Stakeholder identification and consultation

Please describe which stakeholders (or groups/ types of stakeholders) you have identified, consulted, engaged, collaborated or partnered with for the purpose of implementing the Principles and improving your bank’s impacts. This should include a high-level overview of how your bank has identified relevant stakeholders, what issues were addressed/results achieved and how they fed into the action planning process.

The BPER Group shapes its strategies based on the needs and expectations of its stakeholders. To achieve this, it conducts a structured engagement process aimed at identifying their needs, understanding their expectations regarding the Group’s activities, and anticipating potential risks—transforming them into opportunities. As part of the double materiality analysis conducted in 2025, an impact assessment was undertaken through engagement with key internal and external stakeholders. Specifically, the following engagement activities were carried out:

• Interviews with shareholders;
• A multi-stakeholder forum involving representatives from customers, the financial market, local communities and territories, suppliers, and public administrations;
• An employee survey.

The Bank’s dedication to collaborating with socially committed organizations is reflected in numerous partnerships with institutions and associations, including: Global Compact, the Italian Banking Association working groups (ABI), the CSR Association, the Foundation for Financial Education and Savings (FEduF), Sodalitas Foundation, the Forum for Sustainable Finance, Impronta Etica, the Italian Foundation for Business Reporting (O.I.B.R.), Sustainability Makers, Valore D, and the Women’s Network against Violence (D.i.Re).

In addition to the aforementioned engagement activities, the BPER Group has launched additional initiatives to enhance stakeholder engagement. These include the Group’s participation in the Sustainable Network of Borsa Italiana, an initiative aimed at creating an integrated ecosystem to promote sustainable finance within the Italian capital market. The Network facilitates dialogue and collaboration among financial institutions, issuers, and advisors, encouraging the exchange of expertise, best practices, and innovative ESG solutions—ultimately supporting the sustainable growth of the real economy through advanced tools and strategies.

These efforts are further supported by training and information-sharing sessions on sustainability disclosures, organized in partnership with various trade associations to assist SMEs operating within the bank’s geographical areas.

Since 2022, the Group has also piloted a project to administer ESG questionnaires to gather data on individual companies. The initiative continued into 2024, involving a selected group of larger companies. In 2025, activities were expanded further by increasing the number of companies participating in the questionnaire and by establishing a structured engagement process that involves direct participation from the Commercial Network.

In 2025, the Group continued its dedication to enhancing employee engagement and fostering a better working environment, building on the insights gained from the “People Survey 2024.” Conducted the previous year across the entire corporate population, the survey assessed employee engagement levels within the Group. Some of the questions contributing to the overall score also addressed eNPS and job satisfaction. The results of the survey played a crucial role in guiding the development of subsequent action plans.

Drawing on the insights from these findings, several action plans were designed and implemented in 2025, both at the Group level—guided by Top Management—and at the operational level through bottom-up initiatives developed with the active involvement and responsiveness of first-line managers. These action plans are aligned with the timeframe of the 2024–2027 Business Plan “B: Dynamic | Full Value 2027.”

How does the BPER Group promote a culture of responsible banking among its employees?

In its 2025 PRB Responsible Banking Progress Statement the BPER Group reports that it took the following actions to promote a culture of responsible banking among its employees:

The BPER Group actively promotes a responsible banking culture through various initiatives, including:

• the assessment and development of human resources’ skills;
• training programs designed to reinforce and deepen the risk culture within the Group, covering topics such as privacy, cybersecurity, anti-corruption, compliance, Model 231, and the Code of Ethics.

Additionally, a new course titled “Sustainability and ESG Management at BPER” was made available to all BPER Banca employees, aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of these subjects and highlighting the strategic importance of sustainability in the banking sector.

For ESG Managers specifically, an annual training cycle is scheduled. In 2025, three webinars were organized focusing on the relevant regulatory framework, market best practices, and upcoming ESG-related challenges. The goal was to promote knowledge sharing and to strengthen the integration of ESG factors into corporate processes.

Furthermore, targeted ESG training programs were implemented for over 1,000 employees involved in the origination and approval of credit exposures within the Corporate Centres and credit functions across the BPER Group during 2024–2025. Dedicated sessions were also arranged for the Internal Audit Function to support their engagement in ESG-related activities.

 

UN Principles for Responsible Banking: Accelerating a positive global transition for people and the planet

With over 300 signatory banks representing almost half of the global banking industry, the Principles for Responsible Banking are the world’s foremost sustainable banking framework. Through these Principles, the banking community takes action to align core strategies, decision-making, lending and investment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and international agreements such as the Paris Climate Agreement.

FBRH Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) Assurance:

First class PRB assurance services: The result of solid, hands-on ESG/ Sustainability experience

• • • FBRH is a GRI Certified Training Partner (Global), ISEP Training Centre and a member of CPD.
    • FBRH builds trust. Over 200 reviews from top professionals from around the world demonstrate our ability to build strong, trusting business relationships.
    • FBRH possesses a unique skill set that combines ESG/sustainability certified training, experience in advisory services and report preparation, and ESG/sustainability report assurance.

The combination of all the above empowers FBRH to provide first class Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) assurance services.

 

References:

This case study is based on published information by the BPER Group, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original please revert to the following link:

https://group.bper.it/documents/d/bper-istituzionale/2025-responsible-banking-progress-statement-inglese

Note to the BPER Group: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

Stakeholder identification and consultation

Please describe which stakeholders (or groups/ types of stakeholders) you have identified, consulted, engaged, collaborated or partnered with for the purpose of implementing the Principles and improving your bank’s impacts. This should include a high-level overview of how your bank has identified relevant stakeholders, what issues were addressed/results achieved and how they fed into the action planning process.

