KBZ Bank: Path to Sustainability
Responsible Business Practices
At KBZ Bank, we are committed to enabling individuals, businesses and, through them, the country, to thrive. Through our products, processes and policies, we drive progress in ways that are both inclusive and sustainable, improving lives and livelihoods, and promoting development.
Myanmar is a fledgling economy that has opened up in the last decade and it is making a critical shift to a market-driven economy. Being able to draw on the experiences of our neighbours and the latest developments in both thinking and technologies means both the private and public sectors can leapfrog while considering the sustainability implications of growth strategies.
As one of the nation’s largest financial institutions, KBZ Bank embraces that mindset, even as it fulfils a critical role in Myanmar’s development. And as we ensure a continuous supply of capital to individuals and businesses across the country, our commitment to sustainability and inclusive growth ensures that our activities have a positive social and environmental impact.
We also believe in equitable growth. That is why we build products and services that benefit people across a wide cross section of sectors and social groups. Our priority is to be relevant and accessible to Myanmar and its people and to work tirelessly to strengthen communities and institutions for the long-term, forming the right foundations for nation-building.
“MCRB has welcomed KBZ’s participation in our discussions and workshops around responsible business over recent years, and in particular the leadership they have shown on disability inclusion, and the role they play as a founding member of the Business Coalition on Gender Equality. We look forward to working with them on other collective actions by business – particularly banks – to strengthen Myanmar’s ability to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Vicky Bowman, MCRB
KBZ’s Pillars of Sustainability
KBZ Bank’s path to sustainability has been both deliberate and systematic. Our Sustainability Strategy, which is aligned to a number of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is centred around three core pillars that address current, continuing and future needs:
- Promoting 100% financial inclusion in Myanmar
- Driving equitable growth for Myanmar’s economy and its communities
- Creating Myanmar’s workforce of the future
We have recently formed a sustainability task force for ESG, D&I and Human Rights with representatives with different backgrounds such as Risk Management, Legal and Compliance, Human Resources, Social Purpose, Corporate Communications and an independent external consultant. This task force supports the bank in the implementation of various initiatives, policies and guidelines related to these areas.
Progress on Sustainability Strategy
We have engaged an external consultant to assist with the development of our sustainability/ ESG strategy and report with the aim to structure our approach on ESG.
The first phase of the process has completed in the second quarter of 2022, i.e. assessed the gaps between KBZ Bank current practices and various local and international standards such as Pwint Thit Sa Transparency Report, WWF, Fair Finance, etc.,.
The gap analysis will help us to develop a sustainability roadmap together with a practical action plan. After this phase, the core priorities for its path to sustainability will be identified. Ultimately, we will develop a Roadmap as an integral part of our business strategy with various action plans that address the top material issues that are important to our stakeholders. We’re also engaging with external stakeholders to help us understand the current ESG topics and trends.
In the second phase, we aim to build our capacities on various topics related to ESG as we strongly believe that our people will be instrumental to shifting mindset and behaviours, internally and externally. Various trainings and e-learning modules will be developed to ensure a common understanding across different functions and teams. To measure our sustainability journey, we will monitor the implementation of action plans mapped out under the first phase. Finally, we will structure and deliver the first sustainability report for KBZ Bank by the end of 2023, which will be aligned with the UNGP, the TCFD, the GRI Standards and the Integrated reporting frameworks.
These concrete steps underscore our commitment to embracing sustainability within the Bank. Over the next 5 years, the bank will be focusing on increasing awareness of sustainability principles and sustainable development amongst our network of stakeholders. Our goal is to create value for each of our stakeholder groups in the form of positive environmental, economic and social impacts.
Promoting 100% financial inclusion in Myanmar
We believe that financial inclusion is critical to reducing inequality. Access to financial services gives individuals and communities the resources – and an opportunity – to lift themselves out of poverty and improve their quality of life. We give them the tools to begin saving, accumulating assets, and reducing their dependence on public aid and welfare. They can access everyday accounts to save and track spending, shopper loans to finance bigger purchases, and make payments to digital services without needing to hold a bank account.
