Erste Social Finance Holding GmbH
1.6
Vienna, Austria
March 2026
Other credit - Developed Markets
Service with Minor Environmental Footprint
Austria,
Romania,
Slovakia
Erste Social Finance Holding GmbH works to expand access to finance for people and organisations often overlooked by traditional banking. As the impact investment arm of ERSTE Foundation and Erste Group, the company combines financial expertise with a clear social mission: to enable opportunity, independence, and long-term resilience. It supports individuals with low incomes in improving their financial health, helps create jobs by backing small and social businesses, and enables social and green organisations to grow their impact. Rather than extracting profit, Erste Social Finance reinvests its earnings to strengthen the broader ecosystem of purpose-driven enterprises. The organisation goes beyond financing by sharing knowledge, building partnerships, and supporting innovative solutions that address social challenges. Its work is grounded in the belief that inclusive financial systems are key to thriving, resilient societies. Active across Central and Eastern Europe, Erste Social Finance drives change through local initiatives—from microloans and education financing to investments in affordable housing for vulnerable communities. Its activities contribute directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Overall B Impact Score
Governance 11.3
Governance evaluates a company's overall mission, engagement around its social/environmental impact, ethics, and transparency. This section also evaluates the ability of a company to protect their mission and formally consider stakeholders in decision making through their corporate structure (e.g. benefit corporation) or corporate governing documents.
What is this? A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders - such as workers, community, environment, or customers.
Workers 30.6
Workers evaluates a company’s contributions to its employees’ financial security, health & safety, wellness, career development, and engagement & satisfaction. In addition, this section recognizes business models designed to benefit workers, such as companies that are at least 40% owned by non-executive employees and those that have workforce development programs to support individuals with barriers to employment.
Community 15.7
Community evaluates a company’s engagement with and impact on the communities in which it operates, hires from, and sources from. Topics include diversity, equity & inclusion, economic impact, civic engagement, charitable giving, and supply chain management. In addition, this section recognizes business models that are designed to address specific community-oriented problems, such as poverty alleviation through fair trade sourcing or distribution via microenterprises, producer cooperative models, locally focused economic development, and formal charitable giving commitments.
Environment 21.1
Environment evaluates a company’s overall environmental management practices as well as its impact on the air, climate, water, land, and biodiversity. This includes the direct impact of a company’s operations and, when applicable its supply chain and distribution channels. This section also recognizes companies with environmentally innovative production processes and those that sell products or services that have a positive environmental impact. Some examples might include products and services that create renewable energy, reduce consumption or waste, conserve land or wildlife, provide less toxic alternatives to the market, or educate people about environmental problems.
What is this? A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders - such as workers, community, environment, or customers.
Customers 38.7
Customers evaluates a company’s stewardship of its customers through the quality of its products and services, ethical marketing, data privacy and security, and feedback channels. In addition, this section recognizes products or services that are designed to address a particular social problem for or through its customers, such as health or educational products, arts & media products, serving underserved customers/clients, and services that improve the social impact of other businesses or organizations.
What is this? A company with an Impact Business Model is intentionally designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders - such as workers, community, environment, or customers.