Home Credit and Finance Bank is a Russian commercial bank, one of the leaders in the consumer lending market. The Bank specializes in providing retail financial services and combines a customer-oriented approach with technology and innovation. The Bank is a member of the international Home Credit Group operating in 9 countries of the world. It is among the best banks in the world according to the American magazine Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/worlds-best-banks/#307e71a31295).

The Bank has traditionally worked in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, develops and implements socially oriented products.

In the early 2000s, Home Credit Bank was the first bank  in Russia to launch interest-free instalment plan in the 0-0-10 and 0-0-24 formats, which became the” the gold standard” of the retail market. Such a product allows the client to reduce the impact on the budget and increases the availability of goods for all social status category. At the end of 2020, interest-free instalment plan accounted for about 80% of the bank’s POS portfolio.

In 2017, Home Credit Bank was one of the first bank in the Russian market to issue its own installment card, now it is among the TOP 2 installment cards in Russia. In addition, in 2017, the first marketplace in Russia was launched with the goods of the bank’s partners, which can also be purchased in interest-free instalment plan.

The Bank is responsible for nature. In 2018, the debit card named «Zelenaya Pol’za» was issued. It is made of biodegradable plastic, does not contain an oil base, is non-toxic during burning and recycling. It can be recycled. It is credited with increased cashback in the “green(natural)” categories. This card is focused on the interests of people who lead a healthy lifestyle, and all those who care about the world around them and our planet.

The Home Credit Group in Russia includes the Forward company, with which you can subscribe to partner products. Out-of-date equipment is not thrown away. The client rents it by “subscription”, and it is resold immediately or undergoes a recovery procedure and goes back to the market.

The bank implements three business models that are closely related to the ESG philosophy:

  • Family Banking

Our goal is to contribute to the financial well-being of Russian families. The bank offers the full range of financial services and develops family consulting services. These services will help every family make the right choice, taking into account the financial well-being of each family.

All the bank’s services can be used online. The MAU of the mobile application “Хоум Кредит” is more than 80%, half of the sales of key products occur online. Home Credit and Finance Bank ranks 3rd in the rating of digital offices in Russia according to Markswebb (https://markswebb.ru/report/mobile-banking-rank-2020/#digital_office_iOS).

At the same time, the bank is expanding its branches network for financial consulting and improving the financial literacy of customers in the process of live communication with the bank’s employees.

  • Banking as a Service

The Bank develops financial services that are easily integrated into the client services of the largest Internet companies. For example, our basic product – installment payment-is integrated into several large Russian online marketplaces, as well as into the VK Pay service of the VKontakte social network. The concept of Banking as a Service increases the availability of goods and services for customers online, which increases the digitalization of the economy.

  • Consumer Finance factory.

Within the framework of this model, the Bank launches a line of credit products designed to manage the total credit debt of the client. For example, the product “refinancing” allows you to collect scattered customer debts in one amount, which simplifies debt servicing.

 

In each of the presented models, the bank strives to achieve the most open interaction with both partners and customers, as well as to further increase the social responsibility and environmental friendliness of its business.

“Home Credit and Finance Bank is a private market company. And it is very important for us that ethical principles are organically combined with the business result. We support the global trend of increasing the importance of ESG projects, we see an increase in interest in them both from business and from the state. Tipping point is important. A social phenomenon that is gaining scale gives a powerful impact on others. And if the vector is correct, and ESG is just such a case, then society becomes better” – comments Dmitry Peshnev-Podolsky, Chairman of the Management Board of Home Credit and Finance Bank.

Between 2016 and 2020, global assets that consider ESG principles have doubled, hitting USD 40 trillion. This trend is set to continue in the foreseeable future and has increasingly substantial consequences for our funding partners, regulators and business partners as well as for the way Companies are perceived by society.

While sustainable business has always been one of the core principles of the Bank´s operation, ESG principles provide a systematic framework through which the Bank assesses, addresses and demonstrates its orientation towards sustainable business in a more precise and holistic way.

The Bank intends to implement ESG Practices in order to mitigate risks and use opportunities connected to the Bank’s operation, and to deliver a long-term value to multiple stakeholders, including customers, Group Staff, shareholders, communities where Companies operate and the general public. ESG Practices also define steps taken to ensure that challenges and risks the future may bring are well-addressed. ESG Practices closely relate to corporate ethics, diversity and inclusion, environmental aspects, sustainable governance, risk management policies, digital transformation, data protection, cybersecurity and other factors.

Home Credit and Finance Bank expects that UNEP FI participation will bring the Bank additional benefits of being a part of the community sharing the same values and focusing on similar goals. The Bank believes that UNEP FI participation will make them stronger to implement and promote ESG practices in financial area of Russia.