
Focus on Sustainability
As a financial institution, we bear responsibility towards people, the environment and society. This produces stable and better operating results, happy employees and a healthy society. We are convinced of this at Argenta.
If we want to achieve more resilience, we have to focus on the three pillars or ESG dimensions of sustainability: ecology (E), society (S) and good management and responsible entrepreneurship (G for governance).
Our sustainability ambitions
Argenta wants to be close to its employees and customers, because it is their commitment that makes our organisation strong. By taking care of them, and also being physically close with our branch network, we build long-term relationships. That is why we aim for a minimum NPS of 50 and want at least 80% of our employees to be engaged.
Argenta wants to be close by with a simple offering. Argenta wants to lower thresholds financially and be digitally inclusive. By ensuring customers’ financial health, we contribute to their resilience. That is why Argenta wants to be able to reach more customers every year and further stimulate the use of the mobile app. We are committed to safe service delivery.
As a financial institution, we can make a difference through the cash flows we manage for our customers. Argenta has chosen to use these funds responsibly and to generate a positive impact for society. That’s why Argenta wants to make its investment offering for its customers fully sustainable by 2023. Argenta expects all its partners and suppliers to subscribe to the same sustainability principles.
Argenta is keen to reduce its ecological footprint because banking and insurance should not cost the earth. Therefore we are committed to a smaller footprint for the head office, but we also want to reduce our impact through the product offering and support the transition to a new, climate-neutral economy.
Sustainability is a fundamental part of what Argenta stands for, what it does and how it does it. It is inextricably linked with ethics and integrity. That is why Argenta makes major efforts to implement integrity among its employees and is strongly committed to cybersecurity for customers and employees.

Our sustainability ambitions, set out in the Sustainability Charter, are the foundation of our sustainability policy. The concrete steps with which we aim to make a targeted impact are set forth in the 2020-2023 Sustainability Action Plan.
The United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) form a general reference framework for reporting on our impact.
Customers

Argenta supports customers throughout their lives in making the right financial choices and being able to retire later on a comfortable pension. Any sustainable insurance policy or investment or any sustainable loan is therefore a step in the right direction. A sustainable home keeps energy costs under control and retains its real estate value, as an investment for a rainy day. Being adequately insured against unforeseen events such as an accident or natural disaster protects customers financially and gives them extra peace of mind.
Knowing that your savings are not invested in oil or weapons and, as far as the energy sector is concerned, only in energy companies without fossil fuels, or at least with a clear plan to operate without fossil fuels in the short term, makes investing more accessible and socially responsible. Everything we do contributes to our customers’ resilience. If we do this consistently and on a large scale, we can make the transition to a climate-neutral economy come true. Taking adequate account of affordability and accessibility.
Sustainable living
In the coming years, Argenta wants to focus strongly on sustainable renovations and in this way systematically grow the share of sustainable mortgages on its balance sheet. Argenta is aiming at a 100% sustainable mortgage portfolio by 2050.
Argenta will further refine this ambition in 2023 and translate it into concrete, measurable goals.
By 2050, every European must be able to live in a sustainable, energy-efficient home. But how do we ensure that this is affordable for everyone? And how do we protect our customers from the consequences of climate change?
This can be done by giving customers an insight into the sustainability quality of their home and the associated risks. By helping customers to keep energy costs under control and increasing the value of their home in the long term. And by insuring customers adequately for their peace of mind, and supporting them adequately in making the right choices when it comes to a home.
Sustainable living is definitely on the rise, because in 2022 1 out of 3 customers in Belgium opted for a home with a favourable EPC rating (A or B label). We expect this share to only rise.
Our achievements in 2022:
- We collect sustainability information about the properties in our mortgage portfolio and EPC data and information about flood risk. These data will help us to measure the progress of our aspirations in the coming years.
- Loans for sustainable renovations benefit from a reduced rate. The same applies to the purchase of sustainable homes or new builds.
- Argenta supports the initiative of the Flemish government whereby up to 60,000 euros can be borrowed interest-free for significant improvements to the EPC rating of a home.
- One in three customers opted for a home with a favourable EPC rating.
- The number of customers opting for a consumer loan increased sharply by 18%, driven by the increased demand for the financing of sustainable renovations.

