Shinhan Financial Group has become the first Korean finance firm to be listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World for three consecutive years, the group said on Wednesday.

As the longest-running global sustainability benchmarks worldwide, the DJSI World is the global leg of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, launched in 1999. It is used to assess the sustainability performance of the world’s largest 2,500 companies listed on the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index.

Shinhan Financial Group was among the 27 big-name finance companies around the world to be listed in the DJSI World, along with Westpac, Standard Chartered, Citi Group, BNP Paribas and Barclays.

Shinhan was highly recognized for its ethical management, corporate social responsibilities, financial solidity and brand management.

Earlier this year, Shinhan launched an in-house management committee for CSR, the first of its kind for a Korean finance company. In addition, the group has run a variety of evaluation and supporting programs for its affiliates, paving the way to elevate Korea’s financial industry to world-class levels.

Shinhan’s emphasis on sustainable management has earned a number of recognitions at home and abroad, including “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations In the World” of the World Economic Forum and “Excellence in Retail Financial Services Award” of the Asian Banker.

This year, Shinhan was the only KOSDAQ-listed firm that was rated “A+” by the Corporate Governance Service.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)