Sustainability

In summer 2021, Swedbank launched its awareness-raising project ‘17’. The project invited the public to discover the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while completing interactive tests related to specific SDGs. Swedbank and partners – Vilnius city municipality, the largest Lithuanian NGOs, public institutions, and Lithuania’s largest news portal, DELFI – presented 17 unique SDG-related objects in the centre of Vilnius where visitors could discover them via an app, collect points and win sustainable prizes.

Swedbank maintains a long-term partnership with the National Food Bank. Being the main supporter of this NGO, Swedbank both initiates and sustains various climate change- and food waste-related projects.

At the end of 2020, Swedbank implemented a food waste awareness-raising campaign called Foodprint, along with its long-term social partner, Food Bank, and prominent young Lithuanian artist Jolita Vaitkutė. The campaign won the award for Lithuania’s best sponsorship campaign at the 2021 Lithuanian PR Impact Awards.

Swedbank’s initiative "We care" encourages our employees to volunteer. As of summer 2021, the bank’s employees spent more than 50,000 hours working in various local environmental and sustainability initiatives, at Food Bank, animal shelters and local NGOs, as well as contributing to other good causes. These volunteering efforts were recognised as the best communication project in the Baltics at the European Excellence Awards 2020.

Initiatives in society

Swedbank is the main partner and an active participant in the annual discussion festival Butent!. The bank emphasises the topics of entrepreneurship, sustainability, gender equality and financial education, among others. Swedbank is also the main partner of the international human rights documentary film festival Inconvenient films, which takes place across various cities and towns in Lithuania. It is the biggest documentary film festival in Lithuania, and the only film festival of its kind in the Baltic states.

Swedbank continues to support and maintain a tight partnership with National Equality and Diversity Awards. This is an annual ceremony created to reward individuals, organisations, projects and initiatives in the field of equality and diversity. Putting various social groups (age, religion, ethnicity, gender and more) into the spotlight, the event shows support, unity and solidarity all together and empowers communities to act and participate. Being the main sponsor, Swedbank was involved in the event-related activities as well as activations and publicity.

Swedbank is a long-term partner and participant in the Baltic Pride festival. This is an international event that took place in Vilnius for the fifth time. Celebrating equality, raising awareness for human rights and showing solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, Baltic Pride is a unique event that attracted thousands of people. The Swedbank team also actively participated in the pride-related activities, including the main event - the march for equality.

Swedbank constantly raises awareness surrounding equality topics in both the media and public life. In 2018, Swedbank launched a national social campaign called Green Light, which has been acknowledged as one of the most important gender equality campaigns in recent years. Swedbank is also an active member of Lithuania Diversity Charter.

Financial education

Financial education is one of the core CSR activities for Swedbank in Lithuania. Swedbank opened Finance Laboratories in Vilnius and Klaipėda - unique places for financial education. Schoolchildren and students are invited to visit and learn about the main principles of economics and personal finances using innovative tech, gamification, and relatable daily-life examples.

The Finance Laboratories also organise financial education lessons (both live and online) for schoolchildren and publish the e-magazine "Ekonomikos klasė". Additionally, their dedicated team manages the website www.finansulaboratorija.lt, with access to a lot of additional information on financial literacy for everyone, including video lessons, tests, games, books and other related information.

The Laboratory published Lithuania’s first-ever book on financial education for children, which is called "Pinigai ir kiti Gilučių šeimos reikalai". Released in September 2020, It was distributed to all Lithuanian school libraries and became a best-selling title. The book received four local and international awards for corporate social responsibility.

In August 2021, the Laboratory also published Lithuania’s first-ever book on financial education for teens, which is called “Pradėk dabar: finansinis gidas paaugliams”. It is the first guide for all young people who want to manage money wisely and responsibly, learn how to save, invest, take care of their career or even start their own business.

Swedbank organised the first-ever Largest Remote Lesson in Lithuania, “Mokonomika”. The huge success of the first event was followed by even better results the second year in a row. In 2021 "Mokonomika" was streamed to 225,000 people across the country and in 2022 the number of viewers rocketed to 400,000. Along with huge support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, in 2022 "Mokonomika" was granted the patronage of the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO and joined forces with National Radio and Television. “Mokonomika” was widely recognised as one of the best corporate responsibility projects in Lithuania in recent years and received 12 local and international awards.

Since 2009, Swedbank’s Institute of Finances has been conducting research, providing insights and actively promoting sustainable personal financial habits across Lithuanian society.

In 2020, the Institute launched a financial-anxiety awareness campaign called I Am Calm. Along with scientists from Vilnius Technical University and prominent Lithuanian contemporary composer Paulius Kilbauskas, a special music album for emotional health and a unique Financial IQ test were released and welcomed by the public.

Swedbank also actively participates in large nationwide educational projects, such as Millennium Kids Academy.

Entrepreneurship

The small business strengthening community Everyone Can continues to help Lithuanian small businesses to grow and improve faster. Around 3,000 small businesses are members of this community.

In 2021 Everyone Can - The Small Business Academy was launched. Its aim is, through mentorship, open lectures and business strategy programmes, to educate small business owners so they can grow their businesses in a more strategic way. Furthermore, Swedbank saw it as an opportunity to share valuable business development lessons with the public through the experience and insights of the Academy participants.

In February 2022, for the third year in a row Swedbank was the main partner of the largest business conference in Lithuania – Lithuanian Business Forum, and focused on sustainability topics.

ROCKIT, the key fintech hub in Lithuania, is powered by Swedbank. Here, top creators and founders build the future of financial technologies and the next generation of sustainable innovations.

Swedbank is an active member of the Lithuanian association of responsible business.