From 2023 onwards, we shall focus increasingly on information about sustainable renovation and ensure that customers gain the right understanding of their home’s energy performance. With targeted advice on renovation, we shall support customers in making the right choices in their renovation projects. Argenta aims to be a trusted partner in sustainable and affordable living for everyone.
Sustainable mobility
Argenta is convinced that sustainable mobility contributes to customers’ resilience. We want to finance sustainable vehicles only by 2040. We are placing the emphasis on financing and insuring bicycles and electric or hybrid vehicles. Customers will receive a reduced rate for the purchase of a sustainable car or bicycle. Electric bicycles are automatically insured through the family insurance. In the coming years, we want to develop new products and services which will support customers in sustainable and affordable travel.
Our achievements in 2022:
- The demand for finance for ecologically friendly vehicles rose substantially by 54% compared to 2021. Bicycle loans also posted considerable growth, no less than 41% compared to 2021.
- The demand for finance for vehicles running on fossil fuels, in turn, fell significantly by 27%.
Sustainable investing
Because every euro is valuable, we are aware of the impact we can make through the cash flows we manage for our customers. Argenta will start 2023 with sustainable investment funds only in its product range.
At Argenta, a policy has prevailed for many years which has no room for unethical investments. A strict list of exclusions with controversial and unethical companies in which no investments may be made applies to all our investment funds. In addition, customers can opt for 100% sustainable accent funds.
Our achievements in 2022:
- Fourteen Argenta investment products had their FebelfinⒶ Towards Sustainability labels renewed: ‘Argenta Fund Responsible Growth (Defensive)’, ‘Argenta DP Dynamic’, ‘Argenta DP Defensive’, ‘Argenta Fund Responsible Utilities’, ‘Argenta Fund Responsible Materials’ and the branch 23 counterparts of these funds. The two Argenta pension savings funds also bear the Febelfin label.
- In total, EUR 4.5 billion was under management in the funds bearing the Towards Sustainability label.
- 2022 was very much about the new legislative framework for sustainability and transparency. Thanks to a clear definition of sustainability, fund managers and investors are better positioned to make choices. We protect ourselves against greenwashing with far-reaching transparency.
- From now on, customers will be better informed of the negative and positive impact of their investment on the environment and society and will know which activities are ecologically sustainable in accordance with the European Taxonomy definition.
Argenta has been mapping the ecological footprint of its investments for a few years now. You can find more information here.
Compared with 2021, the average ecological footprint per fund decreased from 102 to 72 tonnes of CO₂ per EUR million invested, while 2.9 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per EUR million were avoided by investing in renewable energy.
Sustainable Banking
Argenta considers it important that customers understand their bank products and can properly estimate what they need in order to improve their financial health. By being accessible and lowering thresholds, Argenta is financially inclusive. Internet banking and the mobile app are free and make it even simpler to manage banking affairs online or by mobile phone. In addition, Argenta is also nearby at all times due to its extensive branch network.
Security is also an important component of sustainability. We cannot entirely eliminate the threat of cybersecurity, but we can create peace of mind by focusing continuously on our customers’ security and resilience. This duty of protection is also legally regulated, and Argenta, like all other European banks, is under the close supervision of the regulator. The measures we take are evaluated regularly by internal and external control bodies.
Our cybersecurity measures:
Raising awareness and vigilance in our employees:
- We focus on a general corporate culture of integrity and the importance of security awareness through our codes of conduct.
- All Argenta employees subscribe explicitly to these principles in their employment contract.
- We regularly test our employees’ vigilance with phishing simulation tests.
- Employees attend a mandatory training course on security awareness once a year.
Measures to protect our customers:
- We are available to our customers 24/7 for questions about phishing via our phishing helpdesk.
- Victims of phishing can make contact directly from the Argenta app.
- Cardstop can be contacted directly to block or cancel a debit or credit card and to request a new card in the app immediately after a card is blocked.
- New conditions for applying for a credit card and increasing credit card limits are available via the Argenta app.
Argenta makes customers more resilient to phishing with clear communication about the risks and what you can do to protect yourself.
Management of cybersecurity risks was a top priority in 2022. The Board of Directors approved the Cyber Risk Information Security policy, a Chief Information Security Officer and an IT Security Officer were designated and the IT Security roadmap was rolled out further.
Employees

