About YES BANK

YES BANK, India’s fifth largest private sector Bank is a high quality, customer-centric, service-driven, private Indian bank, catering to the future businesses of India. Since its inception in 2004, the Bank has fructified into a ‘Full Service Commercial Bank’ that aims to provide a consistent and superior banking experience and catalyze higher inclusive growth for the nation. As one of the fastest growing and responsible banks in India, YES BANK strives to mainstream sustainability into its core operations to create stakeholder value through positive impact business solutions.

About YES BANK’s sustainability strategy

YES BANK, since its genesis has had a strong ‘sustainability mandate’, bolstered by ethos of Responsible Banking – a key differentiator and one of the five strategic pillars of the Bank along with Growth, Trust, Human Capital and Technology. Responsible banking is a core plank that cuts across all functions at the Bank and helps in meeting short term profitability expectations and nurture sustainable finance business verticals to deliver triple bottom line results in the long term.

YES BANK follows a comprehensive 3600 framework to embed sustainability into business strategies, approaches and financial targets. The Bank has institutionalized Environmental & Social Policy to guide its lending decisions, integrated with the credit risk policy. From facilitating responsible investments by financing positive impact sectors to innovating financial instruments, the Bank is playing an instrumental role in advancing the concept of ‘green finance’ in India. The Bank is committed to playing a larger role in India’s sustainable development by embedding wider economic, social and environmental objectives by contributing to green market movement through financial instruments, addressing regulation barriers and policy advocacy. To achieve this, the Bank works with myriad stakeholders including Government, civil society, corporates and multilateral organziations to further the climate agenda of India. The Bank’s strategic focus on ‘Sustainable Economy’ has manifested in robust business growth, strong brand recognition, employee pride and rising investor confidence and trust in the Bank.

YES BANK’s emphasis on sustainability is reflected in its multiple ‘industry-first’ achievements that have established legacy of institutional excellence over the last 14 years:

  • First Indian bank to issue India’s first green Infrastructure bonds
  • First Indian bank to be listed on all the three indices- Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI All Country World Index- ESG leaders and FTSE4Good Emerging Index
  • First Indian bank to receive the ISO 14001:2004 Certification for Environmental Management System (EMS) and first bank in the world to receive the ISO 14001:2015 Certification
  • First Indian banking signatory to UN Global Compact
  • First Indian banking signatory to UNEP Finance Initiative
  • First Indian signatory to the Natural Capital Declaration
  • First Indian bank to release a Sustainability Report on GRI standards
  • First Indian banking signatory to Carbon Disclosure Project

Link to Annual Report

Link to Sustainability Report

Information on their UNEP FI membership