REG - Nova Ljubljanska - NLB receives first ESG rating

Nova Ljubljanska Banka dd LjubljanaAnnouncement

12/12/2022 08:15

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RNS Number : 3505J  Nova Ljubljanska Banka d.d.  12 December 2022

December 12, 2022

We are creating better footprints:  NLB receives first ESG rating

 

Pursuant to the Rules of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange and Article158 of the
Market in Financial Instruments Act, relating to the Article 17 of the
Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, NLB d.d., Trg republike 2, 1000 Ljubljana
announces:

 

"To improve the quality of life in our home region, South-Eastern Europe, is
one of the key strategic objectives of the NLB Group. We have embarked on this
path with deliberation, determined to create better footprints in the region
we consider our home, and we are extremely proud that our efforts and our
progress are recognized in a way that they leave no doubt in the eyes of
investors and the public," emphasized NLB's CEO Blaž Brodnjak upon revealing
that NLB d.d. received its first ESG rating by one of the leading independent
ESG research, ratings and data firms in the world - Sustainalytics.

 

In December 2022, NLB d.d. received an ESG Risk Rating of 17.7 and was
assessed by Sustainalytics to be at low risk of experiencing material
financial impacts from ESG factors, due to its medium exposure and strong
management of material ESG issues. "The company is noted for its strong
corporate governance performance, which is reducing its overall risk.
Furthermore, the company has not experienced significant controversies,"
Sustainalytics rating explains. In addition, NLB's ESG Risk Rating places it
among the best 15 % banks assessed by the company.

 

Creating better footprints in our home region

 

ESG risk rating, similarly to credit rating, is a measurement of evaluation of
a company, fund, or security's performance, except that it focuses on
fulfilment of environmental (E), social (S) and governance (G) standards,
instead of credit ability. In the financial world, it is becoming an
increasingly important category, which investors and analysts monitor ever
more closely and on its basis asses which companies to invest in and in which
not. NLB is the first bank with headquarters and an exclusive strategic
interest in Southeast Europe which has obtained this rating, as well as the
first among the companies, listed on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

 

"Although there is no lack of discussion about sustainability at every corner,
ESG ratings are still relatively poorly known in our environment. Therefore,
it is not surprising that NLB, as a pioneer and an organization that strives
to be the driving force of development and progress in the SEE region, was the
first to tackle this challenge," explained NLB's CEO. "ESG ratings are not
just an empty letter on a paper - they are the result of a review by an
independent and world-renowned experts, they are an incentive for us and they
encourage our stakeholders to trust our business decisions and actions," he
added.

 

NLB's efforts in the field of sustainability encompass the environmental,
social and management aspects. To name just a few:

·    In the past year, we have established the NLB Group Sustainability
framework; the directions and goals of sustainable business, sustainable
financing and contribution to society.

·    NLB is also the first bank from Slovenia to commit to the UN
Principles for Responsible Banking, and in the spring of this year joined the
United Nations Net Zero Banking Alliance, which aims to harmonise credit and
investment portfolios with reaching zero net emissions by 2050 or earlier.

·    NLB has been considered one of the largest and most prominent
promoters and sponsors of sports associations and events in Slovenia for
decades, and above all, we are proud of the long-standing Youth Sports
project.

·    We invest in culture and cultural heritage - the Bankarium, the first
banking museum in Slovenia, was for instance, opened in June 2021 under the
aegis of NLB.

·    We recognize opportunities and responsibility for helping the economy
also outside the framework of banking, as demonstrated by the project
#FrameOfHelp.

·    We donate extensively to the socially disadvantaged groups.

·    We intensively advocate equal opportunities, and independent and
professional corporate governance.

 

In NLB Group, we have put the sustainability of our decisions and actions at
the heart of our business. As systemically important actors in all the markets
where we operate, we have the opportunity to truly influence the quality of
life in our home region of Southeast Europe, and ensure for it to become not
only more successful, but also more inclusive, diverse and sustainable. You
can find out more about our practices here (https://www.nlb.si/sustainability)
.

 

About Sustainalytics and its ESG Risk Ratings

 

Morningstar Sustainalytics is a leading ESG research, ratings and data firm
that supports investors around the world with the development and
implementation of responsible investment strategies. For nearly 30 years, the
firm has been at the forefront of developing high-quality, innovative
solutions to meet the evolving needs of global investors. Today, the firm
works with hundreds of the world's leading asset managers and pension funds
who incorporate ESG and corporate governance information and assessments into
their investment processes. The firm also works with hundreds of companies and
their financial intermediaries to help them consider sustainability in
policies, practices, and capital projects. For more information, visit
www.sustainalytics.com.

 

Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings measure a company's exposure to
industry-specific material ESG risks and how well a company is managing those
risks. This multi-dimensional way of measuring ESG risk combines the concepts
of management and exposure to arrive at an assessment of ESG risk, i.e. a
total unmanaged ESG risk score or the ESG Risk Rating, that is comparable
across all industries. Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings provide a quantitative
measure of unmanaged ESG risk and distinguish between five levels of risk:
negligible, low, medium, high and severe. Learn more about the ESG Risk
Ratings here (https://www.sustainalytics.com/esg-ratings) .

 

Copyright ©2022 Sustainalytics. All rights reserved.

This article contains information developed by Sustainalytics
(www.sustainalytics.com). Such information and data are proprietary of
Sustainalytics and/or its third party suppliers (Third Party Data) and are
provided for informational purposes only. They do not constitute an
endorsement of any product or project, nor an investment advice and are not
warranted to be complete, timely, accurate or suitable for a particular
purpose. Their use is subject to conditions available at
https://www.sustainalytics.com/legal-disclaimers.

 

Investor Relations

NLB d.d., Ljubljana

 

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