Community service, charity and sponsorship

Bank Pekao’s charitable activity is carried out mainly through the Pekao S.A. Bank Foundation named after doctor Marian Kanton. In addition to the activity carried out through this agency, the Bank directly cooperates with selected public benefit organizations to which it makes donations to support their statutory activity. The key internal regulation of the Bank defining the guidelines in this area are the Rules for granting donations and sponsorship by Bank Polska Kasa Opieki Spółka Akcyjna. The regulation included, among others, appointing a sponsorship and donation committee supporting the Bank’s Management Board in the process of making decisions by the Bank regarding involvement in sponsorship projects or granting donations by the Bank. Pursuant to the applicable Anti-Corruption Policy in the Pekao Group, prior to making a donation or entering into a sponsorship agreement, a risk analysis (due diligence) is conducted to minimize corruption and reputation risks.

The policy pursued by the Bank and Pekao Group in the area of sponsoring and charity work is aimed at strengthening the image of the Bank and Pekao Group companies as open and modern institutions, close to customers and the communities in which the Bank and Pekao Group operate. In the charity and sponsorship area, there is no single policy at the Pekao Group level. Several Pekao Group companies have implemented donation and CSR policies, e.g. Pekao Factoring has an internal Social and Sponsorship Policy and Pekao TFI has a Charitable Activities Policy.

In 2021, analogically to 2020, due to the ongoing global pandemic caused by the coronavirus, the activities of Bank Pekao as part of sponsorship and charity activities were adjusted to the national requirements and restrictions set by the Polish government and banking supervision. Nevertheless, in 2021, after a one-year break due to the pandemic, Bank Pekao S.A. could once again be the title sponsor of one of the biggest tennis tournaments in Poland – Pekao Szczecin. The greatest involvement in sport, however, was the establishment of cooperation with the Polish Basketball Association (PZKosz) and the Polish Basketball League S.A. (PLK). Bank Pekao has thus become a sponsor of the Polish National Basketball Team and the Polish National Wheelchair Basketball Team as well as of league games. As an official sponsor, the Bank is present at all levels of the games supervised by PZKosz and PLK.

Pekao Leasing has become involved in sponsoring the „Land of the river Bug” Triathlon, a sports event aimed at supporting people with disabilities. Income from entry fees and sponsor contributions was allocated for sheltered housing, which will provide disabled people with conditions for independent living.

The statutory goals of the Foundation include supporting activities in the field of:

A pioneering activity on the market of financial institutions in 2021 was the opening of the virtual Art Gallery of Bank Pekao S.A. and the publication of an album containing photos of the most important works. The collection of almost 1,200 valuable exhibits includes works of art by early artists such as Jan Matejko, Stanislaw Wyspianski, Wojciech Kossak, Julian Falat, Jozef Mehoffer and Zygmunt Waliszewski, as well as works by contemporary artists such as Tadeusz Dominik, Jerzy Nowosielski, Jerzy Duda-Gracz, Franciszek Starowieyski and Bożenna Biskupska. The collection also includes sculptures and furniture, lamps and clocks – from the 19th and 20th centuries. The symbolic opening of the virtual gallery was accompanied by the donation of two items from the Bank’s collection with an estimated value of PLN 400 thousand to the collections of the Royal Castle Museum and the National Museum in Warsaw. The Museum at the Royal Castle received a 16th-century tapestry by Cornelis de Ronde, entitled „The abduction of Helen”, while the National Museum in Warsaw was given a silver casket for jewellery from the beginning of the 18th century made by Daniel Friedrich von Mylius. Bank Pekao has also established cooperation with the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, which produces films promoting works of art from the collection. The first was the report from the exhibition at the William Morris Gallery in London, where, thanks to the cooperation with the National Museum in Krakow, the works of Young Poland artists were shown for the first time on such a large scale. This particular exhibition featured Stanisław Wyspiański’s „Pansies” from the Bank’s collection.

For many years the Bank has been consistently involved in the protection of Polish bisons. The Bank’s support goes towards, among others, population diversification and development, herd care, and subsidizing scientific and educational projects that promote the conservation of this exceptional and unique endangered species. For two decades, Pekao Bank has been supporting the implementation of statutory tasks of the Białowieża National Park as a sponsor and partner of the park. The funds provided by the Bank cover some of the park’s expenses for monitoring bison in the wilderness, purchasing winter food, and winter inventories. Thanks to the support of Bank Pekao, it was possible to modernize the Bison Show Reserve – the most visited tourist facility in the Białowieża National Park and to equip the educational pavilion, which is part of it. The Bank also supports the activities of other institutions that provide care for European bison, including, among others, the European Bison Reservation in Pszczyna. The facility hosts nature lessons, and there is a chance to learn about the bison family and other animal species during the walk. Another place where the Bank directs its financial aid is the Warsaw Zoological Garden. Pekao donates funds to the Panda Foundation, which operates at the facility and helps to care for the Warsaw herd of nine European bison.

Bank Pekao and the Pekao Group companies, as responsible organizations and active participants in social life, also follow the guidelines of the „Code of Best Practice for WSE Listed Companies 2021” issued by the Warsaw Stock Exchange in 2021, including rule 1.5 regarding charity and sponsorship activities. In 2021, the Pekao Group carried out a number of initiatives to support culture, sport, charity institutions, the media, and social organizations. As a rule, Pekao Group does not support trade unions and political parties through sponsoring or charity activities. The table below presents the expenses incurred in this respect in 2021, along with the distinction of key initiatives. The expenditure of the Bank and Pekao Group companies according to the areas included in Recommendation 1.5 WSE DPSN 2021 (gross):

• Culture support: 697 thousand PLN, including
  • donation to the Royal Castle
• Sports Support: 2,421 thousand PLN, including
  • Sponsorship of the Polish Basketball League
  • Sponsorship of the Pekao Szczecin Open tennis tournament
• Support for charitable institutions
• Support for public benefit organizations
• Support for social organizations: 411 thousand PLN, including
  • Support for the protection of bison species
• Media support: 751 thousand PLN, including
  • A number of activities related to galas and plebiscites as well as economic discussions such as the eForum of „Parkiet” and „Rzeczpospolita”
• Support for trade unions – PLN 0.