Banco Cooperativo Sicredi was named winner of this year's Diversity and inclusion initiative of the year after implementing several initiatives during 2024.

Initiatives at the Brazilian cooperative financial institution included a business-wide diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) committee, supporting consistent implementation across the business, with active committees in place for its 10 cooperatives, one regional centre and administrative centre.

It also launched its Inclusive Service Guide for training and practical help for serving LGBTQIA individuals, people with disabilities, the elderly and low-literacy clients. This included sign language video calls and braille credit cards. Finally, Sicredi implemented an Accessibility Credit Line for financing assistive technologies and adaptations to improve quality of life for people with disabilities.

These initiatives sat alongside ongoing programmes such as the Women's Committee and the Entrepreneurial Women Course, and its structured DEI training path, including an online course on inclusion and respect reaching over 50,000 employees.

One Sustainable Company Awards judge praised the initiatives for being "embedded across governance, product development, service delivery, education, and community empowerment".