The 10 United Nations Global Compact Principles are:

Human Rights

• Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
• Principle 2: Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

Labour

• Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
• Principle 4: The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
• Principle 5: The effective abolition of child labour; and
• Principle 6: The elimination of discrimination in respect of employ-ment and occupation.

Environment

• Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
• Principle 8: Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
• Principle 9: Encourage the development and diffusion of environ-mentally friendly technologies.

Anti-Corruption

• Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

Environment

Finbond is predominantly “office-based” and leaves a limited carbon footprint on the environment.

Finbond acknowledges the importance of the responsibility towards the environment to ensure that future generations can enjoy the environment in which we are ultimately investing.

Finbond actively seeks to reduce its carbon footprint and CO2 emissions and promote a healthy and sustainable environment for all our branches in our regions. We do this by complying with local and international legislation regarding the environment and recycling as far as possible all materials used.

The total number of Person Hours Worked (“HW”) for Finbond was calculated as 4,892,441 for the financial year ended 28 February 2023.

Social

Social responsibility refers to Finbond’s voluntary actions to address social, environmental, and ethical issues. It involves going beyond the legal requirements of a business and incorporating social and environmental concerns into our operations and decision-making processes.

Social responsibility is important for companies as it can enhance their reputation, build trust, contribute to sustainable development, mitigate risks and meet stakeholder expectations. By incorporating social and environmental concerns into our operations, Finbond has created value for both itself and society as a whole.

Finbond aims to improve the quality of life of its customers and employees by empowering them and contributing towards their financial growth, independence and freedom. Short-term loans have been made more accessible to communities, including those in rural areas.

Investing in the communities in which we operate is something that has always been important to the Group. Finbond Group Limited is committed to the principles of socio-economic upliftment of the marginalised and previously disadvantaged in society.

We are proud to have been able to continue to support various charitable institutions, even during these challenging times. These include Tshwane House of Safety, Tshwane Place of Safety, Harmonie Hof, Margaretha Ackerman, Silversig, Silwerkoon, the World Council for Health and the Ligstraal School for LSEN. Total contributions for the 2023 financial year exceeded R1.2 million.

Governance

The Finbond Board of Directors (“the Board”) sets the Group’s overall policy, and provides guidance and input in areas relating to strategic direction, planning, acquisitions, performance measurement, resource allocation, key appointments, standards of conduct and communication with shareholders.

The Board’s objectives are the development and sustainable growth of the Group’s business in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, for the benefit of all stakeholders. The achievement of these objectives is dependent on the adherence to good corporate governance throughout the organisation.

The Board fully supports and materially complies with the principles of effective corporate governance, and understands the need for integrity and high ethical standards in the conduct of its business. The Directors have implemented several key recommendations based on the principles outlined in the King IV Report on Corporate Governance, some of which are:

• The roles of the Chair and the Chief Executive Officer are separated;
• A Non-Executive Director serves as Chair; and
• The majority of the Board members are non-executive.

Finbond complies with King IV and the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008 in all material aspects. Finbond is also aligned to the principles of ISO 37000.

The Board holds the view that the corporate governance framework needs to be in line with the size of the Group, its complexity, its structure and the risks that have an influence on it, and should be a structure through which objectives are set and monitored.

The Board is of the view that the number of members should be large enough to accommodate the necessary skills, but small enough to promote cohesion and effective participation.

The appointment of all Directors is subject to shareholders’ approval at any general/annual general meeting pursuant to the JSE Listings Requirements and Companies Act requirements. The appointment of a director to fill a casual vacancy or as an addition to the Board is to be confirmed by shareholders at the next annual general meeting.

The majority of Non-Executive Directors are fully independent of Management, and free to make their own decisions and independent judgements. They enjoy no benefits for their service as Directors other than their fees. The Non-Executive Directors provide the Board with valuable, independent judgement based on their diverse range of skills and commercial experience.

Non-Executive Directors are selected only after the completion of a process that includes the identification of candidates with the requisite experience and standing in the banking and financial services environment in order to be able to provide genuine value to the Group; interviewing and vetting of potential candidates by the existing Board of Directors; and a period of induction during which candidates are exposed to the Group’s existing governance structures before making appointments final by approval at Board level.

The Non-Executive Directors are high-calibre professionals and sufficient in number. Their independent views carry significant weight in the Board’s deliberations and decisions and the Board retains full and effective control over the Group.

Apart from the quarterly meetings, additional Board meetings are arranged whenever necessary to review strategy, planning, operations, financial performance, risk and capital expenditure, human resources and environmental management.

The Board is also responsible for monitoring the activities of the Executive Management, and is balanced in such a way that no individual or small group is able to dominate decision-making.