Dutch Crown Princess Maxima attended the seminar on “Global Alliance for Banking on Value”at Triodos Bank in the town of Zeist.
The seminar was part of the occasion of the establishment of an association of 12 international, sustainable banks, including the Dutch Triodos Bank. These banks are working together on corporate social responsibility and sustainable society.
Along with Crown Princess Maxima, Dutch politicians, academics and leaders of international and Dutch banks were there, as well as Princess Irene, the sister of Queen Beatrix.
The attendants gave speeches, and so did Maxima. She touched a little bit on the current global financial crisis.
“The core values of banking; trust, building sustainable and long-term relationships, and offering products that add real value, are more relevant than ever. And neglecting these values seems to be at the heart of the causes for the crisis.
“I understand the Global Alliance of Banking on Values has ambitious goals; to set inspiring examples of what banking can really do. Examples that will encourage the expansion of the boundaries of mainstream finance and contribute to social innovation in the financial sector. To combine strength, capacities and resources to tackle the global challenges facing people and the planet, and to drive a more responsible and sustainable economy.”
Maxima also discussed the financial troubles people in third world countries face.
“Over 2 billion people remain excluded from the financial services that we take for granted. The possibility to save in a savings account for example, equally as important as access to credits, has also been lagging. Only 20% of the world population has access to a savings account against more than 90% in the OECD countries.”
She went on to talk about what she learned during a visit to Paraguay last year, where she promoted microfinance.
“Somebody from an MFI said something I will never forget. He said: “It is not about increasing market share and trying to get as many products sold to the customers out there, but it is about giving the product that the consumer needs and that they can afford. Knowing your customer, not on a scoring basis, but really knowing that this client has the capacity to pay back his loan.”
Maxima ended her speech with a call for traditional banking.
“We need to go back to basics. Back to the traditional banking activity of acting as an intermediary between the saver and the borrower, back to a strong relationship between the customers and the financial institution that serves them, and back to a thorough assessment of how much a customer can really handle as a loan, giving him the opportunity to improve his life and give back his dignity.”
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