Indonesia, 16 Feb 2021 - As a bank that is driven by purpose and positive impacts, Bank DBS Indonesia is actively addressing various social and environmental issues. This is done in order to run a sustainable business and provide effective and efficient banking services whilst making a positive contribution to environmental protection. Bank DBS Indonesia’s efforts are based on the three pillars of sustainability, namely Responsible Banking, Responsible Business Practices, and Creating Social Impact.

Through the first pillar, Bank DBS Indonesia supports institutional banking clients as they transition to a low-carbon economy through various sustainable financial products. According to a PERBARINDO report entitled “Banking Industry Outlook 2021 After Pandemic”, there has been a shift at the macro-level driven by the COVID-19 pandemic that has ushered in a new industrial landscape. Corporations must embrace sustainability (low-touch) to survive during the pandemic. In terms of responsible financing, Bank DBS Indonesia continues to develop various wealth management services by improving access to ESG-related products. Last January, Bank DBS Indonesia, in collaboration with Batavia Prosperindo Asset Management, launched Batavia ESG Global Sharia Equity USD, a sharia-based offshore equity fund that is aligned with the ESG principles.

Meanwhile, through the second pillar, Bank DBS Indonesia makes various efforts to run a more sustainable business through paper reduction, waste paper sorting, solar panel installation, and sustainable sourcing by prioritizing social entrepreneurs. Bank DBS Indonesia's efforts to carry out responsible business practices earned it the title Employer of Choice from Kincentric in December 2020. Bank DBS Indonesia also actively supports and encourages the growth of social entrepreneurship through the three Championing SE programs, namely nurturing, advocating, and integrating. Bank DBS Indonesia collaborates with social entrepreneurs to create positive social impacts as part of the third pillar.

In accordance with the second pillar, DBS Bank reduces paper usage in the countries where it operates, including in Indonesia. As of December 2020, Bank DBS Indonesia has saved 36.8 tons of paper, approximately equal to 11,900 reams of A4 size paper, within the bank's four functions, including office documents, transaction statements, and envelopes. The number exceeded the initial target of 21 tons, and an increase by more than 150 percent since 2019.

The success of the paper-reduction efforts stemmed from various initiatives at the business and operational levels. Bank DBS Indonesia has switched to e-statements through a digital current account platform with nearly 90% of credit card statements and more than 95% of the Cashline statements are processed digitally (e-statements). Starting from January 1, 2021, approximately 3,700 bank DBS Indonesia customers will be automatically registered to the e-statement service. By switching from current accounts to e-statements, DBS Bank Indonesia will save more than 530,000 sheets of paper per year and more than 88,000 envelopes per year.

Lim Boon Khee, Director of Technology and Operations, PT Bank DBS Indonesia, said, "We are committed to running our business by taking into consideration environmental and social factors through our internal digital transformation. One of them is to monitor the use of paper carefully and ensure that paper usage does not exceed the budget allocation, as well as moving from paper-based processes to digital ones (customer forms, training materials, etc.). In addition, we also continue to bring forth other initiatives to create better social impacts, namely implementing sustainable design throughout our physical space such as office buildings as well as installing solar panels at several Bank DBS Indonesia branch offices. We believe that efforts to achieve sustainability should start now. Therefore, we hope to serve as an example for other businesses. No matter how small the effort, with commitment one day we can see the benefits for the environment."

Bank DBS Indonesia also urges every employee to make a personal commitment to reducing paper usage through various internal campaigns. Employees have started to pay attention to their paper consumption behavior at branch offices as well as in the back-end process. This has created an ecosystem where everyone learns to pay attention to the use of paper and buys smaller amounts of paper. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic and work-from-home policy help employees use less paper.

Bank DBS Indonesia implements the Coupa invoice management system to further reduce paper usage. Under the system, employees are required to submit invoices using Coupa otherwise the finance department will not process the payment. The initiative has eliminated the need to print approval emails to attach invoices, at the same time further simplifying the approval process. In addition, Bank DBS Indonesia has reduced the printing habit, distributed checklists, reduced application forms to half their original size, and switched from approval on a paper form to email consents.

Executive Director, Head of Group Strategic Marketing Communications, PT Bank DBS Indonesia, Mona Monika, added, "Some of the efforts mentioned above demonstrate our commitment to creating social impacts for a better environment. We strive to create sustainable businesses, conduct business responsibly, and balance the need for development by creating positive social and environmental impacts. In this way, we hope to bring about a change for the better."

 

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About DBS

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 18 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 Euromoney, “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker and “Best Bank in the World” by Global Finance. 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. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia” award by Global Finance for 12 consecutive years from 2009 to 2020.

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets. DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, and positively impacting communities through supporting social enterprises, as it banks the Asian way. It has also established a SG50 million foundation to strengthen its corporate social responsibility efforts in Singapore and across Asia.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. The bank acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in all of our 29,000 staff, representing over 40 nationalities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.