In the XX edition of the awards have been awarded a prize 25 initiatives that they emphasise for its social impact, skills transformer, contribution to the well-being and to the improvement of the financial culture of the company

During the opening of the act, the subgovernor of the Banco de España has underlined that “the financial education and the community project of the financial institutions are two fundamental levers for the progress and our company's”well-being

For the third consecutive year, CECA, together with the Worldwide Savings Banks Institute and Retail Banks (WSBI), has granted the honorific prize to the international social path, that in this edition has fallen on Caja Huancayo (Peru)

From 2014, the companies and foundations associated with CECA have invested more than 8,700 million euros in Obra Social's initiatives, situating at the top of the private social investment in Spain

 

CECA has announced this Wednesday the award-winning initiatives in the XX edition of the CECA Prizes of Obra Social and Financial Education. A meeting that highlights the work that they develop the companies and foundations associated with CECA in favour of the social development and the improvement of the financial culture in Spain.

In this edition, a total have been presented of 74 projects, of which 53 correspond to the field of the Obra Social and 21 to the one of Financial Education, with the share of 25 companies and foundations associated with CECA. In total, have been recognised 22 initiatives, while have been granted three special prizes of the jury, that they emphasise for its social impact, its skills transformer and its contribution to the well-being of the company.

The CECA Prizes of Obra Social and Financial Education have as an objective recognise and promote projects that they generate a positive impact and measurable in the communities in which take place, especially in fields as the social inclusion, the education, the research, the employment, the sustainability and the promotion of a citizenship financially responsible.

The opening of the act has been the responsibility of Soledad Núñez, subgovernor of the Banco de España, that it has underlined that “the financial education and the community project of the financial institutions are two fundamental levers for the progress and our company's”well-being.

“Both contribute, from different fields, to create a more informed citizenship, more responsible and more solidarity. That is why, celebrate today the commitment of who work every day for improving the life of the rest of them, and we renew our support so that its work still grows and multiplicand its impact”, has added.

In Antonio Romero'swords, CECA's Managing Director, “the foundations are far more than philanthropic companies: they are engines of progress, able to generate actual and long-lasting impact. Its strength resides in the collaboration, the innovation and the skills of maintaining lively its social commitment in a constantly changing world ”.

The act has been closed by Rafael Barbero, chairman of the Executive Committee of Obra Social and Foundations and director of the Fundación Caja de Burgos, and Nacho Cardero, director of The Confidential one.

The jury has been composed of representatives of government institutions, regulatory bodies, companies out of the third sector, experts in social impact, culture, research and communication, which guarantees a plural vision and specialised in the evaluation of the presented projects.

 

WINNING initiatives

Obra Social's area

Social Programs

1st. Fundación Caja de Burgos , for the project Mental Health. We talk clear and with knowledge.

2nd. Fundación Circle Burgos, for the project Grants dining room.

 

Culture and Heritage

1st. Fundación Caja Extremadura, for the Singular project is Plural. X OpenWork Anniversary.

2nd. Fundación Caja de Burgos , for the project Session B.

 

Sport

1st. Fundación CajaCanarias, for the XIII Campus of Fight From the Canary Islands Fundación CajaCanarias.

2nd. Project Edufinet (Fundación Banking Unicaja and Unicaja), for the Cycle of financial education for the sport.

 

Local Development, Enterprise and Employment

1st. Fundación Ávila, for the project School of Pastores.

2nd. Fundación Caja Extremadura, for the project Talaya. Young Performance benchmarks.

 

Education

1st. Fundación Vital Fundazioa, for Bideak ehuntzen, a project against the harassment school child.

2nd. Fundación CajaCanarias, for the project Report Islander.

 

Research

1st. Fundación Unicaja, for the project CITAC (Advanced Research centre and Therapies of the Cancer).

2nd. Fundación Caja Navarre, for the New project longevity and future intergeneracional.

 

Environment

1st. Fundación Cajasol, for the project Environmental Action in the Meadow.

2nd. Fundación Caja de Burgos , for the project Homes Greens.