Argenta can only grow by letting its people – its talents – grow. Conversely, the talents can grow only if the organisation grows. We therefore invest in committed employees who are ambassadors for Argenta. We demonstrate the same commitment as we expect from them by supporting, strengthening, involving and inspiring employees. By this means, we deliver strong results and generate added value together.
Commitment is, by definition, mutual, and supports, strengthens, involves and inspires employees. By this means, we deliver strong results and generate added value together. Sound growth, that is our focus! Argenta takes steps every year to further deepen, extend and establish this vision. In 2022, an in-depth survey was once more conducted to determine where we require further renewal. The implementations will start in 2023.
Organisation & Talent
For Argenta, every employee is a talent. By attracting the right people, Argenta can grow and realise its strategic ambitions. We give in-house employees as many opportunities as possible to enhance their career within Argenta.
Argenta strives to maintain an inclusive environment, and makes no distinction when recruiting on the basis of age, religion or beliefs, marital status, gender, financial status, political or trade union affiliation, language, health status, sexual orientation, social, cultural or ethnic origin or any disabilities.
Argenta's workforce therefore consists of a healthy mix of male and female workers of different ages, ethnicities and beliefs.
2022 by numbers
Full-time/Part-time ratio per country
In Belgium:
Full-time
800
Part-time
204
In the Netherlands:
Full-time
52
Part-time
24
In Luxembourg:
Full-time
5
Part-time
12
Male/female ratio at Argenta
Male
Full-time
520
Part-time
57
Female
Full-time
337
Part-time
183
- General workforce in 2022: 47.4% women and 52.6% men
- Number of senior executive functions: 37, of whom 12 women and 25 men
- Half of the Executive Committee are women.
- Argenta signed the ‘Women in Finance’ charter, which strives for greater gender equality in the financial sector.
Breakdown permanent/ temporary employment
Permanent
Temporary
Breakdown by age
- The group of 30- to 50-year-olds remains by far the largest in the age pyramid at Argenta.
- Average age of Argenta employees in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg: 43.
< 30 years of age
30 < 50 years of age
> 50 years of age
Feedback and motivation

In interactions between managers and employees, we focus on the essence. We want to move away from the classic, annual cycle with reviews at fixed times. We much prefer a meaningful discussion in which employees, managers and teams really enter into dialogue with each other at a time that is most appropriate for them. By this means we achieve continuous, clear and motivating feedback and dialogue in which we feel good and stimulate each other.
We value a climate in which we put more focus on achieving team goals together, obviously structuring tasks and responsibilities, setting clear expectations and following up delivered performance.
Learning and development
With the Learning & Development department, Argenta is focusing intensively on an extensive and up-to-date training offer, available via Watson, our future-proof learning platform, and updated annually.
In this way we contribute to Argenta's long-term growth and we address our employees’ development and growth potential. We offer courses, e-learning, coaching, exchanges of knowledge and experience between colleagues, and interactions with senior managers. We also provide training to strengthen skills and relevant knowledge.
The training offering is updated and extended every year and is available via our Watson learning platform with integrated tools such as GoodHabitz and LinkedIn Learning. The Argenta Passport bundles the learning materials around competences which are essential for the future.
Argenta applies five approaches here, based on our strategic priorities:
- professional development,
- team development,
- personal growth,
- leadership and
- technical training courses.
In addition, each department has its own training budget for targeted initiatives, and employees are invited to participate in conferences and/or seminars.
Argenta has invested in digital training platforms with strong content, such as GoodHabitz and LinkedIn Learning, so that learning can be pursued outside of working hours and even outside the immediate demands of a current job.

“The future-proofing of our employees remains one of our anchor points within Learning & Development.”
Tom Jonkers (Manager Talent Management)

Well-being
Argenta continues to focus on initiatives in the context of well-being and vitality.Well-being and vitality are important topics at Argenta. Measures have been introduced at various levels to detect and reduce the risks of excessive stress, burnout and other psychosocial risks.

