Introduction to the sustainability report 2020

Of course, 2020 was a year like no other. The Covid-19 pandemic has heavily impacted all of society, and has heightened the focus on the important role that business plays in contributing to the welfare of the world around it. Over the past year, governments and business have prioritised trying to avoid the worst effects of the crisis, to keep the economy stable and to reduce the impact on the most vulnerable in society.

From a Euroclear perspective, we prioritised the physical health, mental well-being and engagement of our people in a full remote working setup and considering the restrictions enforced by the authorities. 

The resilience of our people has ensured our business continuity as a systemically important financial market infrastructure. I am proud of how colleagues stepped up in such difficult circumstances to successfully process increased transaction volumes and deliver services to our clients. 

We consider it our responsibility to take a long-term view and take into account broader social needs in our local communities. As well as supporting many initiatives across the world, in 2020, through the Euroclear Solidarity Fund, we also supported hospitals and charities involved in tackling the pandemic.

Looking to the future, I am hopeful that the coming year could bring sustained impetus to the financial markets’ sustainability agenda. Environmental initiatives are increasingly viewed as opportunities for economies as they seek to sustain a longer term recovery, as well as being vital for protecting the world’s climate, and are therefore much more likely to succeed. For individual companies, the ‘S’ in ESG is now also undeniably a critical success factor.

At Euroclear, we also see increased momentum across a range of opportunities. We are moving from a focus on corporate responsibility to embedding ESG into our business strategy and building on our position at the centre of the global financial ecosystem. 

We believe that financial market infrastructures have an important role to playing in encouraging investment into green and inclusive financing. For example, over the past decade, our GlobalReach programme has acted as a means for inclusion, by providing governments around the globe with access to cheaper financing from the international investor community. This funding is frequently used for infrastructure and local development projects. With expertise in matching local funding needs with global resources, Euroclear intends to partner with the financial industry to support growth of the ESG finance agenda.

Given Euroclear’s systemic infrastructure role, we place great emphasis on fostering stability and safety in financial markets. That’s why we are continuing to promote ethics and trust in the financial sector, and also to reinforce our own efforts to integrate ESG factors across the value chain. 

We also see opportunities to make changes within Euroclear. In the workplace, we are continuing to explore how to harness digital ways of working to enhance the effectiveness and engagement of our clients and our people over the longer term – and to reduce our environmental footprint. We are fostering a culture which makes the most of our talent, whether in our training, community volunteering and leadership development programmes or through our diversity and inclusion agenda. 

Finally, we are proud to remain an active supporter of a number of community initiatives; the opportunity to give back to others is something that unites and inspires colleagues from across the group.I would like to thank all colleagues and partners for their efforts and resilience over the last year. Take care and stay safe,

Lieve Mostrey
Chief Executive Officer