Sustainability

SOCIALLY-ORIENTED & ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS

For more than 30 years, Bank Saint Petersburg has been proactively involved in the implementation of essential economic and social projects in its regions of presence, providing integrated services to systemically important municipal enterprises, and developing its mortgage lending business. The Bank’s project pipeline includes initiatives aimed at taking care of both old-timers and younger generation, preserving the historical heritage, and creating a comfortable urban environment.

In 2020, the City of St. Petersburg and Bank Saint Petersburg entered into a Cooperation and Liaison Agreement. Under this Agreement, the Bank intends to develop and implement community-focused projects in the city, including in the fields of family policies, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood support, and improvement of people’s lives. Other goals include the development and deployment of state-of-the-art banking technology for the benefit for the community, broad deployment of electronic payment mechanisms, development the banking infrastructure, and roll-out of projects promoting the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the city.

The Bank plans to improve and develop the corporate lending system, including for legal entities engaged in the design and construction of social infrastructure in St. Petersburg, and transfer such facilities into public ownership to the city.

In the context of the pandemic and the need for more effective diagnosis of illness among residents of St. Petersburg, the Bank has purchased an Aquilion Lightning (TSX-035A) CT system for the Municipal Hospital of Saint John of Kronstadt.

Bank Saint Petersburg has entered into a number of general agreements with a large European holding specialized in supply, installation, commissioning and subsequent maintenance of high-tech medical equipment.

In 2021, the Moscow branch of Bank Saint Petersburg became a partner with a leader on the Russian climate equipment market and a major importer in Europe and CIS countries. The company supplied a new ventilation equipment and central air conditioning systems to more than 85 newly built medical facilities as part of the implementation of the nationwide efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.  In total, over three hundred medical facilities and pharmaceutical companies in Russia received climate equipment last year.

The Bank’s online banking service has been recognized as the most accessible for people with impaired vision. The Arts, Science and Sports Charity Foundation in cooperation with the Everland inclusiveness project studied the accessibility of mobile and online services offered by different organizations as part of the Special Look program intended to support people with visual impairments. Among other things, the expert evaluation covered banking services. The online banking service offered by Bank Saint Petersburg was recognized as the most accessible for people with visual problems, scoring 5 out of 5 possible points.

Bank Saint Petersburg is fully aware of the importance of building a healthy social environment and will continue to be actively involved in the social life by implementing its traditional charity projects and encouraging employees’ volunteer initiatives.

CHARITY AND SPONSORSHIP

Bank Saint Petersburg continues to support the development of culture in its regions of presence. For instance, it has provided charitable assistance to 14 museums and theater in St. Petersburg to finance cultural and leisure activities. The funds were used to stage new performances and organize exhibitions. In addition, the Bank actively supported leisure and education institutions for children. 19 kindergartens and leisure centers were equipped with modern interactive equipment for children’s and teenagers’ development. The Bank supported the development of personalized awards for the best trainers of future stars of Russian sports at the Olympic Reserve School based in Pushkin. Further, in 2021, the Bank supported the tenth Opera for Everyone international festival in St. Petersburg. It is an open air festival of opera classics which was held online against the background of the most beautiful architectural ensembles of the Northern capital between July 28 and August 7, 2021. This is the tenth time that the Bank supports the festival and thanks to the sponsorship the festival is free for the public.

In addition, the Bank has been active in contributing to the development of financial literacy among its clients and in supporting financial security. As part of this activity, the Bank publishes posts on how to avoid fraudsters and prevent social media fishing and data theft on its social media accounts on a regular basis. More than 30 posts of this kind were made in 2021. Besides, the Bank holds workshops for its retail and corporate clients covering topics such as efficient management of financial aspects of business, economics and investment.

The Bank has also continued to implement its own long-term social programs. In 2021, it provided more support to the Center for the Promotion of Family Education No. 9 based in Kolpino. The program started in 2006 when the Bank became a member of the Center’s Board of Trustees. The Bank helps children to receive additional professional education and takes care of their medical treatment, recreation and career guidance. The Center uses the finance provided by the Bank to run hobby clubs, sports groups and the Alumni Club, organize guided tours and holiday trips, procure educational materials and games, and maintain its physical infrastructure.  Moreover, the Bank pays rewards to talented teachers of the Center on a regular basis.

