HSBC Group is the overall winner of the first of the UK’s Financial Times Sustainable Banking awards. The award, recognising the bank’s leadership in integrating social, environmental and business objectives into its operations, saw HSBC come out top from a total of 49 financial services companies.

“HSBC is pleased to be awarded the Sustainable Bank of the Year award,” said HSBC Holdings Ltd head of group sustainable development Jon Williams.

“This recognises the outstanding contribution of employees, clients and partners across the world in meeting HSBC’s sustainability goals. It also sets a new standard by which future performance will be measured,” he said.

“Sustainable banking means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the well-being of future generations. This means that we take account of how our business affects society and the planet when making our commercial decisions.

“This approach is at the heart of HSBC’s corporate social responsibility and is a vital part of the HSBC brand. It’s something to which everyone at HSBC can contribute,” said Mr Williams.

During the presentation of the awards, HSBC also received a commendation for excellence in the Sustainable Deal of the Year category for a project finance deal to provide 1,800 low emission buses to Santiago, Chile.

“Winning awards is always great, but in this case the most important thing is that it highlights the fact that when HSBC says it cares about sustainable development, it means it. In Malta, as in London, HSBC is committed to meeting the environmental and social challenges that face communities where it operates,” said HSBC Bank Malta’s chief executive officer Shaun Wallis.