UnicreditBank – things only change if we act together

The future is not a destination, but a series of continuous actions aiming towards one goal – enabling communities to progress by giving them the necessary tools to fulfill their full potential.

Education is key in each endeavour shaping the path of progress. UniCredit Bank is an active player in connecting the actual needs with opportunities, in line with its ESG and sustainability strategy. 

UniCredit Foundation – Strong support for youth and education in Europe 

UniCredit Foundation, in line with its purpose of unlocking the potential of Europe’s next generation, launched the “Call for Education” to support programs combating educational disadvantage in all countries where the Group operates: Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

UniCredit Foundation allocated a total contribution of 4 million euros in 2023 to identify and support programs for secondary school students (age range 11-19), implemented by non-profit organizations, with particular attention to tackling early school leaving, encouraging the university level or the acquisition of appropriate skills to enter the labor market. 

„Re-power your future” is an initiative developed by Junior Achievement and the UniCredit Foundation, carried out simultaneously for young people from 10 European countries who are in an essential position to continue their studies and at the beginning of their integration process on the labor market.

The countries participating in the project are Romania, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. In Romania, the project is carried out in 310 schools and high schools with a technical profile, within which 7,500 students benefit from educational activities to explore their potential and shape their professional paths.

“In Romania, the school dropout rate remains high and precisely in this sense, together with Junior Achievement, we are starting to change the numbers. Every child who completes his education cycle means a victory for the society in which we live. The UniCredit Foundation’s involvement in these endeavours confirms that things only change if we act together. We are convinced that from year to year, we will have results that we will all see and feel.”

Mihaela Lupu, CEO of UniCredit Bank Romania

UniCredit and Teach for All – a long-term partnership for Europe’s future 

UniCredit Foundation and Teach For All (TFA) launched at the end of 2023 a three-year program based on a 5.5 million euro partnership to promote equality in education for young people in six European countries where banking is carried out: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia.

In Romania, through the new partnership, the UniCredit Foundation and the partners from the local Teach For All network help in the evolution of training and development of more than 1,400 teachers, with an impact on more than 83,000 pupils and students by 2026. In addition, the network partners will collaborate over the next three years with more than 3,600 graduates and over 10,870 teachers as part of the entire education system. 

UniCredit Lab 2024 – Empowering the next generations of entrepreneurs 

UniCredit Lab 2024 (third edition) is a mentoring program for young entrepreneurs, within the Romanian Creative Week.

Approximately thirty early-stage entrepreneurs benefit from personalized consulting to develop their businesses through the UniCredit Lab/Speed Mentoring for Wannabe Entrepreneurs program.

Investors who built successful businesses from scratch and specialists in key business fields, with extensive professional experience, are working individually and in teams with the young entrepreneurs enrolled in the workshop in Iași.

“UniCredit Lab is an opportunity for us to interact directly with young entrepreneurs and give them the support they need to turn their ideas into successful businesses. We strongly believe in the potential of young people and we are dedicated to supporting them through educational programs such as UniCredit Lab – an event that has already become a tradition within the Romanian Creative Week. Thus, we continue to support the communities of creative entrepreneurs and we want to see as many innovative initiatives as possible transformed into successful businesses.”

Anca Ungureanu, Director of Identity & Communication at UniCredit Bank

Also at this year’s RCW was the UniCredit FinTech Hack, a 48-hour hackathon where mixed teams of Coding/Design/Marketing students worked together to develop innovative mobile banking solutions, which were then presented to a jury of fintech specialists and experts. The event benefited from the support of Centric IT Solutions, and UniCredit Bank offered prizes to the first three teams on the podium.