GLS Bank - Ethics before profits: Aysel Osmanoglu
While many financial organizations are currently looking at ways to satisfy increasing customer demands for sustainability and transparency on ethical investments, one bank is proving that sustainable banking is the only viable way to operate.
In fact, GLS Bank has been respecting the connection between social and ecological issues since 1974. And for Aysel Osmanoglu, CEO and Management Board Member of GLS Bank, the company has been the perfect fit for her moral compass.
“My ambition lies in fostering meaningful growth and transformation, both in my personal journey and the organizations I am part of,” she says. “When I joined Ökobank, which was later acquired by GLS Bank in 2003, I was immediately mesmerized by the institution’s unwavering commitment to ecological and social principles.
“This holistic approach to banking, where financial decisions were not merely driven by profit maximization but were aligned with a higher purpose, resonated deeply with my own values and aspirations.”
The truth of Osmanoglu’s conviction that money, when harnessed responsibly, can also serve as a transformative tool for society, is reaffirmed to her at work every day. She hopes more financial institutions will move away from a blinkered focus on profit margins toward creating a more just and equitable society.
Looking forward with a strong ethos
Over the past five decades, GLS Bank has successfully focused on transforming and developing industries with a strong social importance, such as organic farming and renewable energies. “Issues that need to be developed further are the question of property, education and the unequal distribution of wealth,” Osmanoglu says.
“This requires the transformation of the prevailing economic system in the sense of a holistic approach that benefits not only companies, but also people and nature.”
There is no doubt that since the formation of GLS Bank, technological advancements have revolutionized the industry. GLS Bank is committed to leveraging technology to enhance the customer experience while upholding its core values of transparency and democratic participation.