More than 800 million euros is the investment that completed the Obra Social of the sector CECA in the last financial year, which makes it an indispensable piece to build a company more inclusiva, in addition to serve as a complement to programmes of the Public administrations and to the welfare state. The Obra Social of the sector CECA is a fundamental tool in the fight against the inequality, the social exclusion and the risk of poverty, always from the strong commitment with a fairer and equitable company.

A commitment that is gone up to the eighteenth century, when they emerged the first companies charity-social to lay a hand to the more disadvantaged ones. Today, is had become the first social investor private of Spain and its origin charity-social remains as an ideological base, adapted to the current settings that guide the stock of the companies that they constitute it. CECA (association that represents to CaixaBank, Kutxabank and Cajasur Bank, ABANCA, Unicaja, Ibercaja Bank, Caixa Ontinyent, Colonya Pollença, Cecabank and to more than thirty foundations), also, participates in multiple national and international forums, from which promotes and promotes the activity of the Obra Social with a sectorial approach.

With its surrounding area to the community, especially to the vulnerable families and groups, the Obra Social arrives at the places where is more needed, thanks to its empathy skills and the collaboration and its companies' capillarity. The last year developed 81,000 activities that they reached to more than 30 million payees.

For a fairer company

Behind each one of its initiatives, there are people and teams committed to a vocation of service unshakeable. Its daily and dedication work are reflected in who really matter: payees of the programmes. Its activity also strengthens the 17 Objectives of Sustainable Development (ODS), in which CECA, as a member of the Global Compact of United Nations, is filled with pride of contributing day by day. To achieve it, the Obra Social establishes strategic alliances with organisations and institutions, while promotes the use of sustainable products and services and carries out conservation activities and natural environment development, in line with the respect for the environment and the fight against the climate change.

They are lots the fields in which the Obra Social spreads its impact. In the social field, its work is aimed at improve the quality of life of the neediest groups, promoting the social development and driving welfare programmes for a more equitable company.

Equal of significant is the work carried out in the area of local development and creation of employment, where dynamises the territory and supports the production network. Via an ongoing dialogue with interest groups, tackles challenges as the employment, the training, the enterprise, and the support to SMEs, self-employed workers and trade local, especially in rural areas.

Support to the education and the culture

The aids to the education and the research occupy a fundamental place in the Obra Social, that promotes the financial innovation and culture such as tools of progress and social inclusion. With training programmes, scientific research and R&D, promotes the financial inclusion, providing the financial access to all the groups, especially to the more disadvantaged ones. Its commitment with the financial education assistance to the citizens to take informed decisions and promotes the equal opportunities and the economic growth.

In the sector of the culture and the assets, backs the cohesion culture as element social and engine of transformation. Similarly, works in the heritage conservation, respecting the history and contributing to the integration of all the territories and people. In the area of sport and leisure, drives the inclusion sport as tool and vehicle of securities necessary to the company, aligning thus with the principles of the Obra Social: delivery, effort, overcoming and team work.

A decade of changes

Ten years ago, the Obra Social of the sector CECA initiated a new era, marked by the restructuring of the sector a root of the Act 26/2013, of 27 December, of Banking Savings Banks and Foundations. This legislative change, one of the more significant of the last decade, represented a tipping point both for the Obra Social and for the foundations, driving the transparency, the efficiency and a great professionalisation of its teams and boards, in addition to strengthen alliances to take the Obra Social every corner from the territory.

In addition, this new law allowed a structural reform of the savings banks, providing its integration in bigger and creditworthy groups, situating to new banks in equality with the other credit institutions in recapitalisation and access terms to the share market. At the same time, the Obra Social was preserved via foundations that they became professional managers of this work, guaranteeing thus the continuity of its historic mission: generate opportunities of progress for the people, while they fight against the inequality and the social exclusion.

Throughout this time, the company has confronted challenges of major magnitude, from a pandemic until a war in Europe, involving humanitarian crisis, natural disasters and geopolitical changes. Despite the overall instability, the Obra Social has destined a great investment percentage to the neediest groups. Between 2014 and 2023 reached the 7,823 million euros, with more than 930,000 activities that they reached annually an average from 31 million payees.