In addition to providing quality services, Budapest Bank works to promote social harmony through the support and implementation of charitable programs. Going beyond conventional donations, as a responsible corporation we operate a complex program of charitable activities for those in need, with whom we hope to develop long-term relationships.

The pillars of Budapest Bank’s CSR activities: are two main foundations, voluntary charity work; supporting acknowledged public programs with participation; and responsibility towards our employees.   
A strategic commitment to supporting the sport of handball is another important component of our corporate presence in the society.

Going beyond Budapest Bank's financial support, in the spirit of our corporate culture we encourage our employees to participate in charity campaigns aimed at community development through volunteerism and personal effort. The success of our CSR efforts and the motivation of our employees are well demonstrated by the fact that each year several hundred of our employees participate in our series of events entitled ‘The Day of Care’, where our colleagues donate thousands of voluntary hours to improving their immediate environment.

Aside from voluntary work, participation in other charity programs has become a tradition at the bank. Our cooperation with non-profit organizations (e.g. Junior Achievement Magyarország (JAM);  United Way Hungary) stretches back many years. As part of years of cooperation with the Hungarian Red Cross, twice a year we organize blood donation drives at our headquarters, where on average over 100 employees volunteer to donate blood. The bank also supports emergency care for babies born prematurely in Hungary: in the past few years it has donated tens of millions of forints to the Peter Cerny Foundation.

The social commitment of the bank and its clients is also seen in the development of our products. Our ‘Lady credit card’, available since 2005, is a case in point: for each HUF 1,000 purchase made with a ‘Lady credit card’, the Bank donates HUF 1 to the Peter Cerny Foundation. As part of the program, in recent years we have contributed an annual average of HUF 3 million to the foundation, which plays a crucial role in the rescue and transportation of prematurely born babies in Hungary. In addition, in the winter of 2008, the bank supported and encouraged the organization by donating an ambulance with state-of-the-art equipment, and in 2009 also helped the Foundation’s work by donating the equipment of a new ambulance car

Budapest Bank's corporate citizenship program, including the operation of its foundations, focuses on the protection and enhancement of cultural and spiritual values, support of the physically disabled and socially disadvantaged, and improvement of Hungarian financial culture and educational standards.

To this end, between 1989 and 1992, Budapest Bank supported the establishment of 61 foundations working for a variety of causes, most of which operate outside Budapest. Budapest Bank's two largest independent foundations in operation since 1991 - the “Budapest Bank for Budapest” Foundation and the “Budapest Bank for Education and Hungarian Financial Culture” Foundation - provide funds through a grant system. Under the guidance of a panel of recognized professionals, by 2010 the two foundations evaluated over 21,000 applications, providing assistance of nearly HUF 754 million to 3,100 successful applicants.

To Foundations page

As part of our extensive charity work, we have a commitment to supporting local communities. Volunteer work performed by our employees is one of the cornerstones of our corporate social responsibility. Within the framework of our one-day “Care” campaigns each spring and fall, we volunteer thousands of working hours to improving our environment, refurbishing kindergartens, schools, playgrounds and public parks across the country.

"The Day of Care"

Each spring and fall, several hundred Budapest Bank employees and their family members participate in voluntary campaigns initiated and organized by our colleagues. The programs have the primary goals of improving living conditions for children, protecting the environment, and promoting awareness of environmental issues. In several dozen locations nationwide, we participate in renovating the buildings of welfare and educational institutions, upgrading playgrounds, and developing public parks. Rather than mere cash donations, here the emphasis is on providing personal care and thousands of voluntary working hours.

Békéscsaba

As close to one-sixth of our employees work at the Békéscsaba Bank Operations Center, the city and the region play a central role in our corporate social responsibility program. The center employs several hundred people in a modern and well-equipped environment, and actively contributes to the economic development of Békéscsaba and its surroundings. The bank also contributes to education in the city and the region, as well as to local sport and cultural life.

On the first anniversary of our operation, in 2007 we provided assistance to three local educational institutions. As part of this initiative, we signed a cooperation agreement with Tessedik Sámuel College, whereby an audio-visual classroom was installed with our support. The introduction of this special information communication technology allows students to attend lectures in real time presented at universities anywhere in the world, or to replay them later.
In the fall of 2007, the bank contributed a donation of HUF 550,000 to a collection drive organized to benefit the Munkácsy Museum, which was aimed at acquiring a painting by Mihály Munkácsy never before seen by the general public.

As part of our nationwide voluntary campaign dubbed “The Day of Caring”, in October 2008 some 190 employees of the Békéscsaba Center participated in a clean-up of city parks and playgrounds, while in the autumn of 2009 staff members of our Békéscsaba branch planted bushes and tidied up the grounds around a local kindergarten.

Aside from sponsoring cultural events and participating in the bank's nationwide voluntary campaigns, the Bank Operations Center actively supports local sports and sponsors the city's handball, soccer and volleyball teams.