The BPER Group formulates its strategies based on the needs and expectations of its various stakeholders. To achieve this, the Group employs a structured approach that engages stakeholders to identify their requirements, understand their expectations concerning the Group’s activities, and anticipate potential risks, transforming them into opportunities. This process involves analysing and segmenting stakeholders, allowing for a synthesis of diverse interests—economic, social, and environmental—and utilizing various tools and channels to facilitate a two-way dialogue with them.

Each year, the Group incorporates stakeholder perspectives through the materiality analysis update process, designed to assess the positive and negative impacts of its sustainability efforts. Engaging stakeholders is essential for the Group as it strives to meet its ESG goals. In 2023, two specific initiatives were implemented regarding “employees.” The Group held an “ESG Week,” featuring digital contests, idea-generation workshops, and informational sessions that showcased and shared its various commitments. Additionally, during ESG Week, employees contributed to updating the materiality analysis by completing a questionnaire that evaluated the significance of key issues based on their potential impacts on the external environment. Furthermore, three territorial Focus Groups were organized in regions where the BPER Group has a long-standing presence (Modena, Brescia, and Ancona/other areas of the Marche region). These meetings included representatives from significant stakeholder categories, such as local institutions, customers, and community organizations, who shared their views on topics like Climate Change, Community Support, and Financial Inclusion.

The BPER Group also maintains ongoing collaborations with various national and international institutions, financial community organizations, and other public or private entities, including insurance companies, research centres, universities, and the public administration. Engagement with stakeholders is further fostered through active participation in numerous associations and initiatives, such as the Global Compact Network Italy, Impronta Etica, Fondazione Sodalitas, the Fondazione per l’Educazione Finanziaria e il Risparmio (FEduF), the Forum for Sustainable Finance, Sustainability Makers, Associazione per la RSI, Valore D, and ABI working groups focused on sustainability, inclusion, and climate change. Specifically, the collaboration with the Fondazione per l’Educazione Finanziaria e il Risparmio (FEduF) enables the Group to engage school students annually in promoting financial education.

How did the BPER Group work with its clients and customers to encourage sustainable practices and enable sustainable economic activities?

In its 2023 PRB Report the BPER Group reports that it works with its clients and customers to encourage sustainable practices and enable sustainable economic activities as follows:

The BPER Group has various policies designed to encourage its clients and customers to adopt sustainable practices. Primarily, the Group’s ESG Policy outlines the roles and responsibilities for managing customer relationships and identifying new client needs in terms of ESG considerations.

This policy encompasses multiple elements, including those related to climate change and financial inclusion, which have been highlighted as the most significant impact areas in the Impact Analysis.

Specifically addressing climate change, the Bank’s environmental statement titled “BPER Group’s Commitments Towards the Environment” outlines its commitment to reducing indirect environmental impacts resulting from the activities of third parties, such as clients. This approach enables BPER to influence the behavior of external parties by promoting sustainable choices.

As part of their collaboration with universities and other organizations, the Group’s banks promote, also on digital platforms, meetings and conferences on economic and sustainability topics, open for participation to all citizens.

Among these initiatives, BPER Banca, in partnership with the Università Cattolica di Piacenza, has organized a national Roadshow through its Territorial Departments and various local associations—such as Chambers of Commerce and Confindustria—to educate and inform SME clients and potential clients about sustainability and the corresponding opportunities for reporting their ESG performance.

Additionally, the Group has created a dedicated section on its website to facilitate discussions with stakeholders from a sustainability perspective. This section contains specific pages for various key stakeholder categories, including employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers, the environment, and the community, with the aim of providing relevant information about the Bank’s initiatives and offering points of contact.

Another important document is the ESG-linked Loan Origination Policy, approved in December 2022. In alignment with its ESG Policy, BPER Banca has incorporated ESG criteria into this policy, signifying that the Bank performs ESG assessments of its clients. This not only mitigates risks associated with its operations but also raises awareness and promotes responsible lending practices across the Group and its clientele, guiding them on a sustainable trajectory.

In this context, understanding the needs and expectations of customers is crucial. Since 2019, the BPER Group has established a new communication system for its customers that facilitates continuous monitoring of the entire customer base. Through this system and other engagement channels, BPER manages customer relations with an ESG focus.

 

UN Principles for Responsible Banking: Accelerating a positive global transition for people and the planet

With over 300 signatory banks representing almost half of the global banking industry, the Principles for Responsible Banking are the world’s foremost sustainable banking framework. Through these Principles, the banking community takes action to align core strategies, decision-making, lending and investment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and international agreements such as the Paris Climate Agreement.

FBRH Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) Assurance:

First class PRB assurance services: The result of solid, hands-on ESG/ Sustainability experience

• • • FBRH is a GRI Certified Training Partner (Global), ISEP Training Centre and a member of CPD.
    • FBRH builds trust. Over 200 reviews from top professionals from around the world demonstrate our ability to build strong, trusting business relationships.
    • FBRH possesses a unique skill set that combines ESG/sustainability certified training, experience in advisory services and report preparation, and ESG/sustainability report assurance.

The combination of all the above empowers FBRH to provide first class Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) assurance services.

 

References:

This case study is based on published information by the BPER Group, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original please revert to the following link:

https://group.bper.it/documents/d/bper-istituzionale/report-prb-2023_eng

Note to the BPER Group: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.