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  • Public policy engagement

    Open and transparent dialogue

    We believe in having an open and transparent dialogue with all our stakeholders

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Standard Chartered (“Group”) believes it is important to engage globally on public policy and regulatory matters that impact our business, employees, clients, and other stakeholders. We engage with policymakers, regulators, and government officials, as well as trade associations and other entities such as think tanks and NGOs.

Governance and ethics

Our Group Public and Regulatory Affairs team, which is part of Group Conduct, Financial Crime and Compliance (“CFCC”), helps coordinate our global public policy and regulatory engagement, including direct engagement with government officials and indirect engagement through trade associations and other entities such as think tanks and NGOs. The Group Head of CFCC is part of our Group Management Team (“MT”) and reports directly to the Group CEO. Our Board and Group MT members also engage with policymakers regularly.

We have strict governance procedures in place across the Group and expect high standards of conduct and behaviour from our staff, directors, and contractors in all activities, including engagement with government officials, policymakers, and regulators. The controls we have in place align with our valued behaviours, and are outlined in our Code of Conduct, which requires that we “interact with government officials and regulators in a responsive, open, honest and co-operative way.”

The Group also recognises the need to engage with politically exposed persons, and we have policies and standards in place to guide staff on how to engage with such parties appropriately and transparently. An important part of our approach is required training that ensures that our engagement activity is both ethical and responsible.

Responsible engagement and advocacy

We actively engage with government officials at a global, regional, and national level to share insights, support the development of best practices and the adoption of consistent approaches across the markets in which we operate. We believe such activity is critical in helping us play our part and support the effective functioning of the financial system and the broader economy. We are committed to engaging in a transparent and timely way, and do so through a variety of channels, including through ongoing dialogue, submission of responses to formal consultations, and participation in industry working groups.

We engage with policymakers on topics such as international trade, sustainability, data, cyber security, digital adoption, innovation, and the financial services regulatory environment, in particular on prudential, financial markets, conduct and financial crime frameworks.

The Group retains the services of public affairs consultants to provide political and policy monitoring and strategic advice, but they do not represent our interests at Group level or in our markets. The Group does not employ the services of serving politicians for advocacy or political engagement on behalf of the Group. We comply with applicable laws and requirements in relation to the disclosure and publication of lobbying expenditures.

Political donations

As an organisation, we are strictly non-political and do not allow political spending. The Group has a policy in place which prohibits (i) the use of charitable donations and sponsorships as an inducement for obtaining an improper advantage, including to influence a Public Official, and (ii) the making of political donations undertaken by or on behalf of the Group. We also do not maintain a political action committee.

Trade associations

We are members of a wide range of financial services and other relevant professional and trade associations, some of which may engage with political stakeholders on topics that are of relevance to our business. We may not support every policy position held by a trade association of which we are a member, and we communicate our views as needed. A selection of these associations is listed below.

Our memberships