On the day that Royal Bank of Scotland posted a £2bn loss – it’s eighth consecutive annual loss – Triodos, the Dutch ethical bank, reported that profits jumped 35% in 2015, to £32 million.
Total assets under management at the group grew by 16% to £9.6 billion, as more individuals and businesses choose to make the shift for themselves towards a more ecologically balanced and fairer economy, without relying on governments and large companies to do it for them.
Its customer base grew by 15 per cent, to 607,000.
Triodos (like us) does not see any conflict between a focus on people and the planet and a good financial return, but believes that they reinforce each other in the long-term. It said its key impact milestones for 2015 were financing the equivalent of:
- 100 microfinance institutions reaching 10.2 million savers and 15.5 million borrowers
- cultural experiences for 18.7 million visitors
- green electricity for 1 million European homes
- 33.6 million meals from organically farmed land
Peter Blom, chief executive of Triodos Bank, said: “As a financial institution, focused on delivering a positive impact on people and society and respecting the planet, we see entrepreneurs everywhere who take action to craft the world of tomorrow.
“While society continues to struggle with environmental, social and economic problems, we notice it is no longer governments, but individuals, entrepreneurs and communities who fuel the energy transition, use technology to connect more people in more places to basic financial services and together make the shift to a more ecologically balanced and a fairer economy.ing our positive.”