‘Door middel van allerlei welzijnsinitiatieven willen we de weerbaarheid van onze medewerkers verhogen. We streven naar gezonde én duurzame groei. Je loopbaan is een marathon en geen sprint.’
Jan Pelemans (Prevention Advisor)
Since 2019, Argenta has been offering training formulas on active stress management and vitality, with an extensive permanent offer under the heading of ‘Healthy habits @Argenta’. In addition, employees can practice yoga, mindfulness meditation, walking, healthy nutrition, stop smoking / sleep counselling and ergonomics together in their own time during the lunch-break.
Prevention advice, Organisation & Talent, external experts and the social partners collaborated on renewing the approach relating to absenteeism and returning to work. We focus on training, targeted guidance and contact.
A well-being coach has also been engaged as an easily accessible point of contact for employees and managers with individual problems.
Cafetariaplan
In the Argenta cafeteria plan, employees can personalise part of their salary package. They can select attractive special conditions all through the year with a personal budget.

‘Using our cafeteria plan, employees can compose part of their package themselves. This way, the cafeteria plan supports our ambition to guarantee competitive employment conditions in a flexible way.’
Hilde Willekens (HR Manager)
The cafeteria plan is a form of flexible remuneration with which you can put together part of your salary package yourself. The cafeteria plan offers the possibility to individualise your salary package. The outcome is frequently salary optimisation.
Every eligible employee receives annually an option budget in the cafeteria plan. On the basis of this option budget, employees can opt for specific benefits that suit their own personal situations. They decide for themselves how many and which benefits they will opt for. The options are structured around four basic pillars: mobility, technology, social protection and variables.
By means of the ‘continuous open shop’, employees can choose the benefits they want throughout the year and can sign up whenever they want. Sustainable benefits such as a bicycle are subsidised additionally by Argenta.
Working flexibly and safely
In 2022, Argenta’s new head office was put into operation more fully, gradually also without extensive specific Covid 19 safety measures. A new way of working was also paramount in its interior design.

‘Argenta wants to offer a safe working environment aimed at health and vitality, in which employees feel good and can learn, develop and collaborate flexibly, supported by new technologies.’
Laurent Ballaux (Lead Business Consultant)
The building is more than a collection of workplaces. For example, the site includes a professional training centre which brings the many growth and development initiatives under one roof. With its ‘village square’, its many terraces and seating areas, the cosy company restaurant and a coffee bar with healthy snacks, our head office is above all a meeting place.
Head office employees work alternately at home and in the office. In practice, this has led to a hybrid form of working with plenty of flexibility for employees and teams. The rule is that all meetings take place in hybrid form. Important team consultation meetings, personal consultations and training courses naturally take place at the head office.
Commitment: from employee to ambassador
Our employees have confidence in Argenta and identify with Argenta’s purpose. It is their commitment that makes this organisation strong. The Employee Opinion Survey (EOS) which was conducted in early 2022 resulted in an engagement score of no less than 93% and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 34. These are excellent results. We obtained the highest scores ever for engagement and ambassadorship. Motivation and well-being also score very high. The four company values scored significantly better than in the previous survey. Since 2022, managers can work with their teams on their partial results on the basis of very clear digital reports.

‘Since 2015, we have been consciously working on expanding our HR vision: sustainable development of engagement and growth. Every year we measure our progress via a broad survey of all our employees. The participation rate is massive time after time.’
Veronique Michiels (Director Organisation & Talent)
We use the annual Employee Opinion Survey (EOS) to map out engagement, ambassadorship and the practical interpretation of our company values. We also make a detailed survey of the motivation climate, focusing on autonomy, connectedness and competence, and well-being based on the job content, work relationships, employment terms, working conditions and work organisation (five A’s in the original Dutch).
Society