Budapest Bank owes its outstanding achievements and successes mainly to the expertise and perseverance of its employees and their commitment to shared values. We strive to improve the skills and motivation of our colleagues by creating a pleasant working environment and running a well-structured organization.

Equal opportunities, welcoming workplace

Supporting diversity and flexibility is an integral element of the bank's organizational culture and value system. For its employees, Budapest Bank provides a working environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed according to his or her abilities and performance, regardless of age, gender or ethnic origin. 
Close to half of our colleagues work under a flexible working schedule, and within this some 10 percent work under some special arrangement, performing their duties part time, in shared positions, in a shortened work week, or from home.
The creation of equal opportunities in the workplace for various social groups is central to our business development. In this spirit, in its business practices Budapest Bank pays special attention to the role of women in the workplace, their career development opportunities, and ensuring the integration of women in the labor market.

Corporate ombudsman/ ombudswoman

As at our parent company, the enforcement of ethical standards at the bank is overseen by a corporate ombudsman. Guaranteeing employees’ anonymity, the impartial ombudsman provides guidance on ethical questions concerning business conduct and on situations perceived as sensitive.
To guarantee equal representation and balance, the position is jointly filled by a female and a male employee. We have appointed widely known and respected colleagues whose role at the company is seen as exemplary, whom colleagues may contact with confidence in situations they deem troubling. As impartial mediators, our ombudspersons provide support and guidance while guaranteeing the employees concerned full anonymity.

Women for Women - GE's Women's Network in Budapest Bank

The GE Women’s Network offers professional and career development opportunities for women working at GE, as well as the chance for GE to promote an increasing number of women to key management positions. The organization was established in the United States in 1997, since when it has attracted around 39,000 members in over 100 countries worldwide. Taking the organization as their model, in 2000 female managers at Budapest Bank established the Budapest Bank Women for Women Network. The network provides an efficient information exchange, education, training, professional programs and networking opportunities for its members. In addition to the objectives of the global organization and keeping members’ individual initiatives in the foreground, the Budapest Bank Women for Women Network also assists non-profit organizations. Through its own initiative, for example, in 2007 it contributed HUF 450,000 to assist the functioning of the LEA (a foundation assisting young single mothers in crisis). By maintaining contacts and collecting donations, it also helps the reintegration into the job market of women who have undergone changes in their living situation.

Health protection, healthy lifestyle

The protection of health and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle play an important role in the life of the bank. In this spirit, we regularly take part in events organized by GE affiliates and non-profit organizations, for example the “Pink Bridge Health Walk” or the “Run for Cancer Research.” Based on years of cooperation with the Hungarian Red Cross, we organize blood donation drives twice yearly at the bank’s headquarters, where on average over 100 employees volunteer to donate blood.

Budapest Bank's cooperation with United Way's Hungarian chapter, the Resource Foundation, stretches back many years in the field of support for voluntary welfare, healthcare, educational and youth programs.

In 2008, Budapest Bank employee Tímea Pintér was the face of United Way's “Issue of the Year” campaign. As part of the “Issue of the Year” initiative in 2008, United Way Hungary aimed to support hospital wards through purchasing equipment and making funds available for medical instruments used in treating young accident victims. Moreover, in 2008 it supported the work of civil organizations that provide needed services for accident victims in hospital wards or at home that help facilitate the recovery of injured children.

In addition to periodical physical checkups, Budapest Bank offers its employees two screening test packages: general and manager screening. Our annual family and sports days are regularly supplemented by health programs (the secrets of healthy cuisine, office massage, and medical screening with accompanying consulting).

Aside from preserving their health, we also provide our employees opportunities for physical exercise: we support workers’ sporting activities in leisure time and participation in sporting competitions with other financial institutions both in Hungary and abroad. For employees with a shared preference for specific sporting disciplines, we arrange access to the services of various sports facilities at a discount. We regularly participate in sporting competitions in and outside Budapest, for example BSI events, races around Lake Balaton, and Ironman competitions.

Budapest Bank plays an active role in promoting Hungarian sport life.  We focus our nationwide sponsorship program primarily on handball, especially the Men’s Premier Handball League, for which Budapest Bank is the title sponsor. It is important to us that our involvement increases the popularity of the sport and contributes to the success of the teams.  Accordingly, in addition to being main sponsor for the men’s championship, we also support major handball events and several individual men’s and women’s handball teams. Each year we award the best players and coaches in a number of categories based upon votes from fans, and we also reward the season’s most outstanding sport journalist, chosen by sport professionals.

By sponsoring handball, we stand behind a successful, spectacular and exciting sport that the public loves and can easily identify with.  The achievements of Hungarian handball, the professionalism of the teams and the enthusiasm of the fans - including our clients -, prove to us that our support is well placed. We are very proud to be the sponsor of this sport and of the accomplishments of the teams we support.