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• These projects are related to housing, education, health, social and economic inclusion and the financing of SMEs, as well as climate change and environmental management
• The company Sustainalytics, which is responsible for rating the sustainability of listed companies, has certified the criteria for considering the Bankia loan as responsible financing

Bankia and the Comunidad de Madrid have formalised a sustainable loan of 97 million euros to finance social and environmental projects in the region.

The operation is structured around a sustainable loan, which will be valid for ten years, and which forms part of Bankia’s policy of investing in socially responsible investment (SRI), which is establishing a new relationship between finance and sustainability.

Through the Regional Ministry of Economy, Employment and Finance, the Community of Madrid will allocate the proceeds from the bank’s loan to finance environmental and social programmes, as well as the provision of services to these areas.

These include those related to support for the Madrid Public Health Service system, affordable housing, education, social and economic inclusion and financing for small and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, actions related to environmental management are contemplated as are those which minimise climate impact.

“For Bankia, responsible management is synonymous of sustainability and competitiveness. It is a way of working with a view to the future and defining products and services that generate value in the environment”, explains Bankia’s Corporate Social Responsibility Director, David Menéndez.

Sustainalytics, a company that certifies the sustainability of listed companies on the basis of their environmental, social and corporate governance performance, has been responsible for certifying the sustainability criteria for considering the loan as responsible financing.

• The social programmes supported by the bank have benefited more than 4,200 associations and 2.4 million people since 2013
• In 2018, the bank dedicated 21 million euros, 7% more than the previous year, to the initiatives developed by 815 NGOs throughout Spain
• The bank focuses its activity within the framework of six main lines of social action: local development, employment, disability, housing, the environment and training
• Bankia’s Deputy General Director of Communication and External Relations, Amalia Blanco, highlighted “Bankia’s attitude of active listening to society” and “Bankia’s employees’ commitment to the environment”

Bankia has allocated more than 100 million euros to social and environmental projects in the last six years, developed by a total of 4,211 associations, whose programmes have benefited 2.4 million people.

In 2018, the bank dedicated 21 million euros, 7% more than the previous year, to promoting social initiatives within its six main lines of action: local development, employment, disability, housing, the environment and training.

In its commitment to society and especially to the most vulnerable groups, last year Bankia supported the projects of 815 associations and social organisations throughout Spain that benefited more than 600,000 people, 6,325 through employment programmes.

The Deputy General Director of Communication and External Relations of Bankia, Amalia Blanco, underlined “the financial institution’s attitude of actively listening to society”. “We listen, understand and act in a responsible manner to make progress in improving our environment, creating social value through Corporate Social Responsibility”, she highlighted in order to emphasise “the commitment of Bankia’s professionals”.

Among the main novelties for 2018 are the expansion of collaboration with the three original BMN foundations after the merger; the creation of a specific line of environmental support; the increase in support for local development actions; the increase in the cost of maintaining and adapting social housing, as well as the successful completion of the first Dualiza call for proposals launched by the Bankia Foundation for Dual Training.

Local development

Within its lines of social action, Bankia has given great importance, due to its origins, to local development as it is an entity that is “close to the ground”. The Director of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Bankia, David Menéndez, remarked on “Bankia’s great commitment to society and to projects closely relation to society. We want to reach the most vulnerable groups and that is why our projects are layered”.

On the one hand, Bankia collaborates with foundations that originate in these regions. After the merger with BMN last year, the bank extended the number of foundations it personally manages to 11, to which it allocated 4.28 million euros. Bankia thus incorporated CajaGranada Fundación, Fundación Cajamurcia and Fundación Sa Nostra into the foundations with which it already collaborates: Fundación Montemadrid, Fundación Bancaja, Fundación Caja Castellón, Fundación Ávila, Fundación Caja Segovia, Fundación Caja Rioja, Fundación La Caja de Canarias and Fundación Iluro.

In 2018, through the social calls launched jointly, Bankia supported 377 social projects that benefited more than 230,000 people in regions of “great relevance” to the bank, such as the Comunidad de Madrid, Comunidad Valenciana, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Islas Canarias, La Rioja, Cataluña, Andalucía, Murcia and Islas Baleares.

On the other hand, and within the framework of the Bank's professionals' commitment to social entities, Bankia is promoting the internal 'Red Solidaria' programme, to which it allocated 1.9 million euros last year. Through this initiative, and based on achieving the commercial objectives of the branch network, the bank provides employees the possibility to choose the specific projects to which they provide financial support.

“Red Solidaria is one of our flagships. Through this programme, the pride of belonging to the entity becomes more evident, as the professionals support those groups that they themselves have selected”, said Menéndez.

Employment

Bankia has a social action line aimed at fostering employment for people over 45 years of age, women victims of gender violence and unemployed bank customers with special needs.

During 2018, the bank promoted 69 projects in this area, directly benefiting 6,325 people. Through collaboration with entities such as the Red Cross and Cáritas, Bankia is working on the requalification of people in vulnerable situations and over the age of 45 and has allowed the hiring of job placement companies that employ people with special needs.

Moreover, in support of the employment of young people with musical talent, last year the bank launched the Bankia Symphonic Orchestra, created in 2015, which includes among its fundamental objectives the continuous training and job placement of those instrumentalists who have completed their official training period.

Disability

Supporting people with disabilities and working towards their incorporation into the job world is another of the fundamental pillars of Bankia’s social action.

