SOCIETY
At Piraeus Bank, we invest in responsible strategies and programmes that support society, with the goal of making our impact positive and lasting, with benefits for everyone.
We support investments with a positive social impact and we create social responsibility programs and initiatives that promote sustainable development of economy and society.
Society & Environment
Piraeus Bank has developed and provides financing solutions to vulnerable social groups and groups with restricted access to financing, aiming at reducing social exclusion.
Microloan – EaSI
In cooperation with the European Investment Fund, Piraeus Bank participates in the EaSI financing tool and provides microloans (up to €25.000) to self-employed individuals, farmers, unemployed people and vulnerable social groups, by giving them access to loans on favourable terms while receiving only personal guarantees as collateral. Furthermore, it provides tailored training programmes as well as mentoring & coaching services to borrowers who wish to make use of them.
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Loans in cooperation with the European Investment Bank "ΕΙΒ Loan for Youth Employment" initiative
Piraeus Bank participates in the initiative aiming to finance new business investments, including investment plans of businesses actively supporting the employment of young people and the professional empowerment of women. More specifically, businesses supporting employment of young people (up to 29 years old) can obtain a further reduction of their lending rate.
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Society & Environment / Environment / Environmental Axes
Information and awareness initiative on food waste
Food loss is a global issue with humanitarian, financial and environmental dimensions. As part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the UN has agreed on the reduction of the food waste produced. In Greece there are initiatives for raising awareness of food waste, which are directed at both consumers and the operators in the agrifood chain.
Piraeus Bank seeks to promote the issue of food waste and to raise awareness among producers through the special issue of the EPI GIS magazine, in which articles and studies by researchers and experts describe the extent of the problem and the efforts being made to deal with it. Food losses are related to all stages of the supply chain: primary production, storage, transport, standardisation, retail and the consumer.
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Information and awareness initiative on proper water management in the agricultural sector
Access to clean water for all is one of the greatest challenges and a goal of the United Nations for sustainable development in the future. The role of agriculture in water management is a multidimensional issue and has to be approached holistically. Agriculture is considered to be the largest “consumer” of water, since approximately 70% of water reserves is used for irrigation.
Responsible and sustainable water management is and will remain a key challenge for the future. Everybody’s goal should be to ensure that the relevant needs are covered with the “tools” available, without endangering future generations and their ability to meet their own needs.
In the special issue of the EPI GIS magazine, Piraeus Bank seeks to draw attention to all current issues related to water management in Greece’s Agriculture. In this issue, experts, academics, researchers and specialists on the various aspects of the subject present their views and share their knowledge.
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Information and awareness initiative on rational use of plant protection products
Rational use of plant protection products is important for the health of producers and consumers, and for the environment as well and can be valuable tool in the hands of producers for the production of high-quality products.
With the strategic goal of supporting the agrifood sector, Piraeus Bank also emphasises the rational use of plant protection products. For this reason, Piraeus Bank created a useful guide on sustainable and safe use of plant protection products in the form of a DVD, under the scientific supervision of the American Farm School, aiming to protect the farmer that uses them, the environment and the end consumer. This guide is a tool for facilitating comprehension of the guidelines for implementation of rational use of plant protection products and is not intended just for farmers, but for concerned consumers as well, and it can be watched on Piraeus Bank’s website.
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‘Shop in the Neighbourhood’ programme in support of small enterprises
Sensitive to the needs of the country’s small enterprises, especially under the current conditions, and wanting to support all small-business owners who are having daily difficulties keeping their business alive and healthy, Piraeus Bank decided to create the small-enterprises support programme 'Shop in the Neighbourhood'.
The programme is designed to promote small enterprises and calls on people to return to the neighbourhood and shop at local stores, creating a dynamic community of consumers and businesses, with the aim of supporting local communities and markets. Our goal, through support and constant strengthening of the community, is to create a consumer trend that will consistently strengthen local entrepreneurship and society.
