Green Bond Framework

The 2020 Social Bond Framework has been replaced with a 2022 Green Bond Framework, representing a fundamental shift in the bank's sustainability financing focus. The framework has evolved from supporting social projects to prioritizing environmental/green projects, with updated structural elements including explicit sections on impact measurement and allocation of proceeds. The document now emphasizes ecological sustainability more prominently alongside social and governance considerations.

• modified Standards Alignment — Framework shifted from ICMA Social Bond Principles 2020 to ICMA Green Bond Framework (implied by title change), representing alignment with green financing standards rather than social bond standards.
• modified Use of Proceeds — Transition from social bond use of proceeds (social projects, communities, housing) to green bond use of proceeds (environmental/ecological projects), fundamentally changing eligible project categories.
• expanded Governance — Added new sections on 'Allokation der Erlöse' (Allocation of Proceeds) and 'Impact der Erlöse' (Impact of Proceeds) to reporting framework, expanding disclosure and accountability requirements.
• tightened Organizational Scope — Bank's geographic footprint narrowed from 22 locations (including multiple regions and Vienna) to 18 locations focused on Nord- and Osttirol, with Vienna reduced to a single ATM facility, indicating geographic refocusing.
• expanded Sustainability Target — Strengthened commitment language from linking sustainability to business success to explicitly stating commitment to sustainability 'in all facets – economically, socially and ecologically' as a core institutional value.