ING Bank N.V. Singapore Branch

2016

Top Community Care Companies In Asia

ING Bank N.V. Singapore Branch

Top Community Care Companies In Asia

2016

ING Bank N.V. Singapore Branch

“ING is focussed on empowering communities to stay ahead in life in its sustainability programme. The Bank stayed true to its Dutch heritage and tradition of cycling in its Asia community project that aims to provide children better access to education.”

Global financial institution ING is a powerhouse present in Europe, the Americas and Asia with over 50,000 employees worldwide keeping its operations smooth and efficient. With its parent company ING based in the Netherlands, ING is present and active in 13 Asian economies such as China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan and Australia.

The Bank is active in wholesale and direct banking in the Asia-Pacific region and its purpose statement is a powerful one: ING empowers people to stay a step ahead in life and in business.

While empowerment remains the backbone of its purpose, sustainability forms an integral part of its corporate strategy. The banking group is included on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Europe and World) as well as the FTSE4Good Index, a ringing endorsement of its sustainability policies.

At the heart of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy is the belief that any good CSR programme must be aligned with the DNA of an organisation and address a pressing social problem or deficiency. This belief guides ING’s approach to community care in Asia.

With a presence in Asia dating back to the 19th century, the Bank has become aware of the significance of education as well as communities which lack access to education, specifically in the developing parts of Asia and its rural areas, which often do not benefit from aid programmes.

Staying true to its Dutch heritage, the bank incorporates the cultural tradition of cycling into its sustainability programme of providing access to education. Cycling is an efficient and environmentally sustainable mode of transport and serves as a way of bringing education to rural, under-developed parts of Asia. This is the company’s flagship CSR initiative in Asia, called the ING Orange Bike project.

The Bank partnered with a registered American charity by the name of World Bicycle Relief (WBR) that has extensive experience working on similar projects in Africa. WBR provides advice on project implementation, hosts the Bank’s fundraising platform and trains mechanics in beneficiary communities who help maintain the bicycles. Produced by Giant Bicycles, these bicycles are tools for social and economic empowerment. They are hardy and capable of carrying over 200kg, with the ability to withstand harsh rural climates and terrain. In addition to helping kids get to school, the bicycles are also used by the kids’ parents to sell produce in the markets.

The Bank has engaged local partners in each country that the ING Orange Bike project is active in, such as Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. These partners ensure the projects are implemented in a sustainable manner and help to monitor the beneficiaries’ school attendance and academic performance. The costs of engaging NGOs for this project is borne by the Bank and supplemented by fundraising initiatives driven by ING staff across Asia.

Such projects strengthen the Bank’s position as a responsible corporate citizen that champions sustainable progress in society in concrete ways. Other benefits also include meaningful employee engagement, which is also boosted by fundraising initiatives such as the ING Orange Bike Cycling Challenge, where bank staff and their friends cycle 700km over seven days in Asia to raise funds for CSR activities annually.

Sustainability is also made tangible in two key areas of the Bank’s activities: supporting and accelerating the financial empowerment of individuals, and helping their corporate customers transition their business towards increased sustainability. The first instance is in the form of educating and supporting individuals and entrepreneurs in times of economic uncertainty or in getting their business started. The second instance sees the Bank helping its corporate customers with fuel and energy challenges. The bank is also noted for financing landmark projects globally and in Asia that help society achieve a more sustainable future.