It is a top priority concern for Erste Bank Hungary Nyrt. and also part of its strategy to reach its customers in ways other than its wide range of high-standard services, actively taking part in issues concerning the society and supporting communities as well as promoting interesting and valuable initiatives that it deems remarkable and fitting to its strategy.
Erste to enhance financial literacy of youth – Listen to our advice regarding finances
One of the most
important lessons delivered by the financial crisis that has lasted since
autumn 2008 is the realisation that the population of the country is quite
uneducated in finances and not really cognizant in the terms of the trade in
the banking sector. For the sake of prevention, enhancement of financial
culture is urged globally; a number of programs and initiatives have been
launched in various members states of the European Union, including Hungary, to
disperse financial literacy in as wide a scope as possible.
Being one of the largest
retail financial service providers in Hungary, Erste Bank Hungary Nyrt. feels obliged to
pioneer in distributing financial education by setting the example as a ‘caring
bank’. Committed to contribute to this objective by using own resources, the
bank has launched its nationwide education program.
Since autumn 2009 the
bank has been trying to enhance financial prowess and education of youth by
employing unorthodox methods. Specialists of the bank hold interactive
presentations in schools about basic financial knowledge designed especially
for the demographics between 10 and 18 years of age, including topics like
savings and loans, how to use bankcards, how to apply for a student loan, and
what is pension pre-savings. At these headmaster’s classes our specialists also
discuss with the kids what they should consider when making a financial
decision.
Primary and secondary schools intending to participate in this program
are welcome!
Charity
The charity activity of
Erste Bank is primarily focused to help youth, to aid our disadvantaged fellow
human beings and improve their living standards, to retain healthy lifestyle,
and to prevent diseases. It is important to underline that, in addition to
financial donations, the bank often gives donations in kind or the expertise
and social work of our colleagues to help the needy.
Major charity projects:
SOS Gyermekfalu [SOS Children’s
Village]
The bank has for years
sponsored the foundation operating children’s villages in Hungary. In addition to financial
donations, we also give various items (furniture, computers) or sponsor
vacation at Hungary’s Lake Balaton to let the children raised in the villages
have everything they need. In our Christmas drawing contest, Erste Bank’s
Christmas postcard is selected from the drawings made by little kids living in
the children’s village, and their remaining works of art are purchased by the
employees of the bank. The sums collected this way are spent to make one
Christmas wish of each children who participated in the drawing contest come
true. As it has been reported widely, the National Bank of Hungary has
withdrawn one- and two-forint coins from circulation effective from 1 March
2008. Erste Bank called out to its customers to donate their redundant coins in
collection boxes in the bank’s branches. Eventually one million forints were
collected in this campaign to support SOS Children’s Villages in Hungary. Also,
the bank offered HUF 100 after each purchase made with co-branded credit card
Sláger Hitelkártya [Hits Credit Card], issued as a collaboration between Erste
Bank and Sláger Radio [Radio Hits], to help Children’s Villages. As a result of
the project, HUF 1,064,400 were accumulated by the bank and then spent by the
foundation operating the villages mostly on musical instruments, learning toys,
and consumer electronics.
www.sos.hu
Magyar Vöröskereszt [Hungarian
Red Cross]
Financial donation from
Erste Bank made it possible for the charity organisation to purchase the first
mobile blood donation unit in Hungary, a truck that ensures easy access for all
who intend to donate blood across the country. In 2008, in a total of 83
occasions 6,000 people gave blood, saving the lives of 18,000.Several times a
year the truck is available to Erste employees working in the headquarters of
the bank, helping to ensure an uninterrupted blood supply.
www.voroskereszt.hu
Máltai Szeretetszolgálat
[Maltese Charity Service]
In 2009, the bank spent
the amount intended for Christmas presents on charity instead. With prevention
in mind, the program “Játszva megelőzni” [“Play & Prevent”] of Magyar
Máltai Szeretetszolgálat [Hungarian Maltese Charity Service] aims to ensure the
chance for quality time in play and free time for the children of disadvantaged
families living in housing estates. The charity service operates seven
playgrounds in Budapest, and a total of six in
rural towns (Miskolc, Szeged,
Esztergom, Tatabánya, Pápa, Debrecen), all near
housing estates. The bank has decided to “adopt” the Play & Prevent playgrounds
in Esztergom and Szeged for 2010, making financial
contribution to their operation. Also, our donation will be used for buying new
playground equipment for both sites.
Magyar Posta [Hungarian Post] –
truck for screening cervical cancern
Initiated by our
strategic partner Magyar Posta, the truck treks the country to offer free
cervical cancer screening to ladies living in small communities. The bank
contributes to the annual operating costs of the truck. The mobile screening
station went to 98 locations in 2008 where a total of 2,000 women used this
opportunity.
