A New Chapter in Our Sustainability Journey

For generations, Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) has been guided by a simple but powerful philosophy: true leadership extends far beyond financial performance.

Our success and longevity are inseparable from the wellbeing of the communities we serve. In a world increasingly defined by climate disruption, social inequality, and evolving stakeholder expectations, advancing sustainable development for all is an imperative we cannot ignore. As one of the Caribbean region’s leading financial institutions, we at RFHL embrace our responsibility to tackle these challenges with clarity, purpose, and accountability.

Upon becoming a signatory to the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative Principles (UNEP FI) for Responsible Banking in 2020, we’ve leapt into action. Among several efforts, our Group has allocated USD $200 million in climate financing, committed USD $100 million in support of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM’s) “25 by 2025” food security initiative and hosted the Caribbean’s first Sustainability Expo.

Now we mark another significant milestone, the launch of the first RFHL Sustainability Report. This flagship publication highlights our sustainability achievements to date and charts the direction in which we must continue to move.

Why This Report Matters
Across all our territories, the lived realities of our customers and communities shape our strategy. Climate impacts intensify existing socio-economic pressures such as food security, healthcare access, economic diversification and migration. These pressures are real. They are growing. And they demand a response that is both resilient and forward-looking.

Our first Sustainability Report outlines the practical ways we are embedding sustainability across our organisation. We’re strengthening our internal capacity and building systems that both shape us as the bank of the future and the bank that helps to create a better future.

Today, sustainability is a major strategic consideration that guides our approach to risk management, credit decisions, stakeholder engagement and community investment. It inspires our commitment to global standards such as the UNEP Finance Initiative, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). It guides as we navigate an evolving regulatory landscape, ensuring compliance with directives such as the Bank of Ghana’s Climate-Related Financial Risk Directive and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s Prudential Standards. We are also proactively preparing for similar requirements in jurisdictions where legislation has not yet been introduced.

These steps ensure that we align our operations with international best practices and remain responsive to regional contexts. More importantly, our first Sustainability report details the work we’re investing to address local realities.

At RFHL, we recognise a critical truth that many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and emerging markets, including the countries which we serve, continue to face obstacles in accessing climate finance. High transaction costs, limited institutional capacity, and fragmented regulatory environments hinder progress. Addressing these barriers is essential if the countries we serve are to build long-term resilience.

We’re committed to being part of the solution by creating:
•Innovative financial tools that reduce costs, attract sustainable investment, and accelerate climate-resilient development.
•Advisory partnerships with multilateral institutions to improve climate-finance readiness in SIDS and developing countries. •Digital and mobile finance solutions that expand access — particularly for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and underserved groups in climate-smart sectors.
•Strengthened internal systems, including sustainable lending frameworks and climate-risk assessment tools.
•Regional advocacy that champions enabling policy reforms and knowledge sharing across the Caribbean.

Finance as a Force for Good
We’re doing all this because we believe profoundly that finance must be a force for good. This inaugural Sustainability Report is both a reflection of the work we have begun and a call to action for all that we must still accomplish.

We do not claim to have perfected the model, but we are resolute in our commitment to learning, improving, and forging the partnerships required for meaningful and lasting impact.

Rest assured that RFHL will actively do its part to help shape a stronger, more resilient, and more sustainable future…for our people, our planet, and the generations that will follow.

To learn more, read our 2025 Republic Financial Holdings Ltd Sustainability report here.