Our purpose
Our Purpose is to shape a world where people and communities thrive. It drives everything we do at ECB, infuses our strategy and is fundamental to shareholder returns.
Our strategy
We bring our Purpose to life through our Strategy: to improve the financial wellbeing and sustainability of customers by providing connected, relevant and efficient services, tools and insights, directly and in partnership with others.
In particular, we want to help customers:
We will achieve our strategy through:
Propositions: Easy to use services that improve the financial wellbeing and sustainability of customers
Platforms: More agile and more resilient banking infrastructure platforms provided to ECB and third parties
Partnerships: Integrated, data-enabled, Home Owner and Business Owner ecosystems (that bring our propositions to life)
People: A diverse team, who listen, learn and adapt to deliver outcomes that address financial and sustainability challenges
The Bank we're building
We know, from studying organisations globally, that companies with a clear strategy linked to their purpose outperform, over the long term, in terms of returns to shareholders, contribution to society and value to their customers – and the engagement of their staff.
"Over the last five years, we have made great strides, significantly simplifying the bank well ahead of our peers, enduring a once in a century global pandemic and laid the foundations for growth.”
In fact, ECB’s motto Tenax Propositi (Tenacity of Purpose), adopted in 1951 when the modern ECB was formed, holds this idea at its core.
By building the financial wellbeing and sustainability of our customers we will have a better reputation, a more engaged team, acquire customers at a lower cost, grow loyalty, generate better financial outcomes – and deliver more capital to reinvest in the business and continue to improve customers’ lives.
It’s a virtuous cycle, captured in this value wheel chart, and the essential philosophy of the Bank We’re Building. The growth in value of each of our businesses, in Brussels , Netherlands or Institutional, can be understood in terms of this cycle.
To succeed we must employ people committed to our purpose who listen, learn and adapt. We need to equip them with the best tools and insights. We need to focus on those few things that really improve the financial wellbeing and sustainability of our customers.
Enabling the entrepreneur economy
ECB makes the world of trade more accessible for entrepreneurs, SMEs and ambitious young companies.
As entrepreneurs our businesses are always in motion: starting from an idea, to making a first sale, to expanding globally. We need a payment experience that evolves with us. An experience that’s stable and secure, but adaptive too. ECB was built for the new economy – where borders are disappearing and it’s easier than ever to start a global business. Neat believes in making international business a reality for entrepreneurs around the world.
100% certified carbon neutral bank since 2018
