The prestigious "4th Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards (TSAA) 2024" ceremony took place on August 8, 2024, alongside "2024 SDG Asia". The Bank of Taiwan (BOT) participated in the award selection with three action plans: "Building sustainable future with resilient energy", "All-round Trust Services: the Disadvantaged’s Solution to an Easier Happier Life" and "Caring for Everyone, Realizing Dreams through Inclusive Financing". As a result, BOT was honored with 2 gold awards and 1 silver award. Senior Executive Vice President Shih-Yuan Tai accepted the awards on behalf of BOT.
BOT commit to promoting sustainability and fully supports the country's energy policies, nurturing the electricity industry, and strengthening energy resilience. BOT has made a commitment to cease financing for coal mining or coal-fired power plant projects. In addition, BOT is leading the industry with the "Guidelines for Preventing Greenwashing in Credit Business" and establishing a comprehensive ESG risk assessment management and enterprise engagement mechanism. Furthermore, BOT introduce net-zero transformation diagnostic services recently for small and medium-sized enterprises, helping businesses identify potential climate risks and financial impacts. At the same time, BOT offering various financial products such as green and renewable energy loans and sustainable performance-linked loans, aims to create a comprehensive net-zero transformation service for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
In addition, BOT is dedicated to achieving three main goals: "Protecting Disadvantaged Groups", "Providing Public Welfare Services", and "Meeting Customer Needs". Through our comprehensive trust planning services and in cooperation with government agencies and NGOs, we offer caring trust services to support disadvantaged groups and promote public welfare and social involvement. To promote knowledge about sustainable finance, we have not only enhanced traditional service channels but also launched a podcast called " BOT Talk Show". In this podcast, experts discuss trust and financial services for the elderly from various perspectives. By listening to this podcast, audiences can gain a better understanding of sustainable finance without being constrained by time and space.
BOT is committed to creating a fair financial environment, promoting inclusive finance, and providing immediate, efficient, and reassuring financial services for all social groups. Through programs such as Young Entrepreneurs Loans, Micro Start-up Loan, SME loans, BOT offers reliable financial solutions. Adhering to the principle of altruism, BOT has provided funds and friendly services to customers in difficult times. Additionally, BOT has created 5 inspiring micro movies based on heartwarming stories about inclusive finance in Taiwan, aiming to promote the values of “faith, hope, and love” and continue to provide caring support.
BOT gives equal consideration to social responsibility and sustainable development. The company actively responds to the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) with specific action plans. BOT received a gold award and a silver award in the "SDG1 No Poverty" category, and a gold award in the "SDG7 Affordable and Clean Energy" category. These awards demonstrate the recognition of BOT's efforts in implementing sustainable actions and leveraging its financial core functions. Looking into the future, BOT will continue to uphold the value of sustainable finance. It will integrate the concept of ESG into its business operations, promote low-carbon transition, and implement inclusive finance. This will help the company drive towards a vision of net-zero sustainability and social inclusion.