As the biggest supporter of UK business, we are committed to addressing regional inequality and promoting economic growth, by supporting businesses to create and retain jobs in some of the UK’s most deprived areas. In 2019, we issued an inaugural social bond to help conserve and create jobs in areas with the highest levels of unemployment and lowest job creation.

This was the first exclusively social bond issued under the International Capital Market Association’s (ICMA) Social Bond Principles in the UK by any financial institution, and the first issuance under our Green, Social and Sustainable Bond Framework.

Since launching 25 years ago, MoneySense has helped more than 7.7 million young people learn about money and become more financially confident.

And our dedication to educating young people was recognised once again with a Gold for Best Long-Term Commitment at the Corporate Engagement Awards.

But we couldn’t stop there.

Following worrying research that the number of children being used as money mules via social media has risen by 73% in the last two years, we launched a new Fraud Scene Investigators workshop in secondary schools. This workshop teaches young people how to stay safe online, particularly when they are using social media.

We’ve partnered with Google to pilot a service that allows customers to do their banking using just their voice. Customers can use their smart speaker or smartphone to talk to Cora and check their bank balance and recent transactions. There is no need for screens or keyboards.

To develop this pilot, we’ve used new technologies to make banking more accessible for people who may have difficulty using our digital channels or coming into branch. Testing out voice banking is also helping us to improve service and security for our customers.

We were approached in 2019 to provide senior debt facilities and hedging for the construction of Neart na Gaoithe (NNG), EDF’s latest offshore wind farm project, now co-owned with ESB Energy.

Found 15km into the Firth of Forth, NNG holds the rights and licenses to develop, build and operate the 448MW centre.

When fully operational, NNG will power around 375,000 homes and displace c.400k tonnes of CO2 annually, as well as contributing to Scotland’s GDP over the project’s lifetime.

This transaction demonstrates our leadership in this rapidly growing sector and showcases our commitment to Sustainable Finance.

The Bosdet Foundation is a not for profit organisation that supports local Charities in Jersey. We’re helping them achieve their vision of donating £1 million a year by 2030.

We’ve built up a great relationship with The Bosdet Foundation which has resulted in them borrowing £8.5 million from us to develop their grounds into a self-catering resort and indoor trampoline park. Now, we’re looking to support the Foundation on the next stage of their evolution, providing funding to construct a further 60 self-catering apartments and a redesign of their premises.

By lending to The Bosdet Foundation, we’re helping the foundation make more money and – in turn – put more money back into the local community.