Ant Group’s ESG strategy aims to support 100 million SMEs by 2030
1.6.2022 06:07:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Ant Group, a global technology provider, today announced its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy as part of its latest sustainability report. The ESG strategy, which lays out Ant Group’s sustainable development objectives by 2030, will be implemented across all aspects of the Company’s operations.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220531006112/en/
Four pillars of Ant Group’s ESG strategy and objectives by 2030 (Graphic: Business Wire)
Ant Group’s ESG strategy is focused around four pillars: Digital Inclusion, Green and Low-carbon Development, Open Ecosystem, and Technological Innovation. Each of the pillars has a corresponding sustainable development objective by 2030:
- Digital Inclusion: support 100 million small and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs) and serve communities globally
- Green and Low-carbon Development: achieve corporate carbon neutrality and support business partners and the general public to significantly reduce their carbon footprint
- Open Ecosystem: continue to provide a safe, trusted, diversified and open ecosystem to drive common development with partners
- Technological Innovation: continue to invest in core technology research and development to provide world-leading technological products and services
"We believe these are the most important pillars for Ant Group to achieve sustainable growth in a future-facing, responsible, and responsive manner,” wrote Eric Jing, Ant Group’s Chairman and CEO, in the sustainability report. ”This framework will guide Ant Group’s value creation and sustainable development in the future.”
Ant Group formulated its ESG strategy based on a comprehensive assessment of changing macro environment and policy trends, its own development strengths, and inputs from the Company’s stakeholders, including customers, users, employees, partners and governments. The ESG strategy was finalized after extensive management discussions and a detailed Board review.
After solicitating feedback from stakeholders, Ant Group defined 19 material issues for its ESG strategy, ranging from “responsible products and services,” “facilitating industry-wide carbon neutrality,” “cutting-edge technology discovery and R&D” and “transparency & risk management.”
To provide organizational support to effectively implement the ESG strategy, the Company’s Board of Directors has approved the establishment of an ESG sustainable development committee, comprised of a subset of the Board, responsible for decision-making supervision, risk management and policy making. The Company is setting up an advisory committee consisting of internal and external ESG experts to provide input and support. Ant Group has also set up an ESG sustainable development leadership team, led by the CEO and the Chief Sustainability Officer, as well as working groups for each of the 19 ESG material issues.
“Our ESG strategy originated from our own long-term needs and was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. The pursuit of sustainable development has been inherent in every step of our journey and is not designed to cater to short-term trends, but rather a necessary driver to realize our vision to be a good company that will last for at least 102 years,” added Mr. Jing. “A good company is never independently defined. We will listen to the opinions and suggestions from all parties with an open mind and welcome supervision and guidance from all of our stakeholders.”
As part of its “Technological Innovation” pillar, Ant Group has been increasing its R&D investments, which grew at an annual rate of more than 39% for three consecutive years (2018-2021), with total R&D spending in 2021 exceeding RMB 18.8 billion (approx. USD 2.77 billion). These investments enabled the Company to continuously turn technological breakthroughs into innovative, inclusive and reliable products and services to support the digital transformation of industries and better anticipate the evolving needs of an increasingly digital global economy. In 2021, MYbank, an Ant Group associate and an online SME bank, leveraged digital technology to deliver convenient, accessible and responsible collateral-free financing services to 45 million SMEs.
In February 2022, Ant Group was recognized as a Top 100 Global Innovator™ 2022 by Clarivate™. This prestigious annual list identifies global companies and institutions that contribute new ideas, solve problems and create new economic value.
Since 2017, three years after Ant Group’s establishment, the Company has steadily introduced and advanced its ESG assessment framework and published an annual sustainability report, compiled according to the Global Reporting Initiative standards. These reports, including the latest 2021 edition with the Company’s ESG strategy, can be found on Ant Group’s website (Chinese only for now, English edition will be online in the coming weeks).
About Ant Group
Ant Group aims to build the infrastructure and platforms to support the digital transformation of the service industry. Through continuous innovation, we strive to provide all consumers and small and micro businesses equal access to digital financial and other daily life services that are convenient, sustainable and inclusive.
