Several banks in Thailand had a good shot at this award, including local environmental, social and governance (ESG) champion Kasikornbank and global ESG leader HSBC. But this year, UOB Thailand wins the best bank for ESG award: it doesn’t just talk the talk but also walks the walk and has helped to propel Thailand’s ESG market to new levels.
Singaporean firm UOB has a solid presence in Thailand with 151 branches, 349 ATMs and a full commercial banking licence. It has used that presence to boost its ESG footprint.
The bank has four legs to its sustainability strategy: driving growth sustainably; putting customers front and centre; developing professionals; and upholding corporate responsibility. The UOB group has committed to becoming net-zero by 2050, and within Thailand, it has built its own approach to sustainability.
UOB Thailand – whose president, chief executive and acting wholesale banking head is Tan Choon Hin – has put together a comprehensive sustainable finance framework for its wholesale banking clients, covering industries such as real estate, green technology and waste management. That goes hand in hand with measurable sustainable financing targets for wholesale banking.
UOB