Guided by its sustainability spark, Bank DBS Indonesia supports Banksasuci community, Cisadane
Indonesia, 31 Jul 2024 - As part of the celebration of Bank DBS Indonesia's 35th anniversary and National River Day that is celebrated on the 27
th
of every July, Bank DBS Indonesia’s employees made a positive impact on the Banksasuci (Cisadane River Garbage Bank) community in the Cihuni area, Tangerang Regency, Banten. This is consistent with the spirit of the 'Trust Your Spark' campaign that underlies Bank DBS Indonesia’s 'spark' of concern for sustainability that is realised through several activities such as cleaning up the banks of the Cisadane River, planting trees, making biopore holes, and providing financial literacy education for students of SDN Pakulonan Barat I elementary school in Tangerang Regency. The activity was joined by all members of the board of directors of Bank DBS Indonesia and employees who are members of People of Purpose, an employee volunteer activity and work programme that are based on the third sustainability pillar, Impact Beyond Banking.
The Cisadane River has a catchment area of 154,654 ha, making it one of the main rivers in Banten and West Java. The catchment area covers 44 sub-districts and includes areas of five districts/cities: Bogor Regency, Bogor City, Tangerang Regency, Tangerang City, and South Tangerang. The flow of the Cisadane River is highly influenced by rainfall in its catchment area. Currently, the Cisadane River is the only source of the region's industrial, irrigation and drinking water. In addition, the Cisadane River helps control floods during the rainy season.
Unfortunately, every day about one tonne of waste, including plastic waste, is dumped into the Cisadane River. To tackle the problem, the Banksasuci community has since 2019 been at the forefront of educating the local community, managing and mitigating the impact of floods, including removing plastic waste carried by the river. The Cisadane riverbanks, especially in the Cihuni area, are part of the focal point of the community’s efforts to preserve the area and stop riverbank erosion, including by replanting kirai trees, releasing fish seeds to enrich river biota, and making biopores near residential areas and schools.
President Director at Bank DBS Indonesia Lim Chu Chong
said, "As a purpose-driven bank, Bank DBS Indonesia has the 'spark' of concerns for sustainability and impacts. Our seriousness in implementing our environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda, which is consistent with Bank DBS Indonesia's sustainability pillars, makes us even more confident that this makes our lives and presence more meaningful. We are excited to collaborate with the local community and hope this initiative can help protect and preserve the river ecosystem for a sustainable environment."
To support the initiatives taken by the Banksasuci community, employee volunteering activities are divided into several parts, including:
Cleaning up the Cisadane River
by removing inorganic waste (plastic, cans, etc.)
Planting kirai or sago trees
that absorb emissions from motor vehicles and air pollution, provide shade, and reduce noise
Making biopori holes or water absorption holes
to reduce organic waste, fertilise the soil, prevent floods, and maintain soil water balance
Cleaning and painting schools
to give them a fresh, new look and make them more pleasant for the students
Organising financial literacy classes
for grades 4 to 6 students at SDN Pakulonan Barat I elementary school in Tangerang Regency. The students were taught how to save money, in line with the government's policy of improving financial literacy from an early age
In addition to helping address social issues faced by vulnerable communities, Bank DBS Indonesia through People of Purpose also conducts a series of financial literacy education activities, such as providing courses on how to manage resources, income, assets, and working capital more effectively for MSME players in several cities. Thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of employees, as of June 2024, 31,024 hours have been dedicated to volunteer activities.
People of Purpose activities encourage employees to contribute positively to society while upholding the values of Bank DBS Indonesia, especially in three areas: the environment, education, and elderly. One of the strategies to expand the reach of volunteering activities is to increase partnerships and cooperation with various institutions, foundations, communities and social enterprises that share a common vision with Bank DBS Indonesia to address various social issues and create a better world. In 2023, DBS Group announced that it would commit up to SGD1 billion over the next 10 years to improve the lives of vulnerable communities and promote a more inclusive society. DBS Group will distribute SGD100 million annually in Singapore and other key markets from 2024 to boost community initiatives within the bank and DBS Foundation.
All these programmes are consistent with Bank DBS Indonesia’s latest campaign, ‘Trust Your Spark’, aimed at igniting and empowering the ‘spark’ within everyone so that they can pursue their dreams and aspirations with no hesitation. Through the ‘spark’ or motivation, the activities are expected to benefit environmental preservation efforts and improve the welfare of the people living along the Cisadane River and ignite the ‘spark’ in others so that they champion sustainability in all aspects of life.
For more information on the ‘Trust Your Spark’ campaign and Bank DBS Indonesia, visit Instagram @
dbsbankid
dan
go.dbs.com/id-trustyourspark
.
About DBS
DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank’s “AA-” and “Aa1” credit ratings are among the highest in the world.
Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named
“World’s Best Bank”
by Global Finance,
“World’s Best Bank”
by Euromoney and
“Global Bank of the Year”
by The Banker. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named
“World’s Best Digital Bank
” by Euromoney and the world’s “
Most Innovative in Digital Banking”
by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the
“Safest Bank in Asia
“ award by Global Finance for 15 consecutive years from 2009 to 2023. DBS Indonesia is ranked second in the top as
World’s Best Bank in Indonesia
for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022.
Established in 1989 as part of the Singapore-based DBS Group, PT Bank DBS Indonesia (Bank DBS Indonesia) is one of the banks with the longest history in Asia. Currently operating 1 Head Office, 13 Branch Offices, 16 Assistant Offices and 4 Functional Offices and 3,011 active employees in 15 Major Cities in Indonesia, Bank DBS Indonesia provides comprehensive banking services in the corporate, SME and consumer banking segments that focuses on the customer experience to 'Live more, Bank less'. We also see a purpose beyond banking and are committed to supporting our customers, employees and the community towards a sustainable future.
PT Bank DBS Indonesia
is licensed and supervised by The Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK), and an insured member of Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS).
DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, as it banks the Asian way. Through the DBS Foundation, the bank creates impact beyond banking by supporting businesses for impact: enterprises with a double bottom-line of profit and social and/or environmental impact. DBS Foundation also gives back to society in various ways, including equipping underserved communities with future-ready skills and helping them to build food resilience.
With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. For more information, please visit
www.dbs.com
.
DBS Bank Ltd | 12 Marina Boulevard, DBS Asia Central @ Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 3,
Singapore 018982 | Co. Reg. No. 196800306E
Tel: 65.6878 8888 | www.dbs.com