That is why financial inclusion is one of the goals that KBZ Bank pursues with great determination. In a country where some 90 percent of the population remains unbanked, we have prioritised digital financial services that bring more people into the formal financial economy by putting banking at their fingertips. Our financial literacy programmes, meanwhile, give them the confidence to manage their finances and make sound money-related decisions.
Driving equitable growth for Myanmar’s economy & communities
Over the last 25 years, KBZ Bank has worked to promote growth in Myanmar, with a focus on strengthening its infrastructure, industries, and institutions.
Creating Myanmar’s workforce of the future
Myanmar is rapidly embracing the potential of connectivity and evolving into a mobile-first economy. Unencumbered by legacy systems, the country is well-placed to make the digital leap. But it will need to ensure that its people can keep up with technological change.
KBZ Bank has in place both internal and external strategies and talent development programmes to support the development of a digitally-literate and future-ready workforce.
In 2017, KBZ Bank restructured our over-18,000 strong organisation using a Value Centre Management Model, a revolutionary approach to people development that decentralises control and increases accountability through a flatter organisational structure.
Value Centre (VCs) leaders have direct access to the CEO, to whom they are accountable, and receive support from other departments, from Marketing and Finance to HR and Legal, in developing their strategies. This results in a model that is agile, performance- and improvement-focused, and nurtures entrepreneurial talent.
Today, KBZ Bank has 23 VC General Managers who are being trained to become leaders, either at our bank or in other companies and industries.
KBZ Bank’s Learning and Development team identifies our needs across every organisational level, from core and leadership competencies to functional and technical competencies, and manages the delivery of training programs to develop them.
In the month of May 2020 alone, KBZ Bank conducted over 15,000 hours of training for its 18,000 employees.
Diversity and inclusion bring a variety of approaches and insights into an organisation and foster innovation and creativity. Our bank is committed to meritocracy and inclusion and creates equal opportunities for individuals regardless of gender, ethnicity, background or disability, providing them with the autonomy, tools, and training to succeed.
With at least 56% of KBZ’s 14000 employees and 64%of our leadership team made up of women, they have equal opportunity to participate, lead, and succeed. Our Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) certification recognises our Bank’s long-standing commitment to gender equality, including as a role model and through our support of diversity-related events, programmes and partnerships. KBZ Bank is also a founding member of the Business Coalition for Gender Equality (BCGE), a coalition of companies committed to promoting gender equality in Myanmar’s workplaces. KBZ Bank’s Deputy CEO Daw Nang Lang Kham is BCGE’s nominated Chair for 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.
KBZ Bank supports projects and programmes that develop the skills of Myanmar’s workforce and allow them to contribute more effectively to the country’s economic growth. We also actively support programmes targeted at our youth, on whom the future of Myanmar depends.
Contributions to Parami University
KBZ Bank has donated US$1 million to Parami University to build a 450-seat, state-of-the-art auditorium at its new campus, which will be ready in 2022. The auditorium will serve as a space in which the institution can host conferences, seminars, graduation ceremonies, and other large-scale activities for students, the community, and the public. Ours was one of the largest donations the Parami Liberal Arts & Sciences Foundation received. KBZ Bank has supported Parami University in a number of ways since it opened its doors in 2017, including through a US$20,000 donation in 2018 that went towards providing scholarships and allowances for 33 students, and another US$20,000 in 2019 that went towards full scholarships for four students in the Parami Leadership Program
National Management Degree College Scholarships
In one of the largest programmes supporting higher education in the country, KBZ Bank has donated MMK 72,000,000 towards providing 90 National Management Degree college students with scholarships for the academic year 2019-2020. The scholarships, each worth MMK 800,000, cover school registration, hostel, transportation and meal costs, and as long as the recipients continue to deliver good academic results, will see them through to graduation. KBZ Bank has been supporting these students, who come from low-income households and demonstrate outstanding academic performance, since the 2018-2019 academic year. The programme started with 100 students, 10 of whom have since graduated.
