Zürcher Kantonalbank receives a clear, legal mandate from the Canton of Zurich: to continuously provide the population and companies with investment and financial services, to contribute to solving economic and social tasks and to treat the environment and society responsibly. This has made us unique for 150 years.
We have received the public service mandate from our owner, the Canton of Zurich. It connects our bank closely with the people of Zurich and the economy. Since our foundation more than 150 years ago, we have traditionally been committed to our public service mandate. It is our USP and we are proud of it.
Each year, we spend around CHF 120 million on our engagement in the canton of Zurich. The public service mandate consists of the service mandate, the support mandate and the sustainability mandate.
We provide the population and economy with the services of a full-service bank. These include payment transactions, savings, investments, financing, pensions, financial planning, taxes and succession. In doing so, we focus in particular on the needs of small and medium-sized companies, the working population, agriculture and public-sector organisations.
We also promote residential property and the construction of affordable housing. We offer a wide range of products. This also includes services that are not part of the business of conventional full-service banks. We offer our customers an excellent customer experience on all channels, whether physical or digital.
The support mandate obliges us to support the Canton of Zurich in solving economic and social tasks. Today, our support takes the form of sponsorship commitments in particular. Through our commitments, we strive to protect our natural living conditions, safeguard social cohesion and strengthen the competitiveness of the Greater Zurich Area.
That is why we are committed to the relationship with nature and animal life, as well as sustainable mobility, cultural diversity and equal opportunities, innovation and entrepreneurship. We are also one of the largest apprenticeship providers and a key employer in the canton.
We pursue a business policy focused on sustainability and continuity that reconciles the economy, environment and society. Sustainability forms an integrated part of our business model. This means that we integrate ecological, social and economic criteria into our activities and align our activities with the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our greatest leverage is in our products and services. This is how we promote sustainability in financing and investments. Furthermore, our commitment takes place through memberships, investments and sponsorship commitments as well as in the implementation in banking operations.