"No age, no gender, no social status, nor nationality should be excluded from the benefits which are provided to all the depositors of the Savings Bank.”
Founding Document „Erste oesterreichische Spar-Casse“, 1819
All people should have the freedom to choose their gender and their partners without fear of consequences. Therefore, we advocate for a corporate culture and society that accepts and respects all realities of queer people.
Queer people deserve acceptance and equal rights.
As a bank for all, it is particularly important to us to stand up for queer people and raise awareness against discrimination. We stand for a society that respects all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Queer people are more frequently discriminated against
People who are part of the LGBTQIA* community face discrimination worldwide. Whether in daily life, at work, or regarding health issues, they must always be prepared to be disadvantaged, experience exclusion, or even be subjected to physical or verbal violence.
Even in Europe, the numbers are still alarming:
36%
Surveyed LGBTQIA* individuals reported experiencing discrimination in at least one area of life in the past 12 months.
30%
One in three trans people report experiencing discrimination in the workplace.
19%
of people in Generation Z in Austria state that they belong to a queer gender identity and/or non-heterosexual sexual orientation.
Official Partner of Vienna Pride
Erste Colours
FAQ
Queer people are a part of our society and actively help shape it. These people are also our employees and customers, who enable us to do what we are here for – to support people’s financial health and the prosperity of our region. We see ourselves as a corporate ally and advocate for the visibility of queer people, because they are an important part of who we are.
"No age, no gender, no social status, nor nationality should be excluded from the benefits which are provided to all the depositors of the Saving Bank." reads an excerpt from our founding charter from 1819. This inclusive idea still accompanies us today and will continue to do so in the future – because it is the reason we exist. We were founded with the purpose of offering our services to all people and thus enabling prosperity for everyone.
Our commitment began in 2018, when we founded Erste Colours – our employee network for queer people. The network advocates for the visibility of queer people within our company and provides opportunities for exchange and information for employees. As a partner of Euro Pride 2019, we have continued our partnership with Vienna Pride to this day. Since 2024, we have also supported Mistelbach Pride as a partner and have collaborated with various queer organizations. In honor of Pride Month, we support queer people by promoting visibility on our social media channels, giving selected stories a platform.
The Erste Colours employee network consists of dedicated employees who, alongside their regular jobs, advocate for LGBTQIA* topics within the company. Since 2018, Erste Colours has been organizing formats for exchange and knowledge sharing with the goal of helping queer people connect within the company and raising awareness among non-queer people about queer life realities.
Already in our founding charter from the year 1819, we clearly stated that we are a bank for all people: "No age, no gender, no social status, nor nationality should be excluded from the benefits which are provided to all the depositors of the Saving Bank." This excerpt is still firmly supported by our management board today.
Vienna Pride is the largest demonstration in Austria and Eastern Europe to raise awareness for queer rights, equality, and respect. Erste Group also stands for these values.
Our diversity and communication initiatives vary across countries, as each has different legal frameworks and cultural contexts. As Erste Group for example, we deliberately include examples that promote respectful interaction with queer individuals in our mandatory group-wide training programs, in order to raise awareness among our employees.
We are always committed to promoting the visibility of queer people and ensuring that discrimination has no place. We welcome suggestions and feedback on our initiatives via diversitymanagement@erstegroup.com.