Every euro is valuable. Argenta makes the difference by sustainably managing our customers' cash flows. We invest in local, tangible projects. There is no room for unethical investments.
A safe and healthy bank-insurer
Handling our customers’ funds responsibly means that we ourselves also have to be financially healthy and safe. By this policy we offer stability to our customers, who know that their money is being managed safely, and to our employees, who can have peace of mind about their job.
Argenta is an unlisted bank-insurer owned by the Van Rompuy family and the recognised cooperative company Argen-Co. Long-term growth is the top priority for the shareholders. Every year a large part of the profit is reinvested in the company. This gives Argenta a strong equity base and we are among the best capitalised banks in Europe.
Argenta insists on paying taxes and other contributions and levies to the government correctly and on time. Argenta’s effective tax rate is 22% excluding bank levies, and 56% including bank levies (IFRS accounting). Bank levies rose by 3% compared with 2021.
For more information about Argenta’s financial health we refer you to the most recent Pillar 3 disclosures in relation to capital adequacy and the risk report on our website.
Sustainable investment
We apply the same sustainability principles to both the customers’ investment funds and the investment portfolios of our bank and insurance company. To make our social impact even more tangible, we invest in sustainable and local projects. A share of the funds from our customers’ savings and payment accounts is invested in loans to and bonds issued by local government institutions, such as towns and municipalities, or in local infrastructure projects.
For example, Argenta actively invested in 2022 in:
- Local authorities including Antwerpen, Ninove, Merelbeke, Overijse and others
- Government companies such as the Leiedal inter-municipal utility company (intercommunale) in the south-west Flanders region, which is responsible for sustainable spatial planning, or De Watergroep, the largest drinking water company in Flanders, which is responsible for supplying sustainably recycled tap water to families and businesses.
- Infrastructure funds set up by the Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV).
Argenta has already invested more than EUR 1 billion in the local economy. These investments have helped to breathe life into projects in social housing, care for the elderly, student housing, facilities for people with disabilities, green energy projects and more. And we will not deviate from that path.
In addition, investments were made in the past year in the fast-growing market for sustainable bonds, and around 10% of the total portfolio of debt instruments fits into the green, social or sustainable investment framework.
Steps have also been taken in the area of risk analysis, and the sustainability profile of the company is taken into account in every investment decision. Among other things, we use external ESG data providers, analyse climate and sustainability risks and focus in our equity portfolio on companies which can support the sustainable transition.
This thorough focus on sustainability paid off in 2022 with the achievement of an SFDR 8+ classification for the branch 21 life insurance products under management, by which sustainability has been established as a fundamental pillar of Argenta’s investment policy. This trend is to be vigorously continued in 2023. Transition risk metrics were added to Argenta’s risk framework in 2022.
Sustainable partners
For years now, Argenta has opted for a policy of long-term relationships with strategic suppliers. Quality and safety are the deciding factors in our choice of suppliers. They are asked about their policy in the areas of GDPR, data security, audit etc. Procurement operates on a company-wide basis, with a number of departments checking on whether suppliers and partners meet Argenta’s standards.
The sustainable supplier policy was further strengthened in 2022. Every supplier is asked to sign Argenta's sustainability charter, thereby declaring that they respect the important principles relating to human rights, child labour, discrimination, corruption, environmental awareness and environmentally friendly technologies and comply with the principles of the UN Global Compact. The sustainability charter is appended to new contracts as standard practice. It can be found in the general terms and conditions and on the order form.
Suppliers who had not yet signed the sustainability charter were explicitly requested to do so in 2022. This produced results, as of now all strategic suppliers – together representing more than half of Argenta's supplier budget - have signed the sustainability charter. In future, Argenta aims to focus on its partners’ ecological impact and on selecting environmentally friendly solutions, for example in green ICT and the circular economy. Simplicity and cost awareness remain important starting points.
Furthermore, Argenta pays attention to forming partnerships with organisations which place an emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility:
Warm Argenta
‘Warm Argenta’ is the warm heart of all our employees. We realise that many people in the company could use extra support and we are pleased to be committing ourselves to this here. We organise activities carried out for and by colleagues throughout the year. The proceeds go to a variety of associations: very often, Argenta employees engage in these organisations on a voluntary basis.
The ‘Warm Argenta’ initiative was launched in 2018 in the context of Studio Brussels' The Warmest Week. Argenta’s enthusiasm was tremendous! However, one single Warmest Week at Argenta seemed to be too short for all the initiatives, so we immediately turned it into a Warm Argenta Year!
Warm Argenta was already into its fifth edition in 2022. And it was successful, because together all employees collected no less than 28,800 euros, a fantastic sum which Argenta then doubled. The proceeds from Warm Argenta 2022 went to six good causes in which Argenta employees are involved and which fit within Warm Argenta’s theme for the year: tackling inequality in society.
The environment

