Alina Oprea • 12 April, 2023 at 4:03 PM
UniCredit published its sustainability report for 2022. The bank announced that one of the priorities for 2022 was the implementation of the local ESG strategy. In accordance with the group's strategy, it adopted objectives for both green financing and social financing and proposed to support its clients in the transition to a more sustainable and fairer economy. In December 2022, it concluded an issue of corporate bonds in lei worth RON 488.5 million, as part of the strategy to diversify the financing structure intended to contribute to increasing customers' access to loans, especially green mortgages, and loans addressed to the sectors of activity affected by the economic consequences of the geopolitical situation.
"We continued to finance businesses in the area of green energy, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, and the green loan with mortgage intended for individuals continued to be one of the requested products. Regarding the reduction of the carbon footprint, we started the implementation of the local strategy, in line with that of the UniCredit group, which joined the Net Zero Banking Alliance. Part of the ESG strategy is financial and entrepreneurial education programs for high school students with a technical profile," the bank announces.
In 2022, more than 5,000 students from 67 technological high schools and disadvantaged areas in Bucharest and 6 counties in the country benefited from the Start Major program. In total, more than 200 teachers were involved, including volunteers from the bank.
In the corporate area, the bank continued to support companies in the process of a gradual transition to the green economy and making changes with a positive impact on the environment. For example, together with four other Romanian banks, UniCredit participated in a syndicated loan for Green Group and, together with two other banks, in a syndicated loan for Greenvolt - Energias Renováveis SA. In the scope of Corporate Finance Advisory services, the UniCredit team in Romania together with the CFA team in Hungary advised the shareholders of Gedeon Richter Plc. in the sale of operations in Romania (Pharmafarm and Gedeon Richter Farmacia) to Mediplus Exim SRL. Another transaction of strategic importance in 2022 was the one in which the UniCredit team advised Dacia Plant shareholders on the sale of the majority stake to CERES Pharma.
Also, for UniCredit Leasing, digitization is one of the strategic pillars and remained the focus of attention in 2022 as well, the company also acting to reduce the effort of clients in providing information and documents necessary in the financing process by reviewing the flows and automatically taking over some categories of information from other public sources.
"Sustainability has become part of the business DNA, in this sense the company is adding to its portfolio financing for photovoltaic parks as well as other assets that support the production of green energy", the report also shows.
In 2022, UniCredit Leasing celebrated 20 years of existence.