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Standard Chartered Bangladesh has received two major honours at the ESGBusiness Awards 2026 in recognition of its initiatives in health equity, social inclusion and job creation.
The bank won the Health Equity and Inclusion Award, Bangladesh, and the Job Creation Award, Bangladesh, at the awards programme held in Singapore on September 17.
The ESGBusiness Awards recognise organisations for their environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and achievements across Asia, including South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
The two awards recognise Standard Chartered Bangladesh’s corporate social responsibility initiatives aimed at expanding access to healthcare, developing employable skills and creating economic opportunities for underserved communities.
The Health Equity and Inclusion Award recognised the bank’s efforts to improve access to essential healthcare among communities in hard-to-reach areas.
Through one of its flagship healthcare programmes, Standard Chartered has supported initiatives across 100 unions in six underserved geographical areas: Barind, Beel, Char, Coastal, Hill Tract and Haor.
According to the bank, the programme has directly benefited more than 30,000 adolescents and young women and indirectly reached an additional 100,000 people.
The Job Creation Award recognised the bank’s initiatives to create sustainable economic opportunities, strengthen workforce capacity and promote financial and social inclusion, particularly among young people, women and vulnerable communities.
Among the initiatives cited by the bank are Giving Wings to Dreams for Youth Empowerment with UCEP, Empowering the Future with BRAC, and Generation Unlimited’s Passport to Earning programme with UNICEF.
The programmes focus on equipping young people with market-relevant skills, improving access to employment opportunities and supporting broader economic participation.
Commenting on the recognition, Enamul Huque, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said the awards reflected the bank’s commitment to creating a positive impact in communities across the country.
“True sustainability is about making positive changes in people’s lives, whether by improving access to healthcare or helping individuals build secure, independent and dignified livelihoods,” he said.
He also thanked the bank’s stakeholders for supporting initiatives aimed at addressing social and economic challenges.
Standard Chartered Bangladesh said the recognition reinforces its focus on using its corporate social responsibility programmes to support communities and contribute to inclusive development.
The bank has operated in Bangladesh for more than 120 years and remains engaged in initiatives covering healthcare, education, skills development, financial inclusion and community support.