Home Credit takes ESG to new heights in latest sustainability report

Prague | Hong Kong, 13 June 2023: Home Credit, today released its third group sustainability report, covering the year 2022. The report highlights the company’s progress in serving its customers and communities in a sustainable way, through the promotion of responsible finance and digital empowerment across its markets.

Over the past year, Home Credit has made headway on its ESG commitments with the delivery of several initiatives. The company ramped up efforts to promote financial literacy with in-person classes and workshops, digital and social media content and partnerships with leading financial influencers and national radio broadcasts.

In tandem, Home Credit also accelerated digitalisation and the progressive roll-out of its global mobile app, which offers customers and retailers a greater range of products and services.

As a result of these efforts, the percentage of new customers who used regulated financial services for the first time increased 19% to 42% in 2022, as compared to the year before. Many were women who have traditionally not been able to access such services in developing markets. A record 222.5 million people also benefitted from Home Credit’s financial literacy content in 2022.

Radek Pluhar, CEO of Home Credit, said, “I am pleased that the business has made further progress which will drive our ESG agenda to new heights. We embarked on several meaningful projects to foster social inclusion, build resilience and help people from disadvantaged backgrounds access new opportunities. With the support of our colleagues, we know that our ESG approach is having a beneficial impact on the communities that we serve.

“We also know that financial access needs to go hand in hand with financial knowledge. We have a huge responsibility to ensure that our customers understand how to use our products responsibly. In 2022, we supercharged our approach to customer education, working alongside subject matter experts to incorporate new trends and behavioural economics into our content.”

Annica Witschard, CEO of Home Credit Vietnam said, “one of our key missions is to open more opportunities for Vietnamese consumers to enter the formal, regulated economy for the first time.”

“I am proud that our business invests heavily in financial inclusion activities that are helping to unlock opportunities for the unbanked in this country. Sustainable business approaches are helpful for our long term growth as a business but also the personal and financial growth of our customers.”

Key highlights from the 2022 ESG report include:

* In 2022, 42% of customers were using regulated financial services for the first time, a 19% increase from 2021.

*From collaboration with influencers in Indonesia and national workshops in India to daily radio broadcasts in the Philippines and beyond, Home Credit invested significant resources to develop financial literacy activities, reaching a record 222.5 million people globally in 2022.

*A noticeable improvement in the financial inclusion of women in Home Credit markets, with women making up 36% of customers in 2022 as the company focused on outreach for female communities.

*The company supported more than 60 charitable initiatives globally, including volunteering at orphanages and schools, donating equipment to Kazakh emergency services and contributing to typhoon relief in the Philippines.

*Overall, Home Credit dedicated nearly US$900,000 to philanthropic activities in 2022.

Home Credit’s ESG Report was prepared with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The full report can be accessed at https://homecredit.net/sustainability/2022/