Justin Coe, Alison Hughes and Frank Smith talk to Esteban Barroso, president of Triodos Bank, Spain, and Sonia Felipe, head of communications at Triodos Spain, about a financial institution that claims to "do banking differently." Triodos Bank ( www.triodos.com ) was founded in the Netherlands a little over three decades ago and is a pioneer in what is being referred to as "sustainable" or "ethical" banking. Besides its Spanish branch, which was established in 2004, Triodos still operates in the Netherlands and also has branches in the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany. Instead of seeking the greatest profit in the shortest amount of time, Triodos operates with an eye to how its investments and loans benefit people and the planet, as well as returning a financial profit. Triodos does not invest in arms, does invest in alternative energy and ecological agriculture, and insists that it is not an NGO but a real, genuine, serious bank. And indeed, several years ago a publication as "serious" as Britain's Financial Times named Triodos the world's "sustainable bank of the year." Although Triodos is a pioneer in this sort of banking, it is not alone. "Ethical" banks around the world, and among them Triodos, have formed a network called Global Alliance for Banking on Values ( www.gabv.org ) which says that its members share a commitment to "the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit."(21/06/13).
