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Century Financial initiates ‘Sustainability and U’ to drive sustainable goals

Integrating sustainability goals in its growth journey, Century Financial has partnered with noted government bodies and global experts across the Middle East to accelerate sustainable leadership, influence, and specific expertise in supporting industry. Gearing up to tackle new-age challenges and scale up actions for a shared future, the organisation unveiled new goals to inculcate sustainability in its work culture.

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Its collaboration with Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network, Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), and others make for sustainability leadership to drive forward investment opportunities, with a good return – measured both in terms of financial and sustainable impact. The company is currently focused on SDG Goal 3 — Good Health and Well-being, Goal 4 – Quality Education, Goal 12 — Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 13 – Climate action and Goal 17 – Partnerships towards the goals.

Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, Century Financial launched the ‘Sustainability & U’ initiative that calls for real action through collaborations. From preparing stakeholders with sustainable practices that impact the economic, environmental, and social conditions to embracing governance that support a well-functioning global economy; the leadership believes that businesses across the world have a responsibility to tackle today’s global challenges.

Century Financial has been a pioneer in the UAE’s investment sector understanding investors evolving demands and harnessing this allegiance toward impact investing. Boosting the Minnenials and Gen Z’s inclination to value and proactively invest in companies that support SDGs; Century Financial has recently included more than 5,000+ ESG-focused instruments in its diverse product offering to complement the shift towards socially responsible investing. According to Morningstar Direct, sustainably managed assets in the US reached $357 billion in December 2021, up to 51 per cent from the end of 2020. With active support for ethical investing, Century Financial is confident of a similar investment priority in the region.

With a multifaceted approach to embracing sustainability as a regular practice, the organisation has in place policies that encourage diversity. On the social aspect, they encourage the staff to contribute towards charity with a simple click on the Century Coins App, their in-house staff rewards and redemption app. Moreover, the company has been an active supporter of gender equality, it is one of the few companies in the financial and investment segment in the region that has an over 40 per cent female workforce.

The other sustainability practices at Century Financial include the Ghaf tree plantation, recycling green bins installed at the pantry, charity contributions to Dubai Cares and various other foundations, introducing reusable water bottles, eco-friendly office lighting, enhancing the greenery across our office, enhancing nutrition by introducing health campaigns such as fruity monday, weight-loss programmes and more.

In terms of collaboration, Century Financial is committed to supporting EEG’s work at the grass roots level to inculcate the practice of preserving valuable resources. Engaging with EEG is a reflection of the sincere commitment and intent to be a part of the sustainability journey of organisations operating in this country. Commenting on the initiative, Habiba Al Mar’ashi, co-founder and chairperson, EEG, said: “We live in extremely challenging times. It’s good to note that the business leaders of Century Financial have recognised the inherent value of taking a long-term approach towards sustainably led business decisions which can be best achieved when businesses come together to address pertinent growth areas."

Bal Krishen, chairman and CEO, Century Financial, added: “At Century Financial, we believe that ‘Sustainability and U' will be a powerful driver to create a supportive environment for newer opportunities and positive outcomes."

In another significant and progressive step towards sustainability, Century Financial has acquired Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network – Smart Label. The Smart label paves the way to transitioning into applying for the Dubai Chamber CSR Label – where the Dubai Chamber team conducts an audit and assessment of the company. It opens avenues for concrete sustainability initiatives aligned with the company’s long-term vision and goals to ensure measurable and meaningful results.

The company has taken sustainability to a new level by incorporating various dimensions of sustainability leadership – for the planet, the business, and the customers. The recent association with the University of Dubai (UOD) inviting students as part of the differential internship programme has paved the way towards bridging the industry-academia gap. The organisation has also chalked out an incentive programme to drive employee participation in the sustainability programmes and goals. Every employee participating in any community event related to sustainability will earn reward points on the internal staff rewards programme called century coins. Employees will be able to redeem these coins for vouchers to purchase food, grocery, electronics, and fashion from across a selection of brands and outlets.

Going further, Century Financial is committed to fostering sustainable practices to drive greater accountability and transparency.