Bankia S A : reaches the ‘prime’ category of the international analyst ISS ESG for its environmental, social and corporate governance management

• Bankia obtains a rating above the sector average in key aspects such as the impact of sustainable financing and investment, responsible relationship with customers, responsible investment criteria, employment policies and working conditions and corporate ethics.
• ISS customers are mainly institutional investors and financial services companies that value the rating to incorporate or exclude companies from their investment portfolios.
• According to Bankia's Director of Responsible Management, David Menéndez, 'Bankia being selected as one of the leading sustainability companies by agencies such as ISS reflects the constant progress in responsible management that the entity is making and highlights the increasing importance of non-financial criteria for investors'.

Bankia has obtained the 'prime' rating granted by the international analysis firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) for its excellent management in environmental, social and corporate governance matters. The report issued highlights Bankia's policies on sustainability, its Code of Conduct and the initiatives carried out through the Responsible Management Plan.

Bankia obtains a rating above the sector average in key aspects such as the impact of sustainable financing and investment, responsible relationship with customers, responsible investment criteria, employment policies and working conditions and corporate ethics.

According to Bankia's Director of Responsible Management, David Menéndez, 'Bankia being selected as one of the leading sustainability companies by agencies such as ISS reflects the constant progress in responsible management that we are making in the entity and highlights the increasing importance of non-financial criteria for investors'.

Bankia being selected as one of the leading sustainability companies by agencies such as ISS reflects the constant progress in responsible management that we are making in the entity.

David Menéndez
Bankia's Director of Responsible Management

In addition, the entity chaired by José Ignacio Goirigolzarri receives a particularly positive rating (B , with A+ being the highest rating) in the application of environmental management policies that include, among other aspects, climate change strategy and green procurement. On the other hand, the policies implemented regarding eco-efficiency receive the best score among the companies analysed.

Regarding corporate governance, the international firm highlights the appointment of Eva Castillo as an independent coordinating director and the existence of the Responsible Management Committee as a body for the supervision and monitoring of the entity's social, environmental and good governance commitment. Likewise, ISS highlights aspects such as the independence of board members and their compensation policies.

ISS ESG is a worldwide leading rating agency in the field of sustainable and responsible investment that analyses the environmental and social performance of more than 8,000 companies. The rating granted is based on the analysis of more than 100 specific indicators for each sector. Valuation of these criteria is key for institutional investors and financial services companies that use these valuations to include or exclude companies from their investment portfolios.

Strong commitment to sustainability

Bankia is firmly committed to sustainability, as reflected through actions such as its adherence to the Commitment to Climate Action and the Principles for Responsible Banking of the United Nations through which financial institutions publicly assume the duty to align their activities with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, they undertake to extend their positive impacts, reducing the negative ones, to work with their clients in a responsible manner to foster sustainable practices, as well as to involve the pertinent stakeholders in achieving the objectives.

The entity's practices in sustainability have been recognised in national and international spheres. Thus, Bankia is among the most important indices, including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe, FTSE4Good Index, S&P Europe 350 ESG, Euronext Vigeo Index Europe 120, Ethibel Sustainability Index Excellence Europe and Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.