Building A Global Brand To Build The #BankingOnValues Movement

We are glad to share this note from Dr. Marcos Eguiguren, Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) Executive Director. He explains the vision of the GABV.

It is interesting to highlight some links with other movements such as Economy for the Common Good (ECG). For instance, Marcos Eguiguren argues that banks should “bank by Thinking People Before Profit” in the same way that ECG says that common good should be before profit. Moreover, GABV foster knowledge exchange “by developing programmes to train new values-based banking leaders to improve the capabilities of their organisations through cooperation and shared learning rather than through competition”.

This is another inspiring connection with the movement created by Christian Felber, as ECG advocates that cooperation should replace competition in our economic system.

A Note From Dr. Marcos Eguiguren, GABV Executive Director

During the GABV Annual Meeting in Amsterdam this year, members approved the GABV2020 Strategy. This marked an important milestone for our Alliance; one that sees us take a significant next step in playing a more influential role in banking and in society. This is the long-term ambition of the Global Alliance and while is may have challenges, we are already successfully moving towards a new way of understanding our role as a movement of banks and banking cooperatives that are brave enough to change banking for the better.

Time For Focus

There are, of course, some pivotal elements in our new strategic direction that are obvious. They revolve around the need for:

Growth: To identify all banks across five continents-leaders in their respective markets that bank by Thinking People Before Profit and operate under the Principles of Sustainable Banking. We are actively inviting them to be a part of this family of change makers.
Knowledge exchange: Amongst Alliance members and by developing programmes to train new values-based banking leaders to improve the capabilities of their organisations through cooperation and shared learning rather than through competition.
Increased visibility: Of all Alliance members and the #BankingOnValues movement we represent. We’re ready to amplify what we do and show the world that there’s a better way of leveraging the role of money in society. As well as demonstrating the critical role banking and finance can and should play in this.

Time To Begin Building A Global Brand

But there is also something implied in the GABV2020 Strategy that is of paramount importance and it deserves to be called out. It will help us achieve our ultimate goal of being a role model to influence banking for the better. And it will help members clearly differentiate themselves from others in their regions, in order to grow their business and therefore their impact and reach. We are talking about the need, in the long term, to build a global brand.

The four elements of the GABV2020 Strategy* (growth, knowledge exchange, visibility and brand) are closely linked to each other and our programmes/initiatives e.g. Scorecard, SFRE Fund, Communities of Practice, and Leadership Academy. Building a global brand is a reasonable consequence of the work that has been done in the past and is a must if we want to increase our influence.

Leveraging each members’ successful individual brands with a global, connected and coordinated brand, is the best way to raise our collective voices. We have an opportunity to use this global voice to call on policy makers, regulators and many other values-based bankers to join forces and change finance by financing change!

It’s More Than A Logo

But a brand is not just a logo on our stationary or a tab on our web site. Sharing a common brand requires time, lots of in-depth discussions and a careful approach. Most of the pillars are already in place: the Principles of Sustainable Banking, the Berlin Declaration, the Scorecard, the governance model of the GABV, and the GABV Communications Tool Kit** (which has been shared with Marketing and Communications contacts in every member organisation, in addition to CEOs, since March). However this is only the beginning.

Movement Building Begins With Small Actions

A movement normally aims to challenge the status quo and this is what the GABV is about; a movement of banking change makers dedicated to positive change in the world of finance. Building a global brand is going to be a great step towards success.

So let’s start this month by collectively amplifying our thoughts, hopes and dreams of a better banking world through the #BankingOnValues campaign. We need your support, and it requires you taking some small but consistent steps as banking leaders and change makers to like, share, and support the international campaign.

Thank you!