“Project Future” young generation support programme
In October 2018, seeing the problems young university graduates were facing, and with the aim of bridging the gap between tertiary education and the job market, in support of Greece’s economy and society, Piraeus Bank created the Project Future corporate responsibility program, in partnership with ReGeneration, the largest training and paid-employment programme for young university graduates in Greece. Young graduates up to 29 years of age, with no experience or up to three years’ experience, who have participated in extracurricular activities can now pursue the job they deserve, in Greece, by participating in the Project Future initiative.
Those who successfully complete the assessment stage of Project Future begin their training in key sectors of the market, including Digital Marketing, Data Science, Supply Chain Management, Java, .NET, Project Management, Business Intelligence, Front-end Development, Android Mobile Apps Development, Sales and Customer Experience, all of which have a strong presence in the current job market.
When their training is complete, participants’ CVs are posted on the ReGeneration platform, where they remain available for a year to over 600 collaborating companies, with the aim of participants’ being absorbed into jobs with a minimum six-month contract and minimum gross salary of €750. So far, Project Future has completed 4 cycles, training a total of 691 people, 363 of whom have already embarked on the first stage in their careers, and the hiring process is still ongoing.
Program of Anniversary Actions in celebration of the bicentennial of the Revolution of 1821
Respecting its institutional role and its Social Responsibility, Piraeus Bank is supporting the national landmark of the bicentennial of the ‘national rebirth’ of 1821, when the Greeks rose up against the Ottoman Empire to regain their independence, leading to the founding of the modern Greek state. In this context, Piraeus Bank has planned a programme of actions that includes scientific research, culture, arts and letters. Piraeus Bank’s Anniversary Actions, in partnership with distinguished organizations and scientists and great artists, are linked to Greece’s rebirth and course towards the future, bearing in mind the country’s history and taking its cultural heritage as a point of departure.
Provision of banking services for Persons with Disabilities
Capitalizing on the potential of technology, and in the context of its commitment to providing easy access to banking services for everyone, Piraeus Bank has created innovative autonomy and accessibility services at its e-branches for persons with vision, hearing and mobility problems, so that they can carry out their transactions with ease.
Promotion of the country’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Through its cultural foundation, the Bank catalogues, displays and promotes the country’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage (network of museums, research programmes, publications, historical archives), helping to preserve its history and increasing access to quality cultural goods throughout Greece.
The Bank supports the preservation and promotion of culture through the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation and its 9 thematic technological museums, which are located at selected points throughout Greece, thus having a direct and indirect catalytic effect on local communities and contributing to employment and increased tourism activities.
Sponsorships
Piraeus Bank’s goal is to operate responsibly towards individuals and society, supporting sustainable development.
With the aim of aligning its business goals with social progress and solidarity, as one of the Corporate Responsibility principles that govern its actions, the Bank supports the Hellenic Society for Protection and Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (ELEPAP), in its work for children with disabilities who are striving for a better tomorrow.
The Bank also supports the activities of SOS Children’s Villages, which host children who have lost their parents or cannot remain in their family environment.
Actions in response to Covid-19
Donation of Medical Equipment and Support of the National Health System in the amount of €420,000 through the Pay & Save service for Responding to Covid-19
In the extremely difficult circumstances being experienced in our country and our society, Piraeus Bank believes it has a duty to participate in the national effort to respond to the crisis and protect citizens from the Covid-19 virus.
In this context, it supports the efforts of relevant organizations and the people of the National Health System, donating vital medical equipment (20 ventilators) requested by the Ministry of Health, with the aim of providing direct and effective support for the response to the pandemic.
Additionally, through the Pay & Save program it offers its customers, it bolstered the National Health System with the sum of €420,000. In the context of the actions it is carrying out in the battle against Covid-19, Piraeus Bank encourages its customers to participate in the collective response to the pandemic, providing the Ministry of Health with a sum equal to that deposited by late April through the Pay & Save programme.
From the very outset, Piraeus Bank has supported state organizations and the people of the National Health System, providing vital medical supplies and setting as a top priority the health and protection of its clients and employees, operating responsibly and in full compliance with the instructions of the state.
At the same time, the Bank is supporting its clients – individuals and businesses – who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, providing active assistance to jump-start the economy.
