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
Vertex to Present New Data on ALYFTREK ® at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference9.10.2026 20:15:00 EEST | Press release
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced new interim data from the ALYFTREK® (vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/deutivacaftor) 2 to 5 years old open-label extension study, highlighting recovery of exocrine pancreatic function in some children in that age group, allowing those children to discontinue pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) was previously believed to be irreversible. These data were presented at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC). “The data presented at NACFC underscore the safety and efficacy of our CF medicines in the real world and in clinical trials in younger age groups. The data from the Phase 3 open-label study in 2 to 5 year olds evaluating exocrine pancreatic function represent a profound shift in how we understand the benefits of treating cystic fibrosis in its earliest stages,” said Carmen Bozic, M.D., Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Devel
Verdant Rock Receives A (low) Financial Strength Rating from Morningstar DBRS, Adding a Second International Investment-Grade Assessment9.10.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Verdant Rock Limited, a Bermuda Monetary Authority-regulated Class 3B insurance company, has received an A (low) Financial Strength Rating from Morningstar DBRS. The rating reflects Verdant Rock’s financial strength and its capacity to meet policyholder obligations as an investment-grade financial guarantor for Emerging Markets credit. Morningstar DBRS is a global credit rating agency with coverage across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Its assessment of Verdant Rock reflects the company’s strong projected earnings ability, robust risk profile, sound liquidity, and good capitalization. Morningstar DBRS also assigned an A (low) Issuer Rating to Verdant Rock. The rating follows Verdant Rock’s BBB+ Long-Term Insurer Financial Strength Rating with a Stable Outlook from Fitch Ratings, assigned on 12 June 2026. Verdant Rock now holds Financial Strength Ratings from both Fitch Ratings and Morningstar DBRS, providing counterparties with dual-agency confirmation of the company’s
Tecnotree Named a Visionary in the Inaugural 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for CSP AI-Enabled Marketing and Sales Solutions9.10.2026 16:17:00 EEST | Press release
Tecnotree, a global digital platform and services leader for AI, 5G, and cloud-native technologies, today announced that Gartner has positioned it as a Visionary in the first-ever Magic Quadrant for AI-Enabled CSP Marketing and Sales Solutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261009905430/en/ Tecnotree Named a Visionary in the Inaugural 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for CSP AI-Enabled Marketing and Sales Solutions A new category for a new operating model. CSPs are fighting saturated markets, rising acquisition costs, and accelerating churn. They are responding with AI-driven automation across the full revenue cycle, from segmentation and campaigns to lead management, CPQ, and renewals, increasingly executed by autonomous agents. According to us, Gartner creation of this Magic Quadrant confirms the shift has moved from pilot to boardroom priority. According to Gartner, Visionaries "understands where the market
Positive New Data on Corcym’s Perceval Plus Sutureless Aortic Heart Valve Encompasses up to 7-Year Follow-up9.10.2026 16:15:00 EEST | Press release
Corcym, a global medical device company dedicated to cardiac surgery, today announced that positive mid-term data from a sub-analysis of its Perceval Plus sutureless aortic heart valve as part of its MANTRA clinical trial was featured in an oral presentation today at the annual meeting of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS). The study is the longest follow-up available for Perceval Plus and the FREE tissue treatment from an international multicenter study, and demonstrated excellent durability, safety and quality of life improvements. Perceval Plus is the only sutureless and collapsible aortic surgical heart valve. Its unique design performs in any surgical scenario and is optimal for endoscopy and robotics. The valve features the company’s FREE next generation tissue treatment addressing the two main causes of calcification, phospholipids and aldehydes. Its proprietary LANCELOT advanced manufacturing process includes zero-pressure shaping and laser cutting of
Ada earns AWS Travel and Hospitality Competency for resolving traveler issues at scale9.10.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Ada, the pioneer in Agentic Customer Experience, today announced it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Travel and Hospitality Competency. The designation recognizes Ada as an AWS Partner with demonstrated technical proficiency and proven customer success helping travel and hospitality brands resolve customer issues at scale. Ada joins a select group of 58 AWS Partners holding the competency, and it reflects a shared commitment to helping travel brands deliver service that holds up on their busiest, most unpredictable days. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261009673638/en/ Ada earns AWS Travel and Hospitality Competency for resolving traveler issues at scale "Travel is where agentic customer service gets tested hardest. Demand spikes without warning, policies change by the hour, and customers are often stressed and far from home," said Mike Murchison, CEO and co-founder of Ada. "Our airline and hospitali
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