Banking and insurance should not cost the earth. Argenta itself also wants to make contributions towards a climate-neutral society by exercising awareness when dealing with capital flows and business activities. That is the focus of Argenta’s climate policy.
What we are doing ourselves
A good climate policy begins at home. By 2023 Argenta wants to reduce the ecological footprint of its headquarters in Belgium and the branches in the Netherlands and Luxembourg by 50% compared to the initial measurements in 2017. Argenta wants to be climate-neutral by 2030.
We have therefore renovated our head office to become a sustainable, energy-efficient office building. We are fully committed to sustainable mobility for our workers and are reducing our consumption of paper.
In 2022, our ecological footprint came to 1,453 tonnes, which is a drop of 43% compared to 2017. The ecological footprint of an employee is 1.32 tonnes. We have seen an increase of 16% compared to 2021. However, this is because of the fact that there was a significant fall in the work carried out at head office and in commuting between home and the workplace due to Covid 19 in both 2021 and 2020.
Achievements in 2022:
- In 2022, about 58 % of employees came to work in a sustainable way. During Mobility Week, Argenta sent its employees #goed op weg (‘well on their way’) with a healthy breakfast and a free bicycle repair service for anyone who came to work in a sustainable way. From 2023 onwards, Argenta employees will receive a monthly mobility budget with which they can purchase a sustainable car or bicycle, or pay part of their mortgage or rental.
- Argenta also requires suppliers and partners to be accountable. All suppliers have to sign Argenta’s sustainability charter and sustainability is one of the deciding factors in the purchasing process. Argenta focuses on environmentally friendly solutions such as green ICT and the circular economy.
- We invest in sustainable companies which support the energy transition or local projects with a social impact through our own bank’s and insurance company’s investment portfolios. We do not invest in unethical companies or sectors.
- The issue of the first green bond for institutional investors in 2022 was worth EUR 600 million. This is confirmation that green institutional investors have faith in Argenta’s sustainability approach.
What we do for our customers
By making our business activities sustainable, we are able to make a positive impact not only for our customers, but also for the environment and our society.
Argenta has been mapping the ecological footprint of its investments for a few years now. With regard to 2021, the average ecological footprint per fund decreased from 102 to 72 tons of CO₂ per EUR million invested. Investments in renewable energy led to a saving of 2.9 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per EUR million invested.
The ecological footprint of the investment portfolio was measured for the first time in 2018. In 2021, these figures were recalculated. Emissions related to government bonds were excluded. In 2019, Argenta joined the PCAF initiative (Platform for Carbon Accounting Financials). This platform uses a universal methodology to calculate the carbon impact of credit and investment portfolios. Argenta uses this methodology to calculate the carbon footprint of its credit and investment portfolios as from 2020.
Electricity production is based on renewable energy and avoids CO₂ emissions. PCAF allows us to calculate the avoided CO₂ for investments in these companies. We did this for the first time for our funds. On average, the investments avoid 4.3 tonnes of CO₂ per million euros. Argenta prefers PCAF to other methodologies as this method best fits the scope of its activities as a retail bank. In addition, a universal methodology like PCAF is a good basis of comparison for customers: PCAF provides transparency on the policy of financial institutions to contribute to the overall climate objectives. Customers will thus be able to choose more consciously from the product range because they can compare based on a universal methodology. To join PCAF, Argenta made a commitment to sit in working groups to share best practices with other financial institutions.
Argenta supports the sustainable renovation or to buy a home with a favourable EPC rating. By this means, we reinforce the transition to sustainable residential property. Similarly, we promote sustainable mobility with rate discounts for bicycle loans and loans for hybrid or electric vehicles.
In 2022, Argenta mapped the emissions from its business operations: these are known as financed emissions. From 2023 onwards we will be able to report on them and define goals to reduce them systematically on an annual basis.
Climate risk policy
We live in a world which is and will remain unpredictable. Global warming is a fact of life. We shall remember the summer of 2022 as one of the driest and hottest periods in over a century.
Argenta will form part of the solution for turning the tide.
In ons klimaatrapport geven we duiding over hoe Argenta zich inzet voor een klimaatneutrale samenleving. Het omvat onze strategie en acties die we de komende jaren zullen ondernemen om de effecten van de klimaatverandering voor onze klanten en de samenleving te beperken. Daar zijn we tegelijk realistisch én ambitieus in.





