FinTechWeek Vienna 2021 of the Austrian Bankers Association, FinTech Austria and the Vienna Business Agency at the UniCredit Center Am Kaiserwasser
Networks in the area of sustainability as drivers for innovation and change
- Banks use the enormous leverage effect of their financing to shape the future sustainably
- Together with partners from the sustainability sector, stable networks are being established.
- Diversity and inclusion as success factors for sustainable business success
"The entire banking industry can develop an enormous leverage effect to shape the future in a sustainable way. UniCredit Bank Austria's annual lending volume alone amounts to more than € 60 billion. Therefore, it makes a crucial difference which investments we finance with it - and which we don't," says Robert Zadrazil, President of the Austrian Bankers' Association and CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria, in his welcome address at FinTechWeek Vienna 2021, jointly organised by the Austrian Bankers' Association, FinTech Austria and the Vienna Business Agency.
"We must not forget about climate and environmental protection as well as social issues besides the Corona crisis," says also Angelika Sommer-Hemetsberger, Member of the Board of the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank (OeKB). "Green investments can be a significant driver for economic recovery and the transition to a sustainable and more resilient economic system."
Banks, customers and sustainability partners form a climate-friendly network
Andreas Tschas, founder and CEO of Glacier: “The networking of people who want to actively make a difference in companies holds an enormous opportunity for climate protection. Our approach is not about bans and restrictions, but about pointing out opportunities. We're about getting into action and guiding companies in their transformation to sustainability.” Glacier is a start-up that uses innovative products such as the Carbon Manager to make it easy for companies to actively reduce their own CO₂ footprint and to anchor climate protection in their corporate culture.
This is a view shared by Robert Zadrazil: “Sustainable management cannot be achieved overnight - and above all not 'by order from the top'. But with many small and large steps in the right direction - and by many players together.”
Financing climate-friendly projects
The entire UniCredit Group has set itself very ambitious targets: For example, renewable energy financing is to be increased by 25 percent and energy efficiency loans by up to 34 percent by 2023. UniCredit Bank Austria also enables its customers to actively participate in financing sustainable projects through the GoGreen account, which has been awarded the Austrian Eco-label: The bank commits to providing sustainable financing in the amount of the total deposits in the GoGreen accounts - both in the retail and non-consumer segments.
WWF Austria also supports UniCredit Bank Austria in setting sustainability targets for the loan portfolio. These targets are then anchored in the lending process." Collaborations like this are so important because climate change is not only a threat to our environment, but according to the World Economic Forum, it is also one of the greatest economic risks - after all, there is no doing business on a broken planet," says Erika Singer, Sustainable Finance Programme Manager at WWF Austria.
Important to all panellists is the common appeal to see the Corona crisis as an opportunity for economic change. Robert Zadrazil concludes: “After the Corona-related lockdowns, we now have a unique opportunity to join forces to transform the Austrian economy into a sustainable, climate-friendly system”.
Diversity & inclusion sustainably increase corporate success
Another focus of FinTech Week Vienna 2021 was the topic of diversity and inclusion. In a globalised world with increasing international mobility, fiercer competition for the best talents and a permanently rising pace of innovation, companies have to manage the complexity of their heterogeneous customer base and their diverse workforce in order to be able to do business successfully in the long term.
“Flexible working options are of great importance to us - be it in the form of part-time or remote working. This means more flexibility in supporting individual priorities ¬- for men, women as well as for people with disabilities,” says Tina Pogacic, COO on the Management Board of UniCredit Bank Austria. “Diversity and inclusion are therefore among the most important values in our Group. In doing so, we promote a culture of diversity and openness that enables all team members to perform at their best.”
For more information on FinTechWeek Vienna 2021, please visit fintechweek.at/events.
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Press Office
Volker Moser, tel.: +43 (0)5 0505-52854
Email: volker.moser@unicreditgroup.at