Ethics and professional conduct
Ensure ethical and respect for the law, moral integrity and listening to these issues.
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23%
tendering procedures shall be followed for procurement procedures
2021
2020
2019
-78%
100%
transactions are covered by anti-money laundering measures
2021
2020
2019
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In 2021, ORAGROUP will continue to strengthen its governance, as part of the implementation of the new Circular 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Banking Commission, which came into force on 2 July 2018, and to strengthen the capacity of its staff to maintain a high level of service for clients, with a permanent focus on risk control and the preservation of the quality of its signature.
Sylvie MAHOU LOE
Directrice de l’Audit Interne / Secrétaire du Comité d’Audit du Conseil d’Administration
Compliance and respect of laws
Orabank is committed to acting in accordance with laws and regulations and to combating illegal and unsafe practices.
The Group’s responsibility is to respect the various laws that are applicable, as well as the standards set by international institutions. Oragroup as a Holding bank shares, has been directly regulated by the Banking Commission since 1 January 2018. The new regulations allow for the strengthening of the capital of banking, better risk management and greater transparency of financial communication.
The Group has a well-established internal control system to identify, manage and monitor risks. Controls are designed to provide reasonable assurance that the risks facing the Bank are reasonably controlled. Internal audit and compliance functions play a key role in providing an objective view and ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control systems.
The fulfillment of these commitments requires that managers and all employees respect shared ethical rules of conduct.
Ethics and Professional Conduct
Orabank is committed to anchoring a culture of ethics, ethics and integrity.
The Group communicated the principles set out in the Orabank Group Code of Ethics to all of its employees. This Code sets the standards of professionalism and integrity required for Bank operations. It covers compliance with applicable laws, respect for professional secrecy, protection of confidential information, conflicts of interest, business practices and customer behavior, corruption and strict adherence to the principles set out in the document, in order to eliminate the risk of illegal practices.
Prevention of corruption and money laundering
Orabank is committed to implementing anti-corruption policies and transparency on the mechanisms of influence of the company and the responsibilities of its executive members. The banks of the Orabank Group, as commercial banks, are exposed to the risk of corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing. Orabank assists its teams in the appropriation of a culture based on integrity and the fight against practices not tolerated by the banking group.
The Code of Ethics covers the issue of the prevention of corruption and money laundering and an ethical charter on the part of the prevention of corruption. Since 2012, anti-money laundering measures have been implemented, such as real-time monitoring of blacklists when entering into contact with a client or during banking transactions. We are developing a system for analyzing the profile of the AML/KYC (Anti-Money Laundering Compliance/Know Your Customer) customer.
In 2014, the Orabank Group adopted and implemented the alert policy, to encourage employees and all stakeholders, referred to as the “whistleblower”, to report facts that could constitute serious violations of internal procedures and rules or criminal acts that could harm its reputation and interests. Any good faith whistleblower who has reported a serious violation or a criminal act in accordance with the procedures of the policy will be protected by the Orabank Group against possible retaliation.
In 2019, we can note the following developments and actions: the start of the project to update the LBC/FT procedures manual, the operationalization of an e-learning platform with training courses including the LBC/FT module, the Internal Audit Mission of the Directorate of Permanent Control and Compliance, the Joint Audit Mission of the Banking Commission, the preparation of guides (checklists) for compliance checks, the implementation of the DOS software ow Jones in all Group entities to manage high-risk clients (EPP, clients under sanctions, persons of special interest), change of name Direction Monitoring and Compliance to Compliance under the new Circular, update of the account opening procedure with as pilot site, the subsidiary of TOGO, development of the compliance culture through LBC/FT compliance training for the attention of the Holding staff, training of staff of subsidiaries and branches in LBC/FT matters, training and monitoring visits of sub-agents, etc.
At Orabank, as part of our day-to-day risk management, we have made a commitment to dedicate significant resources in order to develop a risk management culture and to ensure that all risks are effectively identified, measured, evaluated, managed and monitored.
Assiba Ponou KOUASSI
Director of Risk Management / Secretary of the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors
Risk governance
Orabank is committed to the continuous improvement of its system of identifying, assessing, monitoring, controlling and controlling risks associated with its activities. Since 2015, our growth model has undergone a major change and the Orabank Group incorporates the standards of management of international banks. One of our main tasks is to maintain a strong risk management system that supports the continued growth of the Orabank Group.
As a result, the governance structure of the risk management function within the Orabank Group ensures the effective participation of the Board of Directors and the executive body through the supervision of the control functions and the existence of a real risk management environment. This allows for the supervision and management of all risks taken on the activities of the entities, such as credit risks, operational risks, market risks, strategic risks, social risks and environmental risks. The Environmental and Social Risk Management System (SYMRES), implemented by the Orabank Group, is used in the granting of finance and aims to identifier potential societal (social and environmental) risks related to any new investment project submitted to the bank.
In addition, the last two years have been marked by the continued implementation of the roadmap for the ongoing development and implementation of automated risk management tools, as well as the strengthening of the governance system. The risk culture remains at the heart of our activities and employees are constantly supported through several training modules on the digital campus and the establishment and effective operation of various internal committees.
SYMRES
Environmental and Social Risk Management System
The Environmental and Social Risk Management System (SYMRES) is a management system designed to identify and mitigate potential societal risks associated with any new investment project submitted to the bank. The objective of SYMRES is to prevent the bank from financing projects or activities that would have a significant negative social or environmental impact, which could become financial or reputational risk.
During the year 2021, the existing system was overhauled in order to integrate the analysis of three categories of essential risks known as “ESG”: E for all ENVIRONMENTAL risks, S for SOCIAL risks and G for GOVERNANCE. Depending on the life cycle of a loan, there are five key stages in the management of ESG risks. These stages are the subject of detailed procedures and form an integral part of the credit risk management policy.