The Bank has been providing support to the Help for Homeless Dogs charity foundation for as long as 16 years to help keep their 500 dogs and 100 cats. In 2021, the charity received aid from the Bank on a monthly basis.

The Bank’s Moscow branch took patronage of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy which is situated near the Moscow office of Bank Saint Petersburg at 34 Bolshaya Ordynka, Moscow.

The Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy was founded by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna Romanova in 1909. The Convent’s site is a monument of architecture and an example of Art Nouveau of the 20th century, featuring a church with unique architecture and paintings by Mikhail Nesterov and the House Museum of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.

Currently, the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy runs a number of social projects aimed to improve the quality of living of those most in need, such as disabled children, orphans, children left without parental care, sick, lonely and frail elderly, and other people facing challenging life circumstances.

As part of the patronage, the Moscow branch of the Bank supported an exhibition dedicated to the memory date of the founder of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna which was opened in November 2021.

In December 2021, staff members of our Moscow branch became real miracle workers for the children under the care of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent by taking part in the “Secret Santa Claus” charity campaign held by the Convent. For two weeks, they secretly fulfilled children’s wishes written on postcards and hung on the Christmas trees in the offices of the branch. By selecting a postcard and buying a present, one could become a secret Santa Claus for a child.

Through this campaign, gifts were given to more than 40 children from several social projects held by the Convent, including the Elizabethan Kindergarten, the Elizabethan Kindergarten for Children with Cerebral Palsy, the Family Placement Center (for families with many children, foster homes, and problem families), and the Help Seeker Intervention Group (assistance to the poor).

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES

In addition to its traditional charity events, since 2012, the Bank has supported its employees in their volunteer projects. During 2021, the Bank’s employees volunteered for a number of important charity projects, including:

• supervision of lessons and workshops as well as socialization, adaptation and career guidance classes at Family Education Support Center No. 9. This project has existed in the Bank since 2015. Within this project, the Bank’s employees visit the center, hold workshops, supervise excursions and visits to culture and sport events, and communicate with its children. Career guidance is an important part of the project: The Bank’s initiative to visit enterprises is actively supported by corporate customers. The project aims to assist socialization and prepare children for adult life. In 2021, the activities were carried out in the formats allowed by the City Government, in particular on a remote basis and in smaller groups;
• The Christmas Tree of Good Deeds campaign that is annually promoted by the Bank was held online again. In cooperation with our partner the Detki store, the Bank organized a gathering and delivery of presents for children in need, disabled children, and disadvantaged families via an online store. The Bank’s employees took part in the campaign. The Yarko bonus program participants had an opportunity to compensate 100% of the cost of their charity purchases from the Bank. The campaign has gathered New Year presents for children supported by three St. Petersburg-based charity organizations.
• In September 2021, the Bank held the BlagoDaryu Marathon 2021 online charity festival. During three weeks of the festival, the Bank’s employees covered a virtual distance from St. Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don. To achieve the goal, they had to fulfill various tasks, such as writing down good stories, posting messages from charitable organizations on their social accounts, drawing pictures about charity together with children, sewing eco-bags, and overcoming distances in sports.  In total, 1,800 virtual kilometers were covered. Through the festival, the Bank provided financial support to the inclusive workshops of the Nicholas the Wonderworker Charitable Foundation in Rostov-on-Don.

ACTIVITIES TO REDUCE ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Bank Saint Petersburg is subject to adverse environmental impact. To comply with the environmental laws, the Bank has put in place an Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP).

According to the program, the areas of operational monitoring are as follows:

• operational monitoring of pollutant emissions to the atmosphere; and
• operational monitoring of waste management.

For the purposes of operational monitoring of pollutant emissions to the atmosphere, the Bank has made an inventory of sources of air emissions. Activities to monitor compliance with the maximum allowable emission standards, in particular, by engaging specialized providers, are carried out at the Bank’s sites at least once every year.

PAPERLESS BANK

The Bank aims at digitalizing its operations to the greatest extent possible. This will, on the one hand, improve their efficiency, and, on the other hand, enable measures to reduce paper consumption.

The key activities in digitalization of the Bank’s operations included the following:

• Moving as much as possible of the document flow with clients to the online banking service;
• Implementation of the use of the enhanced qualified electronic signature for internal and external documents.

The successful implementation has led to a 35% reduction in paper consumption in two years (from 44.3 thousand packs of A4 paper in 2019 to 29 thousand packs in 2021).