “Best Chinese Enterprise Citizen Award” for three consecutive years.