The National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia (NCB), one of the Middle East's leading financial institutions, has released its 2012 Sustainability Report: Growth/Strength/Innovation. The report is available on the company's Web site and may be accessed at http://www.alahli.com/en-US/About%20Us/SustainabilityBusinessExcell...

The report is NCB's fifth annual Sustainability report. GRI has qualified the report as Application level B. NCB is the first company in Saudi Arabia to comply with the GRI Guidelines and the first financial institution in the Middle East to publish a GRI qualified Sustainability report.

The report outlines NCB's Sustainability policy and framework which identifies the Bank’s key stakeholder groupings together with their priority issues. The report furthermore describes key challenges faced by the Bank and the strategy NCB has developed in response to stakeholders expectations. Broad themes of 2012 achievements include:

• Expanded Kafala loan guarantee program market share to 31.2%
• Launched new AlAhliMobile app that enables customers to access a wide range of services and make card-less ATM cash withdrawals
• Achieved ISO 14001 EMS certification for the Banks’s Head Office and regional offices in key cities in the Kingdom
• Installed solar water boilers in 5 pilot branches
• Incorporated Sustainability into vendor proposal evaluation
• Held the Second Annual Partnership for a Sustainable Future titled “Together for a Brighter Tomorrow” 
• Achieved a Bank-wide Saudization rate of 92.08% and 100% in the retail network
• Supported 1,280 entrepreneurs with knowledge, mentoring and benevolent loans
• Increased net income increasing by 7.3 percent to SR 6,453 million, making it the best year in NCB’s long history

The report includes an opening article by Chief Executive Officer which discusses the diverse benefits of a green economy