“Triodos is focused on sustainable banking, and always has been,” says CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, Peter Blom. “The Award emphasises the growing importance of sustainability in banking for wider society. Winning it provides welcome international recognition and encouragement for our pioneering role within the banking sector and our successful, transparent and sustainable banking model.” The award’s judges emphasised the importance of this award given the current financial and economic crisis. Peter Blom: “We want to help build a more sustainable financial system and think that our banking model will inspire profound changes in the mainstream financial industry.”

Nominees were selected from 165 institutions across 42 countries. Germany’s Deutsche Bank, Grupo Santander in Brazil, the Industrial Bank in China and Standard Chartered from the UK, were also shortlisted for the Sustainable Bank of the Year Award.

Triodos Bank is an independent bank that promotes sustainable and transparent banking. The Bank, which was founded in 1980, combines a focus on people and the planet, and a good financial return. Rather than see them as uncomfortable bedfellows, it’s convinced that they will reinforce each other in the long-term. Triodos Bank was involved from the 1980s in fiscal schemes to finance environmental, social, and cultural projects in The Netherlands. Triodos Bank launched the first green fund and culture fund in The Netherlands and is a global authority in microfinance in developing countries, and emerging economies in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Through its activities Triodos Bank wants to boost the market for sustainable banking. Triodos Bank now has 200,000 individual customers and invests in over 9,500 projects.

Triodos Bank works in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Germany. And through the management of four microfinance funds the bank lends to, and invests in, over 80 microfinance institutions in 38 countries.