On December 13, the results of the 2024 China Business Network China Corporate Social Responsibility Rankings were officially announced. GF Fund was listed for the fifth consecutive year and received the most prestigious award, the “Model of Responsibility Award,” for the third consecutive year.
The 2024 China Business Network China Corporate Social Responsibility Rankings focused on the theme “Self-Innovation and Sustainability.” The aim was to highlight the importance of achieving sustainable development through self-innovation while fulfilling corporate social responsibility. The rankings evaluated how businesses incorporate social responsibility as a core value to drive sustainable development, assessing their performance in areas such as social responsibility fulfillment, environmental protection, social innovation, and responsible management. The companies recognized were those that achieved outstanding results in ethical business practices.
The “Model of Responsibility Award” presented to GF Fund is the most prestigious honor in the China Business Network China Corporate Social Responsibility Rankings. It is awarded based on a comprehensive evaluation of a company’s governance, harmonious relationships, environmental responsibility, social welfare efforts, and other aspects, recognizing those that have thoroughly implemented responsible values in their corporate strategies and demonstrated exceptional overall performance.
As a key participant in the capital market, the public fund industry aggregates funds from millions of households to make investments. By connecting the asset side with the capital side, it serves the real economy and national strategies while helping the public share the benefits of economic development. As one of the major public fund companies in the industry, GF Fund has focused on the needs of the real economy and residents' financial needs since its establishment. The company has diligently worked on “Five Key Areas” and steadily advanced its path of corporate social responsibility in the fund industry, contributing to the high-quality development of public funds and better serving Chinese modernization.
Currently, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) has become a new benchmark for assessing corporate sustainability and is also seen as a catalyst for building globally competitive world-class companies. In recent years, China has gradually established a Chinese-style sustainable development ecosystem, with frequent movements in the capital markets that increasingly emphasize ESG in the investment field. As a member of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), GF Fund has deeply integrated ESG investment principles into its research and investment decision-making processes. The company has established a robust green finance governance system, improved ESG evaluation systems for equity and fixed income investments, and formulated risk management regulations related to ESG investments. This has encouraged listed companies and investors to pay more attention to the harmonious unity of economic and social benefits, guiding social capital towards long-term national strategic directions such as a technologically advanced nation, manufacturing powerhouse, and green low-carbon development.
“Customer responsibility” is the core value of the public fund industry, and investor education is a crucial aspect of its social responsibility. It contributes to accelerating the industry’s high-quality development, building a strong ecosystem for protecting investors’ legal rights, and enhancing the national financial literacy. GF Fund places its customers at the center of its efforts and has steadily advanced its investor education program. The company focuses on customer experience, addresses capital market hot topics, and continuously innovates in delivery formats. Based on investors’ financial lifecycle and the challenges they face during investment processes, GF Fund has established a multi-level investor education system that covers “pre-investment, during-investment, and post-investment” stages. The company follows the principles of “comprehensive planning, systematic deployment, gradual progress, and persistence” and combines its own practical experience to advance investor education in a “systematic, refined, diversified, and IP-based” manner. This approach helps investors enhance their investment knowledge, improve investment skills, and build solid investment principles.
Philanthropy is an essential part of fulfilling corporate social responsibility in the public fund industry. Staying true to its mission of “Finance for the People,” GF Fund actively engages in social welfare initiatives and serves as a responsible corporate citizen. Through the GF Fund Charity Foundation, the company has implemented more than 80 charitable projects over the past five years, contributing to the public welfare sector and giving back to society through tangible actions. Since 2023, in terms of rural revitalization, GF Fund has supported projects such as the development of the healthcare and tourism industries in Xinghe County, Inner Mongolia, and rural revitalization projects in Zunyi, Guizhou, contributing to the development of local industries and the improvement of living conditions. In the aspect of assisting education, the company has built public libraries in rural schools, supported the “Blue Envelope” letter-writing program and the “Little He’s Home” project to help rural children, left-behind children, and migrant children with psychological support and ensure their healthy growth. In emergency disaster relief, GF Fund has rapidly responded to major disasters, such as the floods in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the earthquake in Jishi County, Gansu, providing aid to affected communities and helping them through difficult times.