UWCSEA – Making Dreams Come True
Through KBZ Bank, sisters and UWC Southeast Asia alumnae Nang Lang Kham (2007), Nang Kham Noung (2009), and Nang Mo Hom (2014) co-created a scholarship programme to support less privileged students from Myanmar who want to pursue their education at UWC campuses worldwide. Two students have received scholarships to date.
Model ASEAN Meeting Myanmar 2020
Model ASEAN Meeting Myanmar (MAMM) 2020 was the first official national youth diplomacy programme held in Myanmar, and also the first regionally recognised model ASEAN meeting simulation by the ASEAN Foundation in Myanmar. KBZ Bank made a contribution of US$3,000 to the event, which was hosted at the Park Royal Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw on 15 February, 2020.
| SDGs | UN Targets for 2030 | KBZ Bank’s Initiatives (2019) |
| Goal 4: Quality Education | Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning | ● Develop talent and leaders through a Value Centre model, continuous learning programmes, a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, and supporting youth education |
| Goal 5: Gender Equality | Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls | ● Empower women through microfinance ● Diversity and inclusion at the workplace ● Equal opportunity employer |
| Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all | ● Nurture entrepreneurship and support small business owners |
| Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation | ● Create financial connectivity beyond bank branches by introducing products and services that support a Mobile First Myanmar ● Finance national infrastructure projects ● Strengthen institutions ● Power new industries |
| Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities | Reduce inequality within and among countries | ●Promote truly inclusive banking by giving the underserved and unbanked access to digital financial services through KBZPay |
Company
| Description | Period | Unit | Quantity | ||||||
| Total No. of Branches | Apr 22 | No. | 500 | ||||||
| No. of total employees | Apr 22 | Pax | 14000 | ||||||
| No. of ATMs | Apr 22 | No. | 1355 | ||||||
| No. of KBZ Bank Customers | Apr 22 | No. | 5.2 million |
Board of Directors
| Description | Period | Unit | Quantity | ||||||
| No. of Board of Directors | Apr 22 | Pax | 7 | ||||||
| No. of Non-Executive Directors | Apr 22 | Pax | 1 | ||||||
| No. of Executive Director and Director | Apr 22 | Pax | 2 | ||||||
| No. of Independent Directors | Apr 22 | Pax | 4 | ||||||
| No. of Board Committees | Apr 22 | Pax | 3 | ||||||
| No. of BOD who pledged to implement the 4 pillars roadmap with a goal to achieve Service Leadership recognition in ASEAN by 2024. | Apr 22 | Pax | 7 |
Talent Factory
| Description | Period | Unit | Quantity | ||||||
| Employment/ Labour | |||||||||
| Permanent employees | Apr 22 | % | 99 | ||||||
| Full-time contracts employees | Apr 22 | % | 1 | ||||||
| Interns | Apr 22 | % | 0.04 | ||||||
| Retired employees | Oct 20 – Sep 21 | % | 0.04 ( total value MMK 19.7 million) | ||||||
| Special Gratuity | Oct 20 – Sep 21 | % | 0.19 (total value MMK 0.27 billion) | ||||||
| Equal Opportunities/ Diversity & Inclusion | |||||||||
| No. of total employees | Apr 22 | Pax | 14000 | ||||||
| Total female employees | Apr 22 | % | 56 | ||||||
| Total male employees | Apr 22 | % | 44 | ||||||
| No. of employees holding a management position | Apr 22 | Pax | 1630 | ||||||
| (Assistant Manager & above) | |||||||||
| Women holding a management position (Assistant Manager & above) | Apr 22 | % | 64 | ||||||
| Men holding a management position (Assistant Manager & above) | Apr 22 | % | 36 | ||||||
| Employees with Disability | |||||||||
| Total no. of active employees with disability | Apr 22 | Pax | 10 | ||||||
| Physical disability | Apr 22 | Pax | 6 | ||||||
| Hearing disability | Apr 22 | Pax | 4 | ||||||
| Age Group of Employees | |||||||||
| Age Group (18 – 35) | Apr 22 | % | 81% | ||||||
| Age Group (36 – 50) | Apr 22 | % | 17% | ||||||
| Age Group (51 – 60) | Apr 22 | % | 1% | ||||||
| Age Group (above 60) | Apr 22 | % | 0.1% | ||||||
| Turnover | |||||||||
| Voluntary turnover (Total resignations) | Oct 20 – Apr 22 | % | 5 | ||||||
| Involuntary turnover (Total dismissals) | Oct 20 – Apr 22 | % | 4 | ||||||
| Absenteeism | |||||||||
| Total number of hours of absence due to sickness and occupational disease | Oct 20 – Apr 22 | hours | 926,976 hrs | ||||||
| Employee Engagement [ Covid-19 ] | |||||||||
| Formation of COVID-19 Crisis Committee (CCC) | 4 Feb 2020 | ||||||||
| No. of COVID-19 Crisis Committee (CCC) meetings held | 2020 – 2022 | times | 193 | ||||||
| No. of CCC Advisories released for employee awareness on Covid-19 (Social distancing guidelines, travel advisory, Dos and Don’ts for Team Segregation Or Staying Home, New normal working, Mask reminder, etc..) | Apr 20 – onward | count | 40+ | ||||||
| KBZ Care Packages sent for Covid-19 quarantined employees | Apr 20 – Sep 21 | No. | 1,270 (total value MMK 39 million) | ||||||
| Special Meal and Medical Allowance for Covid-19 affected employees | Apr 20 – Dec 20 | pax | 4475 (Total value MMK 0.7 billion) | ||||||
| Insurance Reimbursement for Covid-19 positive cases | Apr 20 – Dec 20 | pax | 378 | ||||||
| Covid-19 Allowances for employees who quarantined and tested positive | Feb 21 – Sep 21 | pax | 3,880 (Total value MMK 0.7 billion) | ||||||
| Covid-19 Leave allowed for each Covid-19 positive employees | Apr 20 – Feb 22 | days | 11 | ||||||
| Feb 22 onwards | days | 5 | |||||||
| Covid-19 Special Leave allow for working parents | Apr 20 – onwards | days | 3 | ||||||
| Mindfulness session & Gratitude journal | Apr 20 ~ Jun 20 | One time with each team | |||||||
| WFH benefits for aged 55 & above | Apr 20 ~ Jun 20 | pax | 88 | ||||||
| Internet package allowances while WFH benefits for Head Office employees (Branch operations were on BCP plan during these times_50%-/50% rotation schedule with full salary before 100% return to office in Dec 21 ) | Apr 20 -Sep 21 | MMK 20,000 per every WFH 15 working days (total value MMK 273 million) | |||||||
| No. of employees who are Fully Vaccinated | as of Apr 2022 | % | 98 (Total value MMK 347 million) | ||||||
| No. of employees who are Not vaccinated (vulnerable and other factors) | as of Apr 2022 | % | 2 | ||||||
| Employee Welfare | |||||||||
| Bonus Paid through Quarterly Team Challenges | Oct 20 – Sep 21 | MMK | 706 million | ||||||
| Webinars for the employee’s mental health (Health talks, Meditation sessions) | Apr 20 – Apr 22 | 10 times (with 100% participation by all employees) | |||||||
| Employee benefits for the employee health (TeleMedicine) | Jul 21 -Apr 22 | times | 1039 (Total value MMK 3.3 million) | ||||||
| Total Insurance claimed for employee health | Dec 20 -Dec 21 | No. of cases | 460 (Total value MMK 0.4 billion) | ||||||
| Dec 21 – Jan 22 | 38 (Total value 20.5 million) | ||||||||
| Feb 22 – Apr 22 | 189 (Total value 119.4 million) | ||||||||
