• Donations this year amounted to €234,703, allocated to 23 organisations
  • With this initiative, Banco Sabadell and Banco Sabadell Asset Management - Amundi reaffirm their commitment to society and to the most vulnerable groups
  • Banco Sabadell and Sabadell Asset Management were pioneers when they created a responsible investment solution with social impact 18 years ago

16 October 2024

Banco Sabadell and Sabadell Asset Management – Amundi Group, through the Sabadell Inversión Ética y Solidaria Investment Fund, managed by Sabadell Asset Management, have awarded financial support totalling 234,703 euros to charitable projects selected in the 2023 call for applications, bringing the total amount awarded since 2006 to 3.3 million euros.

At the award ceremony, which took place at the auditorium of Banco Sabadell’s corporate centre in Madrid, the funds, derived from the assignment of a percentage of the management fees earned on the Sabadell Inversión Ética y Solidaria Investment Fund, were presented to the projects selected in 2023.

The funds for charitable causes were allocated to 23 projects managed by NGOs, religious orders and foundations. Since this initiative was launched, a total of 248 projects have benefitted.

The award ceremony was attended by the General Manager and Director of Business Banking, Branch Network and Private Banking, Carlos Ventura, who highlighted the rigour and management of the Fund’s Committee, whilst thanking the participants for their generosity. “Our commitment as a bank is to continue supporting this Fund and to help it grow”, he said. Ventura also highlighted “the shift in the corporate mindset, whereby in recent years, companies have come to understand that to make progress they must act ethically and with solidarity”.

Similarly, the CEO of Sabadell Asset Management, Alexandre Lefebvre, stated that this Fund is a “very important” project for the Amundi Group, and that “the fund manager’s mission is to generate a positive impact on society by promoting sustainable and profitable practices. The key is being able to mobilise private investment towards these projects”, he added. In this respect, he assured those present at the event that they would do “everything possible to continue delivering positive returns and to grow this fund in the future, so that it may have an even greater impact”.

Santiago Portas, Head of Religious Institutions and Third Sector at Banco Sabadell, who acted as the event’s presenter, highlighted “the excellent work carried out by the fund manager, not only in providing investors with returns, but also ensuring peace of mind and consistency with their values and principles”. “We congratulate all the organisations that have been awarded financial support and everyone who applied”, he said.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiary organisations, Marta Marañón Medina, Director General of the Recover Hospitales para África Foundation, addressed the auditorium, representing development cooperation projects. Marañón thanked the bank on behalf of all of the development organisations and emphasised the good news that the Fund is profitable. “The fact that it is profitable is very good news, as this can generate a positive impact and help thousands of people”, she explained. “I would also like to mention Amundi, which manages the fund, and Banco Sabadell, which focuses not only on environmental and economic aspects, but also on social ones”, Marañón noted.

Also in attendance were Cristina Gómez de Ramón, director of the “1 Kilo de ayuda” programme run by the Altius Spain Foundation, representing Social Action projects, and María Gil Miró, director of Institutional Relations, Fundraising and Communication at the Altius Foundation. After thanking the bank for the support provided, they said “it is a source of pride and a great responsibility to be able to act as a bridge between companies that want to help and people in need”. “We speak on behalf of all social organisations about the need to build bridges”, they added.

Banco Sabadell and Sabadell Asset Management were pioneers of their time when, in 2006, they created a responsible investment solution with a social impact through charitable works, whose investments are aligned with the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church. Consequently, a significant portion (increased this year) of the management fees generated by the Fund are allocated to charitable projects.

The beneficiary projects are selected by the Fund’s Ethics Committee, chaired by María Benjumea. Each year, this committee identifies and analyses the charitable projects – both domestic and international – that are eligible to receive financial support. The diversity of the selected projects is noteworthy, in terms of both the beneficiary groups and the type of intervention involved, as well as their geographical distribution and the type of institution that manages them.

Sabadell Asset Management’s experience complements Amundi’s strong commitment to responsible investment. Amundi has been managing this type of investment for over 30 years and is currently a leader in the field, having been one of the founding signatories of the Principles for Responsible Investment. Since its inception, Amundi has supported companies and investors with their commitment to creating a more sustainable society.