The campaign, which was launched on Nov 17 and runs until October 2010, is targeted at HSBC commercial banking customers who can now opt for the “green” version of the bank’s BusinessVantage (BVA) and BusinessVantage-i (BVA-i).
All transactions will be done electronically and documentation will be recorded online in an effort to significantly reduce paper usage and increase cost savings for customers. “The introduction of HSBC’s Green Campaign is timely in light of the current sentiments about climate change and HSBC can make a difference not only in the way we run our business but we can also help our customers do their part along the way,” said HSBC Bank Malaysia Commercial Banking managing director David Morton. He said a recent HSBC climate confidence monitor showed that a majority of the Malaysian respondents would purchase an environmentally responsible financial product if it made a positive difference, was easy to do and incurred no additional cost. “We are providing what our customers needs as the ‘green’ account meets their financial services requirements and need to contribute back to the environment,” said Morton. As part of the campaign, HSBC Bank Malaysia will be donating RM10 for every new sign-up of the “green” account and 4.5% of the first year premium for each Keyman and General Takaful product signed up by a customer with a “green” account to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia to assist its efforts and activities in combating climate change. “WWF-Malaysia commends HSBC Bank Malaysia for launching the Green Campaign which, if done on a large scale, can help to decrease deforestation and mitigate climate change,” said WWF Malaysia CEO and executive director Datuk Dionysius Sharma. “Simply put, reducing the demand for paper can help decrease the incentives for producers to chop down trees, and it is critical that we conserve our forests to ensure sustainability and combat global warming,” Sharma added. During this campaign, customers can open a green account with an initial deposit of only RM1,000 instead of RM10,000, with no minimum balance required throughout the period the account is maintained. To further encourage online banking, HSBC will be carrying out free sign-ups for Business Internet Banking, Business Telephone Banking and Business SMS Alert. HSBC will also discount leasing costs for environmentally friendly or energy saving products and provide discounted trade transactions to those who use HSBC’s internet based trade platform.
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