Better Health for All

The company's core banking services have a neutral direct health impact. For its BetterHealth service, the company demonstrates industry-leading risk transparency by clearly disclosing service limitations and regulatory status, and pioneering healthcare data responsibility by ensuring it never accesses personal health data from the app or portal.

The company has extensive health equity programs, including the "Begin Together" initiative which invested €3-4 million from 2020-2022 to support mental health and wellbeing, targeting diverse vulnerable groups such as older people, victims of domestic abuse, people with disabilities, and refugees. Its Vulnerable Customer Unit supported over 25,000 customers and opened over 5,350 Basic Bank Accounts for Ukrainian customers in 2022. During the COVID-19 crisis, the bank dispersed a €1 million Emergency Community Fund and provided over 100,000 payment breaks. The company offers industry-leading mental health programs, including direct counseling, partnerships with Action Mental Health, customer accommodations like the Jam Card, and Mental Health First Aid training for colleagues. It also shows a strong prevention focus through its "Get Fit" program, offering personalized nutrition and exercise plans. The company maintains an ISO45001 accreditation for its Health and Safety Management system, with a reportable accident frequency rate in 2022 of 1.104 per 10,000 headcount.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Bank of Ireland was fined €100,520,000 by the Central Bank of Ireland on 27 September 2022 for 81 admitted regulatory breaches related to tracker mortgages.

These breaches, occurring from August 2004 to June 2022, involved denying 15,910 customer accounts their contractual tracker mortgage rates, resulting in overcharged interest. The bank's initial redress proposals were deemed to fall far short of industry peers. A direct consequence of these failures was the loss of 50 properties, including 25 family homes. The unclear and ambiguous nature of the Mortgage Letter of Offer and Mortgage Form of Authorisation contributed to these issues. In an effort to improve, the company has rewritten over 300 customer communications with a target reading age of 16 or below.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The company's combined UK entities reported a median gender pay gap of 24.78% in 2024, indicating that women's median pay was 75.22% of men's median pay

. This gap is attributed to fewer women in higher-paid senior roles . The company proactively publishes its Gender Pay Gap Report and is a signatory of the Women in Finance Charter since 2018 . It also holds 'Investors in Diversity' Gold accreditation, 'Investing in Ethnicity' Top 10 Employee, and Age 55 (Age Friendly) employer accreditations . The company recognizes the rights of workers to form trade unions and participate in collective bargaining , and has an agreement with the Financial Services Union regarding the introduction and usage of AI for Band 1-3 colleagues covered by collective bargaining agreements , which includes commitments to job security and re/up-skilling opportunities .

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

As a financial services group, the company does not procure or trade physical commodities, making fair-trade certifications for materials not applicable to its operations.

Similarly, it has no material sourcing of at-risk inputs such as conflict minerals or uncertified palm oil. For its supply chain, higher-risk suppliers undergo more detailed due diligence annually, and all suppliers are expected to complete the Financial Supplier Qualification System (FSQS) questionnaire on an annual cycle.

Honest & Fair Business

The company has a comprehensive 'Group Speak Up Policy' communicated to colleagues, suppliers, and business partners.

It encourages reporting wrongdoing and provides external reporting channels and Speak Up Voicemail Numbers for various jurisdictions. Mandatory training on the Speak Up Policy is conducted annually for employees. However, the effectiveness of this program is not publicly measured. The Group maintains a 'zero-tolerance policy towards Bribery and corruption practices' and has a 'Group Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy.' It provides clear guidance to suppliers against making or accepting bribes, kickbacks, illicit payments, or facilitation payments. Regular mandatory training on financial crime is provided. The company conducts third-party due diligence through annual supplier assessments and requires suppliers to complete the FSQS questionnaire annually.

Kind to Animals

Bank of Ireland Group provides over €4 billion in lending to the agrifood sector.

This extensive financing supports factory farm dairy, beef, pork, and poultry operations. The company has been publicly criticised for its lack of animal welfare policies. While a partnership with Kerry Dairy Ireland includes "animal health and welfare" as one of sixteen incentivisation areas for GHG reduction, this is within a broader program. The company has no public position on animal welfare legislation, despite engaging with governments on broader climate change and biodiversity initiatives. For KPIs related to cruelty-free certification, animal testing, humane operations, ethical input substitution, cage-free sourcing, and animal-free R&D collaboration, the company's financial services business model means these are not applicable.

No War, No Weapons

Bank of Ireland Group states it aligns with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

and has a Human Rights Policy approved by its Group Board . The company is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Banking (UNPRB) and UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) . It provides annual human rights training for employees and business partners and publishes a Modern Slavery Statement each year .

Planet-Friendly Business

Bank of Ireland Group's GHG emission targets have been validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to a 1.5°C pathway

, including a 49% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 from a 2020 base year , and portfolio targets for mortgages, commercial real estate, and project finance electricity generation . Approximately 99.75% of the company's electricity for its own operations was sourced from renewable sources in 2024 , with a target of 100% by 2025 . The company has a net-zero emissions target for its own operations (Scope 1 & 2) by 2030 , with a 49% reduction target by 2030 from a 2020 base year . The company has published multiple TCFD reports , with its Five Point Climate Plan aligning with TCFD disclosure pillars and climate-risk integrated into its Internal Capacity Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) . The Group states it has no direct exposure to fossil fuels in energy and extraction , indicating no assets at risk from climate transition.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The company has established 3 formal partnerships with community groups, including a partnership with Ruhama, an Irish NGO, and two charities facilitated by Community Foundation Ireland.

No cultural appropriation incidents have been reported. The company does not have a specific cultural impact assessment protocol, nor are Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes or cultural site protection applicable to its financial services operations. The company engages in general charitable giving, distributing €530,000 through its Staff Charitable Fund to 26 projects globally and €500,000 through its Community Fund to 24 organizations in 2024, but does not specifically focus on cultural heritage. No cultural incident response framework is reported as applicable.

Safe & Smart Tech

The company was fined €463,000 by the Data Protection Commission (DPC) in March 2025

for 19 breaches of GDPR articles, including failure to disclose personal data breaches without undue delay, failure to inform affected individuals, and failing to ensure a level of security in transferring data . These regulatory breaches stemmed from data corruption impacting over 50,000 customers between November 2018 and June 2019 , which also involved inaccurate information reported to the Central Credit Register . While the company reported successful delivery against FCA Consumer Duty milestones and full compliance with an FCA s.166 review in 2024 , the GDPR violations are significant. The company has an agreement with the Financial Services Union (FSU) from March 2025 , described as the first such initiative in the retail banking sector , for a human-centric approach to AI . This includes joint monitoring and ensuring human-in-control principles , with employees having the right not to be subject to solely automated decisions . Mandatory annual training is provided to all employees on Privacy & Data protection, Financial Crime, and future-proofing skills including cybersecurity . Multi-factor authentication is used for in-scope systems and as a fraud prevention tool . The company has a multi-year plan for remediating known vulnerabilities by regulatory deadlines and a framework for continuous assessment . Users have the right to object to the processing of their personal information for direct marketing . The company advocates for consumer protection against online scams and commits to upholding UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights .

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

The company has implemented waste reduction initiatives, including significantly reduced paper usage

, and the recycling of general waste and E-waste in its operational sites .