Published: July 15, 2021
Europe’s banks were tested. The regulators were tested. In fact, just about everyone and everything in the financial sector was pushed to a new limit. Fortunately, the system has proved resilient and the sector looks to be managing through what continues to be a prolonged crisis with periods of gains and pullbacks brought on by the unfortunate persistence of the coronavirus and its steadily increasing variants.
The Europe Banking Awards 2020 winners deserve their accolades having not only quickly dealt with the dramatic workplace changes presented by the pandemic, but also because of their outward and forward-looking approaches to the adverse circumstances. The continuity in response across our winners can be found in their pre-pandemic, present and planned investments in digitalisation. They are not necessarily outliers in these investments, however, most of our winners have long demonstrated a genuine commitment to a digital transformation while year-after-year making the necessary financial and personnel investments that allowed them to adapt, to partner and to innovate.
Sustainability and green finance have also come to the fore. This year’s winners continue to lead with best practices and clearly stated, financial commitments to ESG principles and specific lending priorities and goals designed to match Europe’s heady ambitions for climate change. Finance has an outsized role, and perhaps responsibility as well, to exceed what has been agreed in the green revolution taking shape.
We commend all our 2020 winners for their commitment to their customers and communities in such a challenging year, and we feel privileged to learn more about the many initiatives that Europe’s financial institutions made often in tandem with the public sector working towards better and safer times.