Annual Report and Sustainability Report 2019
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Annual Report and Sustainability Report 2019 Annual Report Management Letter 7 Mission and Vision 10 Institutional Values 11 Recognition 12 Corporate Governance 13 Chief Executive Officers, subsidiaries 14 and affiliates, strategic alliances and foundation Financial Group companies and institutions 16 in the country Financial group companies and institutions 22 abroad Strategic Alliances 28 Report to shareholders 31 Pichincha Financial Group 54 Banco Pichincha 56 Sustainability Report Our Institutional Memory 64 Fair and diverse labor practices 78 Responsible finance 92 Safety, health and environment 124 Management Letter Dear Shareholders: 2019 was a year of economic slowdown. An agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), reached at the beginning of the year, caused optimism among local and international economic agents, based on the possibility that Ecuador will finally be able to implement a program that corrects the fiscal deficit and improves its competitiveness. Optimism gradually declined given the evidence that the Government does not have sufficient political capital to carry out the necessary actions to achieve the objectives of the agreement. Last October, once President Lenin Moreno announced the elimination of the subsidy for extra gasoline and diesel, among other measures, a part of the population rose in protest, which affected the normal development of several important productive activities for 15 days. This protest turned into a violent movement with various acts of vandalism, apparently promoted by political interests, which generated not only chaos in society, but also a severe economic loss and an unquantifiable damage to the image of the country. In the end, the government reversed the measures, and since then it has barely managed to implement slowly certain less impactful adjustments. Despite what happened, the country maintains the agreement with the IMF, in less demanding conditions. According to the latest estimates by the Central Bank of Ecuador (ECB), the Ecuadorian economy reduced its growth rate from 1.3% in 2018 to –0.1% in 2019 1 . This deceleration was mainly due to lower government spending in its effort to correct the fiscal imbalance. Despite this, the deficit of the non-financial public sector (SPNF) with respect to GDP went from -1.2% in 2018 to a small surplus of 0.2% GDP between January-October 2019. Forecasts of the BCE and IMF are to achieve a modest surplus of 0.7% in 2020. Against this background, the challenge for the Government is now more complex in its genuine attempt to stabilize the Ecuadorian economy and boost development, for which it should even implement the required measures within a very weak political environment. On the competitive side, a constant appreciation of the dollar and a very limited progress in its labor reforms place Ecuador as an expensive country in the region. The trade balance continues to depend largely on the price of oil, which had an average value lower than in 2018. Inflation close to zero has mitigated, to a certain extent, the appreciation of the dollar in terms of competitiveness. The balance of payments has been financed with greater international debt, both from the Government and the private sector. International reserves, on the other hand, have ranged between $3,000 and $5billion, mainly fueled by the net disbursements of the aforementioned debt. Low inflation has generated significantly high real interest rates. Competition for deposits in the financial system, which includes private banks and savings and credit cooperatives, has generated a significant increase in passive rates that have risen from 5.43% in December 2018 to 6.17% in December 2019.2 Deposits in the banking system grew 7.7% in 2019, mainly due to time deposits, which makes the cost of system funds more expensive. At the same time, growth in credit placement was reduced from 11.1% in 2018 to 9.9% in 2019. 1 Central Bank of Ecuador forecast for 2019. Annual report 2019 5 Banco Pichincha C. A. maintains its leadership in the Ecuadorian banking system, with 26.7% participation in obligations to the public and 25.8% in the loan portfolio. Net profits in 2019 reached $130.6 million, which represented an increase of 9.1% compared to 2018 profits, a great result considering the economic circumstances described, and the fact that 2019 was a year of investment for the Bank in the transformation process it is experiencing. Solvency, liquidity, profitability and credit coverage levels remain solid. The Bank has successfully completed its first year of transformation. With the support of the international consulting firm Mckinsey, it has completed in this period, 239 initiatives that cover all areas of the organization, from business processes, customer service and risk management, to the search for efficiencies in supply and operations. The transformation, oriented towards the vision “Be the largest and the best bank”, is leveraged on four strategic pillars defined by the institution: offering the best customer experience, being simpler and more efficient, performing inclusive and sustainable management, and develop the best human team. Banco Pichincha C. A. has clearly stated its objective of financial inclusion, which is to facilitate access to our products and services to all segments of the Ecuadorian population, with special emphasis on the most vulnerable. With this objective, we seek to improve the quality of life of citizens, their families and their businesses, positively affecting the environment and contributing to the goals proposed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Attention to the Microenterprise segment is the best example of our interest in fulfilling the purpose of financial inclusion. Another important element in this context is the alliance with Rabobank3 that will promote the development of value chains associated with the agricultural sector in the country. The environmental crisis we are going through forces us to promote urgent protection principles and practices. As the largest Bank in the country, we have the responsibility to lead by example and, for this reason, we developed the BIO concept “We are a bank that gives life”, which involves three lines of action: BIO products, BIO efficiency and BIO management. Through these axes, we develop initiatives focused on our collaborators, suppliers and clients, which seek to encourage the conscious use of natural resources and sustainable financing with a differentiating value. Thus, in 2019 we made history by contributing to the development of the country with the first issuance of green bonds in the stock market. This will make it possible to promote biocredits for sustainable construction, energy efficiency or environmental investment projects. We are the first issuer of a green bond in Ecuador, and we have already placed an amount of $150 million In 2019, several Ecuadorian and foreign entities recognized the work of Banco Pichincha and its support for Ecuadorian society: • The Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO) recognized our Bank’s support for women-run businesses in Ecuador. 2 Corresponds to the reference rate of BCE. 3 European bank, world leader in the agricultural segment. 6 Annual report 2019 • The Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito recognized our good practices of inclusion and social responsibility. • The Mexican Center for Philanthropy (Cemefi) presented Banco Pichincha with the distinctive of a company committed to corporate social responsibility in Latin America. • Women for Women Ecuador, the Chamber of Industry and Production and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) awarded a second place among 61 national and multinational organizations in the third edition of the “Talent has no gender” Award, which recognizes business practices that promote equality gender as well as the empowerment of women. • The International Finance Corporation (IFC) awarded Banco Pichincha as the best regional bank for the operations granted by the institution to short-term financial institutions abroad with IFC guarantee. Banco Pichincha C. A. maintains the AAA rating, the highest awarded to entities in the Ecuadorian financial system. This rating recognizes the financial strength of our entity and its outstanding track record of solidity, our excellent reputation in the environment, access to natural money markets, as well as our clear prospects for profitability. A more successful exercise with satisfaction to the 113 years of the institutional foundation. We extend the reiterated thanks to our protector, the Virgin “Dolorosa del Colegio”, to the thousands of clients, shareholders, and employees that make this great organization possible; institution that also finds, in its necessary renovation, the best stimulus to guarantee the best future for Ecuadorian society. Quito, March 17, 2020 Antonio Acosta Espinosa Santiago Bayas Paredes Presidente Gerente General Annual report 2019 7 Purpose inspire and reward the trust. Vision Strategic pillars Be the largest and the best bank. Offering the best 1 experience to the client. Transforming ourselves to be 2 simpler and more efficient. Developing the best human 3 team. Carrying out inclusive and 4 sustainable management. • We act with integrity, honesty Institutional Values Coherence and transparency with clients, Be and Seem. employees, suppliers, shareholders and the community. • We foster sustainability relationships with clients in the segments in which we operate, seeking to be decisive, agile and consistent. • We are reciprocal