Standard Bank Offshore: Driving Positive Impact in Jersey and Beyond

Supporting Local Communities and Beyond

Our community engagement efforts in Jersey are robust and multifaceted. One of our flagship local initiatives is our strategic partnership with Beresford Street Kitchen (BSK). This charity provides education, training, and employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities and autism. Over the last five years we have supported BSK during its significant expansion, including the launch of its Learning for Life education programme, which offers over 35,000 hours of workplace training annually. As Charles Molteno, Jersey’s Chief Executive, explains: "Given its expansion from café, to training academy, with social enterprises providing a catering service, two café sites, and a printing works, it is easy to justify our support of this impactful local organisation.” Colleagues can also support BSK directly, through our Payroll Giving scheme.

Beyond Jersey, our initiatives extend to the broader African continent, reflecting our purpose: "Africa is our home, we drive her growth." For example, our long-term support of Mifumi Primary School in Uganda has transformed it into a thriving educational hub serving over 1,000 children, improving education and creating opportunities for young girls in rural areas. Additionally, our involvement with Ripple Effect’s Push Pull Project helps African farmers enhance their agricultural productivity sustainably in Uganda, thereby improving nutrition and household income.

Employee Engagement and Volunteering

Employee involvement is a cornerstone of our ‘Positive Impact’ strategy. Each year, SBO employees are encouraged to participate in volunteering activities and are provided with two volunteering days, contributing to local projects and global initiatives.

In the last 12 months, SBO employees have made a significant impact: planting over 500 trees, spending more than 1,000 hours on activities such as beach clean-ups, supporting children’s education projects, protecting wildlife and ecosystems, and assisting at food banks.

Beyond our strategic partnerships, we actively support causes close to our colleagues' hearts, with fundraising efforts hosted on CSR digital platform KindLink. For instance, our participation in the Macmillan Rowathon 2024 raised £1,480 for Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey. Additionally, seven Islanders from Jersey, including bank colleague Mike Jones, successfully completed a 410km fundraising cycle from Saint-Malo to Paris, also raising £12,000 for Macmillan.

Environmental Sustainability

Our dedication to environmental sustainability is reflected in our beyond value chain mitigation (BVCM) approach. Partnering with ClimatePartner UK, in 2022 and 2023 we offset over 4,140 tonnes of Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions and are committed to expanding our carbon footprint reporting to include all supply chain and financed emissions. This effort is part of our broader strategy to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 using a Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approach.

Celebrating African Heritage

SBO also celebrates our African heritage and fosters cultural connections. Our recent Africa Day celebration in Jersey was the perfect opportunity for colleagues to celebrate our strong connection to the continent, along with the richness and diversity of its culture and history.  Extending the celebration into the community, the bank donated a large collection of books to Rouge Bouillon School in the Island’s capital, that have an African author or theme to their pages. The purpose of this initiative is to not only share the wonderful vibrancy of the African continent with our Island’s young people, but to also share diverse and inclusive literature with a culturally diverse school, welcoming pupils from across the globe.

Driving ‘Positive Impact’ in the Financial Sector

Our commitment to ‘Positive Impact’ goes beyond direct community support. We aim to lead by example in the financial sector, demonstrating that corporate social responsibility and business success go hand in hand. As Charles states, "Our support for initiatives like the African Women Impact Fund, which seeks to raise $1 billion to empower female fund managers, shows how we can promote systemic change in financial markets."

Through these diverse initiatives, SBO strives to create a better future for all. By integrating sustainability into our core operations and supporting a wide array of projects, we continue to make meaningful contributions to the communities we serve, both locally in Jersey and across Africa. As we continue to grow and expand our ‘Positive Impact’, we invite other businesses to join us in creating meaningful change in the communities we serve.