Egészséges Településekért
Alapítvány [Foundation for Healthy Communities]
The main objective of the organisation is to promote health awareness and to support efforts that enhance the health consciousness of communities of various sizes. Erste Bank was one of the sponsors in projects designed to promote healthy food and a related cook book that showed healthy Hungarian dishes. A joint application with the foundation was launched in the autumn of 2009 named “Hónap zöld programja” [“Green Project of the Month”], which encourages institutions from different regions each month to file their applications aimed at establishing environment-conscious education. The bank supports three bids each month.
www.egeszsegterv.hu
Nemzetközi Gyermekmentő
Szolgálat [International Children’s Safety Service]
The service works to
ensure the health of thousands of children each year and help them. The bank
has provided support in operation and funding for years. In 2008, the computer
room of the Pécs office of ICSS was enlarged with the help of the bank.
www.gyermekmento.hu
Sláger Angyal book
donation campaign
Organised by Erste Bank
and Sláger Rádió’s [Radio Hit] Sláger Angyal [Hit Angel] jointly, the charity
book collection initiative lasting more than a month ended successfully in the
summer of 2009. As a result of the campaign, charitable people across the
country donated more than 6,000 books and deposited them in Erste branches.
The primary objective of
the nationwide campaign was to promote cultural education in order for needy
residents of children’s homes to be given a chance for broadening their
knowledge. Donation is not always a matter of money, as proven by that
campaign, since even used books can make others happy.
Erste
Bank Hungary
is delighted to have experienced such a success in the campaign managed jointly
with Sláger Rádió and being able to contribute to help kids living in
children’s homes, broaden their horizon and support their education.
Other charity
projects:
Regarding the awareness to
the importance of prevention and treatment of illnesses as an important
mission, Erste Bank has joined numerous campaigns. Since two-thirds of the
bank’s employees are female, the breast cancer awareness campaign is of utmost
importance to us. Consequently, within the program “Összefogás az egészségért,
a mellrák ellen!” [“Unite for health and against breast cancer”] our employees
attend an information course and also participate in our traditional Bridge
Walk in the autumn. The bank also supports the work of “Fuss a rákkutatásért
Alapítvány” [“Run for Cancer Research Foundation”] by our co-workers
participating in the Terry Fox Run in the autumn, contributing to the efforts
of the foundation. The bank also provided support for kids to attend children’s
matinees at Művészetek Palotája [Palace
of Arts], organised by Mosoly
Alapítvány [Smile Foundation].
Erste Bank for disadvantaged customers
Erste Bank directs
special attention to high-standard servicing of disadvantaged customers, including
efforts to facilitate for disabled and deaf-mute customers to manage their
banking matters as conveniently as possible.
Disabled customers
Erste
Bank Hungary Nyrt. continues to free retail branches of accessibility obstacles
in order to facilitate for customers living with disabilities and confined to
wheelchairs to manage their banking matters as conveniently as possible.As a result of the
program that started five years ago, the bank has modified 115 out of its
204-unit branch network in Hungary
to date to make them disabled-friendly by ensuring full access to the entrances
and creating larger spaces inside the branches for easier manoeuvring in the
customer area. According to plans, 10 more branches will be remodelled in 2010
and newly built units will also be designed to make them easily accessible for
those in wheelchairs.
Deaf-mute and hearing-impaired customers
Erste Bank Hungary
Nyrt. started teaching banking advisors the sign language of the deaf-mute in
the fall of 2009 in collaboration with SINOSZ [National Association for the
Deaf and Hearing Impaired]. In the first stage of the program, volunteering
banking advisors in 11 branches have taken the exam in sign language. It is a
long-term objective for the financial institution to have branches in each
county seat where deaf-mute customers are assisted by advisors that understand
sign language.
Courses in sign language
have definitely generated positive experience, therefore we are planning to
extend the courses to branch staff in county seats that feel the calling to
become part of a team with the aim of servicing deaf-mute customers at a high
standard and without a sign interpreter in every part of the country.
Additionally, members of SINOSZ may open bank accounts with discount fees in
Erste branches.
Deaf-mute customers are
expected by advisors with proficiency in sign language at the following
branches:
Budapest: 74 Bajcsy-Zsilinszky,
30 Váci Road, Kálvin Square, 43-47 Bartók Béla Road, Campona, Váci Road branch
in Újpest.
Rural towns: Baja, Gyál,
Salgótarján, Székesfehérvár (4 Palota
Road), Tatabánya.