| Employee benefits used for the immediate family members of employee (Health care) | Jan 21 -Dec 21 | times | 1403 (Total value MMK 143,715,000) | ||||||
| Jan 22 – Apr 22 | 609 (Total value MMK 63,570,000) | ||||||||
| Career Development/ Appraisals | |||||||||
| Career Development Opportunities _ No. of total employees in Leadership movements/ talents mobilizations | Jan 20 – Apr 22 | pax | 196 | ||||||
| No. of female employees who were promoted to a leadership role | Jan 20 – Apr 22 | pax | 114 | ||||||
| No. of Male employees who were promoted to a leadership role | Jan 20 – Apr 22 | pax | 82 | ||||||
| No. of Promotion Opportunities provided | Jan 20 – Apr 22 | pax | 5423 | ||||||
| Training | |||||||||
| Total Training hours provided bank-wide | hours | 1,381,243 (522 programs) | |||||||
| Avg. training hours provided per employee | hours | 101.7 | |||||||
| Employees received Security Awareness training | pax | 110 | |||||||
| Employees received Crisis Management Course | % | 100 | |||||||
| % of the employees who pledged to implement the 4 pillars roadmap with a goal to achieve Service Leadership recognition in ASEAN by 2024. | 2021 | % | 98.7 | ||||||
| Completion rate of E-learning training on Code of Conduct | 2021 | % | 99.40 (1 time) |
Social
| Description | Period | Unit | Quantity | ||||||
| Philanthropic expenditure approved by the bank’s Social Purpose & Impact Partnership Committee | FY21 | MMK | 5.3 billion | ||||||
| Philanthropic expenditure for Covid-19 approved by the bank’s Social Purpose & Impact Partnership Committee | FY21 | MMK | 4.49 billion | ||||||
| Underserved Community: Special access to banking services (cash withdrawal) for the senior citizens | Apr 21 – Dec 21 | MMK | 706,500,000 (2,355 Tnx) |
Environment
| Description | Period | Unit | Quantity | ||||||
| Energy Consumption | |||||||||
| Total amount of money used for utility in all branches (water & electricity) | Oct 20 – Sep 21 | MMK | 999,185,692 | ||||||
| Total amount of money used for petrol by KBZ Bank’s vehicles and Generator | Oct 20 – Sep 21 | MMK | 277,164,390 | ||||||
| No. of Plastic Bags | |||||||||
| Total no. of plastic bags used | Oct 20 – Sep 21 | bags | 6,170,000 (Total Value MMK 110,760,000) |
Waste Management at KBZ Bank
KBZ Bank works with Recyglo to conduct waste audits, including
- Identifying, quantifying, and analyzing the composition of the waste generated by the Bank, and ensuring compliance with ISO 14001-2015 requirements, as well as YCDC and SDG goals
- Improving our ability to reduce, reuse, and recycle solid waste
- Discovering new ways to improve the current waste management system
The following data shows the waste audit report of KBZ Bank main office conducted by RecyGlo in 2021. The bank extended its waste segregation practice to 5 more locations in 2022.)
| Total waste generated | Jan 21 – Dec 21 | kg | 825.29 | ||||||
| Total paper waste recycled | Jan 21 – Dec 21 | kg | 770.47 | ||||||
| Total plastic waste recycled | Jan 21 – Dec 21 | kg | 45.64 | ||||||
| Total metal waste recycled | Oct 20 – Sep 21 | kg | 4.73 | ||||||
| Total e-waste recycled | Jan 21 – Dec 21 | kg | 4.45 | ||||||
| GHG emission (CO2-eq/ton per month saved by recycling of recyclable dry wastes. The GHG Emission analysis is performed by using Simulation for quantification of GHG emissions from solid waste management options in a life cycle perspective by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. As there is no simulation for Myanmar at IGES simulation, the neighboring country: Thailand is selected for the analysis. | Oct 20 – Sep 21 | kg | 1494 |