The Financial Times, in partnership with IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, launched the 2008 edition of the FT Sustainable Banking Awards.
 
Two new categories -- Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid, and Sustainable Investor of the Year -- have been added to the ground-breaking programme.
 
The Awards, now in their third year, were created by the FT and IFC to recognise banks that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance objectives into their operations.
 
Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO, commented:
"There are 4 billion people at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Most have no bank account, yet they represent a $5 trillion market. The Bottom of the Pyramid award will recognise innovative financial institutions that are making commercial microfinance, insurance, and other crucial services available to poor people and thus allowing them to create their own wealth."
 
The 2007 awards attracted 151 entries from 103 institutions in 51 countries, a substantial increase on the first year. ABN Amro won the Sustainable Bank of the Year award, while ABN Amro India was Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year. The Bankers of the Year award was won by Mexico's Banamex/Citi-Compartamos, Sustainable Deal of the Year went to Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, while Raiffeisen Zentralbank of Austria took the Achievement in Carbon Finance award.
 
The FT Sustainable Banking Awards will be presented at a special dinner in London on June 3, 2008. The event will be preceded by the 2008 FT/IFC Sustainable Banking Conference, which has become a major event on the international banking calendar following the success of the inaugural conference this year.

For more detail, please go to: http://www.ftconferences.com/sustainablebanking/Home08.asp