Miscellaneous sponsorships
Cultural sponsorships
In 2008, Erste Bank became
a strategic sponsor of Művészetek Palotája [Palace
of Arts], a centre for arts recognised
and acclaimed both in Hungary
and internationally. This partnership carries particular significance for the
bank, because the greatest representatives of various art scenes perform here,
meeting all cultural demands. Organised by and shown in Művészetek Palotája,
the broadcasts “The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD” are also sponsored by the
bank. It is a special honour for us that the bank in 2009 became the main
sponsor of “The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD” broadcasts not only in Budapest
but also in Szeged’s Belvárosi Filmszínház [Downtown Movie], bringing quality
culture closer to aficionados in rural areas as well.
www.mupa.hu
www.belvarosimozi.hu
One of the keystones of Erste
Bank’ sponsorship strategy is the promotion of culture. We deem it important to
favour quality culture that carries and transmits values.Erste Group launched
the art collection ’KONTAKT’ in 2004, which focuses on the Central and
South-east European region as well as on contemporary art in addition to
conceptual art from the 1960s and 70s. These works of art, reflecting on the
neo-avant-garde era, formerly classified as “banned”, are not demonstrated well
enough in the policies of the public collections of the region, therefore this
project is seen as a lifeline. In May 2008, part of the collection was put on
display in Kortárs Képzőművészeti Intézet [Institute
of Contemporary Art] in Dunaújváros, Hungary, earning a well-deserved
success.
www.kontakt.erstebankgroup.net
Established to support Hungarian contemporary art
projects, art program Tranzit is a unique initiative with the aim of providing
a flexible, easily operated system of cultural sponsorship that is able to
readily respond to local situations, working outside the established local
system of cultural institutions. Operated by individual management in the
capitals of the region—Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest—Tranzit offices
create their programs in line with the needs and demands of the local art
scene. The essence of the program declares that innovative thinking that
furthers contemporary art should be sponsored, a unique concept in the current
range of sponsorship options.
www.tranzit.org
www.tranzit.blog.hu
Erste Bank has been one of the mains sponsors of Magyar Filmszemle
[Hungarian Film Festival], the largest ensemble of contemporary movies for
years. Also, numerous movies have been produced with financial and professional
help provided by the bank. In addition to cultural events with national
significance, sponsoring regional happenings (performances in rural theatres,
village days, local festivals, and concerts) is also important for the bank.
www.magyarfilmszemle.hu
Sponsorship in sports
The bank aims to contribute to sports by sponsoring international and national sport events, and also by sponsoring several highly popular teams, such as the men’s handball team of Békés. And in 2008, Erste Private Banking became the main sponsor of the dragon fleet, one of the most dynamically developing class of Hungarian sailing.
Support for education
The bank attributes great significance to aid and develop economic education that ensures a steady flow of future experts, and also to expand the literacy of youth regarding economy, enterprises, finances, and the importance of savings. To this end, the bank has granted nearly HUF 100 million to a total of 96 secondary schools and 26 colleges as vocational training contribution in order to improve the conditions of field training. In addition, the bank has supported various conferences and student contests at numerous universities an colleges of the country. Apart from financial aid, educational institutions are given considerable professional help by the bank’s experts, and some of the discarded computers and furniture of the bank have also been offered to these institutions.
Erste Bank for talents
The bank joined the Junior Prima Award as
co-founder in 2008, awarding young, talented, committed, professionally
excelling, non-partisan journalists under 30 years of age in the category ’Hungarian
Press’, who could contribute to the ideal of providing readers with more
professional and objective information.
http://www.primaprimissima.hu/index.asp?id=22
Awarded talents 2008
Awarded talents 2009
We have sponsored professional contests at several
universities in Hungary, helping the training of financial experts. The bank
has been a regular presence as a sponsor at local financial contests organised
for secondary school students, providing financial aid and professional
support.
Environment protection
Completed in the summer of 2006, Erste Bank’s headquarters (EuropeTower) was constructed with heat insulation required by the construction standards of the time, equipped with modern automated heating and cooling technologies and facility monitoring system. There is great emphasis on enhancing energy efficiency both in the new headquarters and the branch network of the bank. The building in the headquarters is equipped with lighting controlled by motion sensors that turn off the light automatically at times of inactivity. The operation and optimum location of the elevators are programmed in a user-friendly manner. Heating and air conditioning are operated at night and weekends in an energy-saving mode, indoor temperature is regulated by outdoor temperature, but all offices can be controlled individually. All workstations in the building have natural lighting, an important respect with regard to health retention of employees and also to lower energy consumption. In order to reduce paper consumption, Erste Bank has implemented the option of receipt-free cash withdrawal from its home ATM network. To prevent large volumes of refuse from being generated, upstairs kitchens in EuropeTower are equipped with water dispensers, and redundant newspapers are collected once each month by staff and offered to primary schools. Placement of a container to collect batteries is being planned and solutions to collect PET bottles are also being considered. Two rooms to store bicycles as well as changing rooms with individual lockers and water facilities are ensured for our bicycle-riding staff, promoting healthy and environment-friendly means of transportation. The bank regularly participates in the campaigns “Bringázz a munkába” [“Ride to Work”], “Legbringásabb munkahely” [“Most Bicycle-friendly Workplace”], and “Szívbarát munkahely” [“Heart-friendly Workplace”]. In respect of its activity, Erste Bank employs general legislation regarding environment protection. The bank’s financial standing is not impacted by environment protection.
