Fair Pay & Worker Respect

ING Bank (Australia) Ltd reported a median pay gap of 29.5% for 2023-24, indicating that women earned 70.5% of men's median pay.

This translates to a pay equity ratio of 0.705. The company also measures its global gender pay gap annually and conducts an Equal Pay For Equal Work analysis for similar roles.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

ING employs a 'Know Your Supplier' (KYS) process to assess social, environmental, and financial risks associated with its suppliers, which includes periodic assessments and employee training.

The company's Environmental and Social Risk (ESR) policy framework guides client engagement, incorporating human rights and environmental factors, and includes sector-specific policies for sensitive sectors like agriculture, mining, and manufacturing, adhering to international standards such as the Equator Principles. ING participates in initiatives like the Thun Group and the Equator Principles Social Working Group to advance human rights due diligence in the financial sector. A 2022/2023 human rights report included a first assessment of human rights issues in procurement. Suppliers are required to comply with ING's environmental and social policy, which covers human rights, forced labor, child labor, fair labor standards, environmental protection, anti-corruption, and modern slavery acts. The company uses bespoke questions in Requests for Proposals for high-risk categories and has a Supplier Sustainability Code of Conduct. ING partners with EcoVadis to monitor major supplier performance and assigns corrective action plans.

Honest & Fair Business

In the past three years, ING received a $200 million fine in February 2024 for anti-money laundering failures

and two fines totaling $2.4 million in July and August 2023 for failing to store and review emails. The company has a Global Whistleblower Policy, effective August 2024, which includes anti-retaliation measures and allows anonymous reporting via an independent external platform. Acknowledgement of receipt of a whistleblowing concern is sent within seven days, but an update on follow-up is shared within three to six months. In 2024, 194 concerns were raised, with 44 under review. The company has not had any financial restatements in the past five years. In 2023, 88% of profit before tax and 92% of total assets were covered by independent external audit procedures. As of June 2025, Sustainalytics rated ING's ESG Risk Rating as 18.0 (Low Risk), and its management of ESG material risk as 'Strong'. ING has an anti-corruption policy and a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption, including client and third-party due diligence. However, between 2010 and 2016, ING structurally violated the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Act, failing to conduct proper client due diligence and monitor accounts, leading to a €775 million settlement in 2018. The Sustainability Statement and selected non-financial indicators are subject to limited assurance by KPMG. ING's ESG rating by MSCI was upgraded to 'AAA' in October 2025, underscoring its leading role in sound corporate governance.

Kind to Animals

ING has a robust policy prohibiting financing for animal testing for non-medical purposes, including cosmetics, and will no longer finance experiments on nonhuman primates or endangered species.

For medical testing, the bank sets requirements for clients, promoting the '3Rs' (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement). ING will no longer finance fur farms, bullfights, or any animal fights for entertainment, nor the trade and manufacture of fur products. The bank also excludes financing the trade in endangered animals and genetic modification of animals for non-medical purposes. ING encourages clients in animal husbandry to manage animals in line with the 'Five Freedoms' and to seek continuous improvement in animal transport and stewardship, including minimizing distress during transport and ensuring humane slaughter. It also encourages clients not to use cages, but this is not a requirement.

Planet-Friendly Business

ING reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions of 261.6 million tCO₂e in 2024.

The company's climate targets, including financed emissions reductions, are validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as aligning with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement ambition, covering 67% of its total financed emissions. ING aims to source 100% renewable electricity for all its managed buildings worldwide by 2030, having sourced over 98% in 2024. The company stopped purchasing carbon credits in 2022. ING aims to steer the most carbon-intensive parts of its lending portfolio towards net zero by 2050 and has an ambition for its own buildings to reach net zero by 2035. ING aligned its 2022 and 2023 Climate Reports with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The company uses climate scenarios from the IEA and other organizations to benchmark its progress, including 1.5°C, 2°C, and 3°C+ pathways. ING has a comprehensive deforestation policy with 60-70% verified implementation, good traceability systems, and regular supplier audits for high-risk commodities like cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, and soy. ING has a basic climate justice program emerging and is working to understand the implications of a 'just transition' and supports adaptation through its financing.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

No specific, quantitative evidence was found in the provided articles to assess ING Groep NV against the defined KPIs for 'Respect for Cultures & Communities'. While articles mention general human rights policies

, adherence to Equator Principles , and internal diversity and inclusion training , they lack concrete data points such as the number of formal partnerships, percentage of revenue reinvested in local communities, cultural appropriation incidents, or the coverage of grievance mechanisms for community concerns.