Our values
The BIS continuously adapts its activities to support central banks as they face their current and future challenges, and adjusts to external developments. To this end, the BIS has four core values that shape our work culture: we deliver value through excellence in performance, we act with integrity, we foster a culture of diversity, inclusion, sustainability and social responsibility, and we are committed to continuous improvement and innovation.
These values enable us to build a team of professionals with a strong sense of purpose and collaborative spirit, working together to support the central banking and supervisory community. Our values provide the foundation for a shared culture that promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment.
The Bank’s core values guide our actions and unite our people.
- Excellence drives us to achieve the highest standards in performance.
- Continuous improvement and innovation enables us to adapt quickly and proactively to new demands.
- Integrity ensures we act with honesty, transparency and accountability.
- Our values seek to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment which encourages sharing of perspectives, responsible practices and long-term thinking.
These principles ensure the Bank meets the evolving needs of our stakeholders and make the BIS a resilient organisation.
Excellence & integrity
The BIS has defined five behaviours and 15 underlying competencies which, when embraced by staff, allow us to live our values and make the Bank a performance-driven organisation. The competency framework lets us set common performance standards across the BIS and establishes a common language for processes, from recruitment to performance management, development and talent management, and staff recognition.
The five behaviours that enable us to achieve our goals are the following:
- Thinking forward means anticipating future business requirements and acting proactively to meet current and emerging customer needs.
- Collaborating closely involves building connections and working together to meet shared objectives. Staff establish partnerships and foster open communication and collaboration.
- Working dynamically and creatively means managing execution effectively and flexibly, despite complexity and changing priorities.
- Empowering and inspiring people is taking responsibility for one's own actions with honesty and respect for others, and contributing to a safe work environment.
- Leveraging technology is embracing relevant new trends, technologies and best practices to continuously improve ways of working.
Ethical conduct and social responsibility shape our conduct and define our responsibilities as an organisation. Both values are intertwined and present in everything we do, allowing us to respond to the external environment and operate in a transparent, open and respectful work environment.
Aspiring to have the highest ethical standards allows us to build trust with our employees, stakeholders and the wider community. As part of the Bank's efforts to raise ethics awareness, the Bank makes available an e-learning programme that addresses the principal physical, psychological and social factors that promote a harmonious workplace. Staff who participate in the programme are better equipped to identify and prevent bullying and sexual harassment, guard against all forms of discrimination, and contribute to promoting health and safety throughout the organisation.
Inclusive culture
The BIS mission is to serve central banks in pursuit of monetary policy and financial stability and to foster international cooperation. In a world of growing complexity and increasingly rapid change, performing this mission requires people from different backgrounds from all over the world. Promoting an inclusive culture helps to ensure the rich thinking and debate necessary to understand the complex problems the global economy faces.
Our vision is to build teams that reflect our global membership, as the richness of perspectives help us to understand developments in the global economy, fuel innovation and provide thought leadership to our member central banks.
We seek to advance inclusion by creating a culture that values a broad range of perspectives and working styles that reflect our global membership.
We are committed to equal opportunities at the BIS. We aim to build a workforce that reflects the breadth of international perspectives of our world and source talent from across the globe. We are committed to continuously enhancing our internal policies, processes and practices, providing the right tools, training and facilities to create an environment in which every individual can thrive.
Networks
These networks are run by our colleagues that focus on fostering a supportive culture and environment for our people to connect, engage, inspire and support each other to achieve their full potential.
Pride@BIS helps to promote a working environment where everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, feels accepted and valued.
WE@BIS helps women and their allies support each other to achieve their full potential at the BIS and beyond.
EMBRACE@BIS celebrates and promotes ethnic and cultural richness at the BIS while fostering an inclusive environment where colleagues can integrate and thrive.
The Parents and Carers@BIS network promotes connection, information exchange, learning and knowledge-sharing among parents and carers.
The Accessibility, Neurodiversity and Disability@BIS network is a vibrant community where individuals with disabilities and their allies come together to support each other in reaching their full potential at the BIS.
Sustainability
The BIS is committed to promoting environmental sustainability through our work for and with the central banking community and in our drive to strengthen our effort as an environmentally responsible international financial institution.
The Bank’s Environmental Sustainability Steering Group (ESSG) supports the implementation of this commitment. The ESSG brings together our competencies – from knowledge in economics, financial markets, innovative technologies and international policy forums to experience in corporate operations – to advise Management and help coordinate Bank-wide sustainability-related activities.
Social responsibility
The BIS brings together the international community to advance economic policy in order to ultimately enhance global social well-being. The BIS's tradition of philanthropic giving goes back nine decades. The Bank's first donation was made on 30 September 1930, four months after the BIS opened its doors for business.
As part of its social responsibility commitment, the BIS, through its Donations Committee, provides modest financial support for charities and selected social and cultural activities in locations where the Bank maintains business operations (ie Basel, where the BIS is headquartered; Hong Kong SAR and Mexico, where it has representative offices; and the locations of its Innovation Hub Centres). The BIS also makes special donations to global charities for major disaster relief efforts, including, on occasion, by matching funds raised by employees. In addition, the Bank contributes used hardware to non-governmental organisations that provide educational resources to underprivileged schools around the world.
The Bank's people also often play a role in supporting charitable and social causes. For example, throughout the year the BIS organises blood donation drives for colleagues in Basel.
For the last financial year, the BIS supported the charities and non-profit organisations below for a total of CHF 100,000.
- Capacitación y Desarrollo Integral A.C. (CADI) (Mexico)
- Mind HK (Hong Kong)
- Stiftung Rheinleben (Switzerland)
- Palliative bs+bl (Switzerland)
- Scort Foundation (Switzerland)
- Stiftung Freie Gemeinschaftsbank - Soup & Chill and Restaurant du Coeur (Switzerland)
- Ronald McDonald Haus Stiftung Basel (Switzerland)
- Alterstagesstätte «Zum Lebenslauf» (Switzerland)
- J-Life Foundation (Hong Kong)
- She Wins (Mexico)
- A Favor del Niño (Mexico)
- Fundación CMR (Mexico)
- Kardias (Mexico)
- Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited (Hong Kong)
- Winterhilfe Schweiz (Switzerland)
- ExilAktion (Switzerland)
- Verein Werkatelier Basel (Switzerland)
- Christel House (Mexico)
- Children in Need Foundation (Hong Kong)
- zRächtCho NWCH (Switzerland)
- Casa Hogar Monte Halac AC (Mexico)
Continuous improvement & innovation
At the BIS, our core value of continuous improvement and innovation is central to our identity and strategic direction.
The BIS 100 strategy reinforces this commitment, ensuring that we remain agile and forward-thinking as we support central banks and the wider financial community.
We actively cultivate a culture where fresh ideas, new technologies and enhanced ways of working are encouraged. This mindset drives us to evolve and improve, anticipating future challenges and opportunities. Whether it's deepening our research and data insights, exploring policy-relevant innovation, or fostering collaborative workspaces, we are constantly seeking ways to better serve our stakeholders.
Looking ahead, the BIS continues to champion innovation and continuous improvement, embedding these principles in everything we do to enhance our ability to deliver value to the global central bank community.