Environmental and Social Management System

Management of internal environmental and social risks

Management of internal E&S risks refers to all in-house measures taken by the Bank to reduce the impact of its internal activities and improve internal E&S performance.

This is achieved by means of adherence to the following principles:

• Responsible Consumption – AccessBank strives to use paper resourcefully, utilize energy efficiently, and consider environmental impact in the procurement of supplies.
• Non-Discrimination – AccessBank aims to make employment decisions without bias based on personal characteristics such as gender, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation. The employment relationship is founded on the principle of equal opportunity and fair treatment, avoiding discrimination in all aspects of the employment relationship.
• Gender Equality – AccessBank adopts a diverse approach applied to all personnel and implements the principles of non-discrimination.
• Quality Education – AccessBank encourages staff to take the lead in personal and career growth. Training programs are made accessible to support employee competencies.

Management of environmental and social risk in lending

Management of E&S risks in lending activity aims to reduce any real or potential external impact caused by the Bank’s lending activities. This includes assessing and monitoring the environmental risks and impacts of a client’s business, as well as the related health and social risks and impacts.

As a general rule, loan applications linked to activities that are deemed to cause irreversible damage to the environment and citizens, government, and the market community are rejected.

Measures for Managing E&S Risks and Impacts in Lending:

• Screening against rejection criteria – All credit applications are screened against the Bank’s Exclusion List. Additionally, the responsible employee screens loan application against the following criteria:
  • The project is located in or next to a cultural heritage site, a protected area, wetland or key habitats for wildlife, reproduction area of protected flora, spawning, feeding, wintering ground and migrating route for key aquatic life, estuary, mangrove, and may cause an adverse impact on the area; and/or
  • The project requires involuntary physical displacement of 200 or more people and/or involuntary loss of 10% or more of their productive assets.

  If a loan application meets any of the above-mentioned criteria, the Bank shall reject the application..

• E&S due diligence – Screening against compliance with local laws and regulations is conducted, and clients are required to adhere to existing and applicable local laws and regulations. This includes environmental and social regulations, labor laws and regulations, health protection regulations, and applicable safety regulations.
• Categorization – The client’s financed business activity is assigned to the respective environmental and social risk category.
• Environmental and social assessment – Commensurate assessment and monitoring of potential environmental and social risks and impacts of the financed business are conducted.

Grievance Redress

“Rules for processing customers’ appeals in “AccessBank” CJSC” (RPCA) have been developed and available. The primary purpose of RPCA is the elimination of violations that have led to such appeals and their consequences.

RPCA outlines:

• Channels for receiving of appeals (appeal, application, request or proposal);
• Requirements for the registration of appeals;
• Investigation of appeals and coordination of appeals processing;
• Decision-making on appeals and responding to them;
• Reporting system on appeals, allocation of powers and responsibilities;
• Use of trusted and additional sources of information to respond to appeals or execution of requests;
• Disclosure of summary information on appeals processing to applicants;
• Indemnification of damages, if any, to the applicants