Bank of the Philippine Islands is widening its sustainability agenda beyond environmental initiatives, ramping up support for underserved sectors, small businesses, and financial inclusion programs nationwide.
Speaking at the launch of BPI’s fifth annual Sustainability Awareness Month on Thursday, BPI chief finance officer and chief sustainability officer Eric Luchangco said sustainability should no longer be viewed solely through the lens of environmental protection.
“Sustainability is often associated with being green, but in reality, sustainability is really a lot broader than that,” Luchangco said. “There are also initiatives linked to social and governance, and those are also very important parts of sustainability.”
Under this year’s theme, “Sustainable Progress for All,” BPI highlighted efforts to expand access to financing for traditionally underserved sectors, including small businesses, teachers, microentrepreneurs, and informal workers.
Luchangco said the bank’s sustainability initiatives are anchored on long-term economic and social impact. Since 2008, BPI’s Sustainable Development Finance Team has financed 532 projects that collectively reduced carbon emissions by 41 million tons of CO2 annually. The bank also pioneered the country’s first energy transition financing facility, supporting the shift of a coal-fired power plant toward renewable energy.
At the same time, BPI has accelerated its social financing programs. Its SME loan portfolio grew 80 percent in 2025, while its teacher loan business now serves 69,000 public school teachers.
“Our goal is to reach 50 million underbanked and underserved Filipinos,” Luchangco said, underscoring financial inclusion as a key pillar of the bank’s sustainability strategy.
BPI said it continues to integrate sustainability into both its financing activities and internal operations, including renewable energy use and environmentally certified branches.