During 2018, a total of 39 NGOs spread across Spain received the bank’s support in the amount of 1.4 million euros, which improved the job prospects of more than 20,800 people with sensory, physical or intellectual disabilities.

Housing

Bankia’s fifth line of action is social housing. The entity voluntarily adhered to the Code of Good Practices in March 2012 and among the programmes launched last year, the most notable are those of seeking social rental properties for families in financial difficulties, programmes which support and help in job searches.

Bankia has 3,194 residential properties for social rent through the Social Housing Fund and the agreements signed with the Comunidad de Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Islas Canarias, Comunidad Valenciana and La Rioja.

Environment

Bankia is also committed to sustainability in its business model and is working towards growth with full respect for the environment, incorporating environmental management into the decision-making process of the institution.

The bank launched the 2017-2020 Eco-efficiency and Climate Change Plan and, in 2018, allocated 6.3 million euros for environmental investment and has supported, with half a million euros, the development of environmental projects in collaboration with WWF and through agreements with the original foundations.

Training with Dualiza Bankia

Likewise, the bank is committed to the dual vocational training education model to deal with improving youth unemployment figures. Over the last three years, this support for Dual Training has resulted in different initiatives, projects and agreements with different regional administrations.

In 2018, the Bankia Foundation for Dual Training, through its Dualiza Bankia brand, has developed projects that have benefited more than 4,000 students by adapting their profiles to the requirements of companies.

“At Dualiza Bankia we are convinced that education is the best instrument for greater social cohesion. We are committed to vocational training and its dual modality, as it allows student profiles to adapt to the needs of companies, making them more competitive and, ultimately, our economy. In 2018 alone, we worked with 241 companies and 106 educational centres”, said Dualiza Bankia Project Manager, Juan Carlos Lauder.

Through the Dualiza Call for Aid, promoted together with FPempresa, 36 projects have been developed in the first edition and 44 in the second, which are currently being implemented in 15 autonomous regions.

• Students will incorporate marketing content and customs management
• They will carry out their apprenticeships at a dozen companies in the area

14 students of the IES Federico García Lorca in Albacete and IES Las Pedroñeras in Cuenca have started complementary training in foreign trade, Comex, facilitated by Dualiza Bankia, the brand through which the Bankia Foundation for Dual Training channels all its activity for promoting vocational training.

Students come from the Higher Level Degree in International Trade. They will receive the usual content of a Comex (economic and financial management of international trade; risks of foreign trade operations and hedging alternatives existing in the market; way of proposing international expansion...) supplemented by training on marketing or customs management. This additional content had been requested by the schools themselves so that the students’ profile may be better adapted to what companies in the area demanding.

Once they have completed the training, in May they will start their apprenticeships at a dozen companies in the area, most of them involved in the agri-food sector.

This is the second complementary training course for students from different provinces, provided by Dualiza Bankia in Castilla-La Mancha after the digital skills course initiated a week ago for students in Albacete and Ciudad Real.

Dualiza Bankia, Bankia’s dual training initiative

Dualiza Bankia is the brand through which the Bankia Foundation for Dual Training carries out all of its promotion and prestige activities regarding vocational training and dual vocational training, keeping in mind that it improves the employability of students and the competitiveness of companies. And it represents the commitment acquired by Bankia to the promotion of education as a way to improve society, combat inequality and promote greater social cohesion.

• The initiative, in collaboration with Bankia, will allow social entities in Granada to use different facilities of the CajaGranada Fundación throughout the year.
• The collaboration between the two entities makes it possible to extend the concept of aid to NGOs and local associations

A total of 15 associations operating in Granada will benefit from the ‘We help those who help. Lending Spaces’ programme and may access some of the most relevant spaces of the Memoria de Andalucía Culture Centre to use them throughout the year for their activities, events and presentations of programmes whose purpose is of a cultural, social or welfare nature.

Bankia and CajaGranada Fundación have completed a pioneering initiative that complements the charitable programme ‘We help those who help’, aimed at supporting non-profit organisations in the provinces of Granada, Jaén, Almería and Málaga.

The spaces are lent for non-profit purposes and Fundación CajaGranada and Bankia will bear the cost of opening the spaces and the necessary personnel, having previously reached agreements on this aspect.

The objective of this call is to provide a space of reference, audiovisual media and logistical support for NGOs and non-profit organisations that, at certain times, need to have access to facilities such as those of CajaGranada Fundación to organise certain activities and hold unique events or provide presentations of their programmes and projects.

The organisations selected in the 2019 call are the following:

• Borderline Granada
• Asociación Cultural de Ciegos de Andalucía
• Asociación Conecta
• Asociación Help Me Please
• Asociación Síndrome de Down
• ONG Prokarde
• Asoc. Arte Diverso y Visible
• Parroquia Ntra. Sra. de los Dolores
• Agrupación de mujeres sordas de Granada
• Agrupación de personas sordas de Granada (ASOGRA)
• Asociación Síndrome 22q Andalucía
• Fundación Banco de Alimentos de Granada
• Federación de Asociaciones de familiares de enfermos de alzheimer y otras demencias de Granada (FEGRAFA)
• Asprodes Granada
• Proyectos Solidarios para África

Twelve of them will carry out different activities at the CajaGranada Theatre and the other three will use the spaces of the Memoria de Andalucía Culture Centre dedicated to workshops and temporary exhibition halls.

Bankia and CajaGranada Fundación are proud to continue to strengthen their collaboration with the welfare and social fabric of Granada, which is doing so much to alleviate situations of inequality and exclusion in our society.