 

Special prize of the Jury in Obra Social

Fundación “la Caixa ” for its Action plan to attend to people damnified by the drop cold (DANA).

 

Financial Education area

Children and young (0-25 years)

1st. Fundación Ibercaja, for the Didactic programs on Financial Education for school children.

2nd. Project Edufinet (Fundación Banking Unicaja and Unicaja), for the Hackathon of financialeducation.

 

Adults (26-65 years of age)

1st. Afundación, Obra Social ABANCA, for the project Ítaca: a trip for the financialeducation.

2nd. CaixaBank, for the financial Education program Double Time .

 

People over 65 years old

1st. Fundación Ibercaja, for the activeproject Transition.

2nd. Fundación Ávila, for the project Go off in 3.0.

 

Entrepreneurs

1st. Fundación Ibercaja, for the project of financial Education for SMEs and entrepreneurs.

2nd. Fundación From the Canary Islands The Caja Insular of Savings of Canary Islands, for the experimental Project itinerary employment.

 

Special Jury Award for Financial Education

Colonya Caixa d’Estalvis of Pollença, for its Workshops intergeneracionales of economiceducation.

 

Recognition to the international path

CECA maintains a solid and active presence in the international realm via its share in the main forums that represent the model of retail banking and socially responsible. Similarly, is member of the Institute Savings Bank and Bank World Championship Retailers (WSBI) and of the European Savings and Retail Banking Group (ESBG), organisations that they group to financial institutions all around the world and they defend a banking model based on the financing to families and SMEs, establish the territorial and the commitment with the financial sustainability and inclusion.

In line with its mission of highlighting social initiatives of the banking on a global scale, for the third consecutive year the association CECA has delivered a honorific prize in collaboration with WSBI. In this edition, the award has fallen on Caja Huancayo, Peruvian financial institution, in recognition to its commitment with the financial sustainable development and innovation.

Caja Huancayo works for three decades to promote financial solutions innovators that they promote the inclusion, guarantee the accessibility to the credit and they promote a more sustainable banking and person in charge. With a strong approach in microfinances, the company has put in motion the app EKEKO, that transforms the access to the credit deleting the barriers of the presencialidad promoting the financial autonomy so that the users can request credits of until 2,133 dollars. Additionally is promoter of the programme Work in Progress for the creation of employment for young and women together with Fundación “la Caixa ”, Fundación Social Group (Colombia) and To the Barid Bank (Morocco). Similarly, Caja Huancayo is founding member of the Financial Network Amazonian, created by IDB Invest and the International Finance Corporation to increase flows of investment, mobilise capital, promote the financial inclusion and share knowledge and good innovative work experience programs in the sector.

At the top in the private social investment in Spain

The Obra Social constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of the activity of the sector CECA and one of its principals señas of identity. Via its associated foundations, deeply ingrained in the territories where they are current, CECA drives initiatives with actual impact in fields as the social inclusion, the territorial cohesion, the education, the culture, the research, the employment and the sustainability. This commitment is translated in a close social action, transformer and aimed at reply to the company's actual needs, strengthening the role of the foundations such as engines of social development in its communities.

From the coming into force of the Act of Banking Savings banks and Foundations of 2013, CECA's accumulated investment and its partners at Obra Social has exceeded the 8,729 million euros, with which put in motion are had more than a million activities. Specifically, in 2024 foundations of the sector allocated more than 900 million euros to Obra Social , 6.5% more than the previous year, situating at the top in private social investment in Spain. Thanks to this resource, during the year got started more than 99,000 activities that they reached to more than 35 million payees, especially between the most vulnerable groups.

Together with it, the companies associated with CECA develop programmes that they promote the improvement of the financial culture as a key element to promote the inclusion, the economic stability and progress of the company, consolidating to the sector as one of the referring principals in this field. Thus, CECA, its associated companies and its foundation Funcas allocated in 2024 a total of 3.22 million euros to 115 financial education programs in Spain, which means an increase of 25% with respect to the previous year. Thanks to this investment, were completed more than 7,900 activities, with more than 43.8 million impacts between attendees in person and digital accesses.