Krungthai Bank wins two categories at ESGBusiness Awards 2026
Recognition highlights the bank’s approach to linking biodiversity conservation, community resilience and financial capability through strong partnerships.
Krungthai Bank PCL has won the Biodiversity Conservation Award - Thailand and Collaborative Partnership Award - Thailand at the ESGBusiness Awards 2026, recognising the bank’s sustainability approach through Krungthai Loves Phetchaburi and its Financial Literacy Initiative.
The two programmes address different but interconnected dimensions of sustainable development. Krungthai Loves Phetchaburi links the conservation of internationally important coastal ecosystems with community livelihoods and sustainable financing, whilst the Financial Literacy Initiative strengthens the financial resilience of underserved groups through practical knowledge and skills.
Protecting a critical link in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway
At the heart of Krungthai Loves Phetchaburi is the coastal landscape of Ban Laem District, including Pak Thale and Laem Phak Bia, an internationally important area for migratory shorebirds along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.
The Pak Thale–Laem Phak Bia landscape supports more than 20,000 resident and migratory shorebirds and other waterbirds each year. Amongst its most significant species is the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea), a critically endangered migratory shorebird and a flagship species for conservation along the Flyway.
Its presence illustrates the significance of Phetchaburi’s coastal habitats beyond the local landscape. Migratory birds depend on a connected network of wetlands across countries for feeding, resting, and wintering, meaning the protection of mudflats, salt pans, mangroves, and other coastal habitats in Phetchaburi contributes to the integrity of a much wider ecological system.
Krungthai Bank works with UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, Raks Thai Foundation, local authorities, and communities to connect biodiversity conservation with local economic opportunities.
Community participation has helped shape local biodiversity priorities, whilst livelihood development, ecotourism, and biodiversity-based enterprises provide opportunities for communities to benefit economically from protecting the natural assets on which they depend.
The programme also introduces financial mechanisms designed to support conservation over the longer term. Visitor fees collected through cash and QR-code payments are directed towards conservation activities, helping create a model in which tourism can contribute resources back to the ecosystems that attract visitors in the first place.
Financial literacy is another important part of the approach, helping communities strengthen financial management and build the capacity needed to manage local conservation funding and community enterprises transparently and sustainably.
Together, these elements demonstrate how biodiversity conservation can move beyond one-off activities towards a model that connects nature, local livelihoods and sustainable finance.
Strengthening financial resilience through practical knowledge
Krungthai Bank’s Financial Literacy Initiative, recognised under the Collaborative Partnership Award - Thailand, was developed in collaboration with Thailand’s Ministry of Finance through the Fiscal Policy Office and the National Savings Fund.
The programme focuses on groups that may face greater financial vulnerability, including older adults, low-income communities, women, and informal workers.
Rather than focusing only on financial theory, the programme translates financial knowledge into practical skills that can be applied in everyday life, covering areas such as household budgeting, savings, bookkeeping, fraud prevention, and income generation.
Delivery is supported by the Bank’s VVE Vayu Volunteer network, whilst public-sector partners contribute policy alignment, expertise, and access to community networks.
Participant assessments have indicated stronger financial understanding following the training, with follow-up feedback also pointing to improvements in spending control, savings, and household financial management.
The programme has continued to evolve in response to community needs. When earlier sessions identified unstable income as a recurring challenge, livelihood, and income-generation content was incorporated, extending the initiative beyond financial knowledge towards broader financial resilience and self-reliance.
Partnership as a driver of sustainable impact
The two awards reflect a common principle behind Krungthai Bank’s sustainability work: complex environmental and social challenges cannot be addressed by one organisation alone.
In Phetchaburi, cooperation between the financial sector, government agencies, international organisations, civil society, local authorities, and communities brings together conservation knowledge, financial mechanisms, community participation, and market opportunities.
The Financial Literacy Initiative applies the same collaborative approach by combining Krungthai Bank’s financial expertise and volunteer network with public-sector policy and community outreach.
Through these partnerships, the Bank aims not only to deliver activities but also to help establish systems and capabilities that communities can continue to manage and develop over time.
From recognition to scalable impact
The ESGBusiness Awards 2026 recognition reinforces Krungthai Bank’s commitment to advancing sustainability through solutions that create value for both people and the planet.
Building on the experience from Phetchaburi, the bank will continue working with partners to strengthen community-based biodiversity conservation and financial resilience, whilst exploring opportunities to adapt and scale approaches that connect biodiversity, livelihoods, partnership, and sustainable financing to other priority areas.
The goal is to move beyond short-term support towards models in which communities have the knowledge, mechanisms, and partnerships needed to manage their own resources, strengthen their livelihoods, and contribute to the long-term protection of natural capital.
The ESGBusiness Awards celebrate organisations demonstrating leadership and achievement across environmental, social and governance practices, recognising businesses that translate sustainability commitments into meaningful action and impact.
The ESGBusiness Awards is presented by ESGBusiness. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's outstanding commitment and achievement in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, please contact Jan Yante at +65 3158 1386 or [email protected].