For more information, please visit our website at www.antgroup.com or follow us on Twitter @AntGroup.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220531006112/en/
Contact information
Media Inquiries
Le SHEN
Shenle.sl@antgroup.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SBC Medical to Participate in Several Upcoming Investor Conferences in September 20261.9.2026 20:35:00 EEST | Press release
SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated (Nasdaq: SBC) (“The Company” or “SBC Medical”), a Medical Services Organization (MSO) providing management support across a wide range of healthcare fields, today announced its participation in several upcoming investor conferences in September 2026. SBC Medical will conduct presentations and one-on-one meetings with institutional investors. Below is a summary of the Company’s scheduled participation in upcoming investor conferences: H.C. Wainwright 28th Annual Global Investment Conference Date: September 14 2026 Format: In-person (NY) Registration: https://my.ct.events/register.aspx?meid=cff43623-9e9f-45d4-bbc3-ee19e9c372c1&rpid=a667ca45-171e-4306-98eb-c466e8b7e6c1 ArcStone Kingswood Growth Summit 2026 Date: September 16 2026 Format: In-person (Toronto) Registration:https://www.meetmax.com/sched/event_144037/investor_reg_new.html?attendee_role_id=ARCSTONE_ATTENDEE CLSA 33rd Investors’ Forum 2026 Date: September 21, 2026 Format: In-person (Hong K
Crimson Moon Available Now, Bringing Heavy-Metal Gothic Action to Solo and Co-op Players on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S1.9.2026 20:00:00 EEST | Press release
ProbablyMonsters, an independent video game company creating original AA games with AAA sensibilities, today launched Crimson Moon on PC via Steam and Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S for $19.99 USD. A $29.99 USD Deluxe Edition is also available and includes an exclusive armor set, weapon cosmetic, and upcoming game expansion. Watch the official Crimson Moon launch trailer on YouTube to see the game’s gothic heavy-metal power fantasy, crafted for both solo and co-op players, in action. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260901064893/en/ Crimson Moon is a gothic high renaissance action-adventure RPG built around intense, replayable missions that blend brutal precision with deep character progression. Players take on the role of the Nephilim, powerful human-angel hybrids bound to a dark prophecy and charged with reclaiming the besieged city of Gildenarch from a horde of demons, undead, vampires,
Rigaku Launches CT Lab HR160 High-Resolution X-ray CT System1.9.2026 18:00:00 EEST | Press release
Rigaku Corporation, a global solutions partner in X-ray analytical systems and a group company of Rigaku Holdings Corporation (Headquarters: Akishima, Tokyo; President and CEO: Jun Kawakami; “Rigaku”), today announced the launch of the CT Lab HR160, a high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) system for battery, semiconductor devices, electronic components, and advanced materials analysis. The system is developed in collaboration with Excillum AB, the global source for X-ray innovation (Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden; CEO: David Lindblom; “Excillum”). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260901074099/en/ Photo: CT Lab HR160 High-Resolution X-ray CT System CT Lab HR160 combines Rigaku’s X-ray CT imaging expertise with Excillum’s NanoTube N3 X-ray source. Operating at up to 160 kV to support a wide range of sample types, the system achieves true 250 nm spatial resolution — an industry-leading level for CT syste
Vivax-Metrotech Partners with Oaktree to Accelerate Strategic Growth1.9.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Vivax-Metrotech Corporation (“Vivax-Metrotech”), a leading manufacturer of precision locating and inspection devices for utility infrastructure, and Oaktree’s Power Opportunities strategy, today announced a partnership to accelerate Vivax-Metrotech’s growth trajectory and strengthen its leading position. For more than 60 years, Vivax-Metrotech has delivered best-in-class solutions for the utility industry with a focus on underground infrastructure. From its origins in California, the company has expanded across the United States and internationally, developing and supplying locator systems, inspection cameras, and associated digital solutions that help utilities, municipalities, and service providers safely build, maintain, and manage their assets. Today, Vivax-Metrotech is firmly established as a leading player in the U.S. and Global utility locator equipment and inspection device markets. The partnership with Oaktree’s Power Opportunities group will support Vivax-Metrotech’s continue
GigaDevice Joins the Zephyr® Project to Foster Global Open-Source Ecosystem1.9.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
GigaDevice, a leading semiconductor company specializing in Flash memory, 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), sensors, and analog products, has officially joined the Zephyr® Project, one of the world’s leading open-source real-time operating systems (RTOS). Hosted by the Linux Foundation®, the Zephyr® Project welcomes GigaDevice as a Silver Member, making GigaDevice a dual Silver Member of both the Zephyr® Project and the Linux Foundation. Leveraging its comprehensive GD32 MCU portfolio, GigaDevice will actively participate in the Zephyr® community, promoting deeper integration between its MCU technologies and the global open-source RTOS ecosystem. This will provide customers and developers in industrial, IoT, consumer electronics, and other fields with a more open, standardized, and efficient embedded development environment, while continuing to contribute to the growth of the global embedded open ecosystem and broader access to technology. With the continued evolution of the Internet of
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom