UniCredit has reaffirmed its leadership in gender equity and inclusion by renewing its EDGE Certification® across ten European countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. Together, these markets represent more than 80% of our people, making UniCredit the first and only pan‑European bank to be recertified at such scale and eligible for the prestigious EDGE Global Certification.
EDGE Certification®, the world's leading standard for workplace fairness, evaluates organisations through a rigorous process that examines gender representation, pay equity, inclusive policies and everyday cultural experience of employees. It combines quantitative HR data, a review of policies and practices, and employee feedback to offer a clear and honest overview of how effectively an organisation supports equal opportunities. This year's results show a Group that has made meaningful and measurable progress.
What stands out most is the consistency of this progress. Women's representation in top management surpasses 30% in all certified entities, and the leadership pipeline shows strong female representation progressing from junior to senior levels. These results confirm that diversity is not only a stated ambition but an outcome increasingly visible in our leadership structures.
Across the Group, employee perceptions show strong confidence in fair hiring practices and high willingness to recommend the organisation - clear indicators of a solid foundation of trust, pride and engagement across most entities. These insights add nuance to the overall picture of inclusion, indicating areas where viewpoints differ and where continued attention can empower an even more consistent and positive experience for our people.
Siobhán McDonagh, Head of Group People & Culture at UniCredit: "UniCredit continues to champion sustainable and responsible business practices across Europe. I am proud that we have once again demonstrated that at UniCredit, we never settle. As the first bank in Europe to obtain and retain the Global EDGE Certification®, we are strengthening our commitment to gender diversity, equity and inclusion, and reinforcing our role as a benchmark for fairness, transparency and inclusive growth across the industry."
Looking ahead, we remain committed to enhancing gender balance across all levels of the organisation. This includes further progress on gender pay equity, continued focus on fair and transparent people processes, broader access to mentoring and career development opportunities, and greater support for shared caregiving through increased uptake of paternity leave. These efforts are supported by a continued focus on inclusive leadership, ensuring that equity is built into how we lead, make decisions, and grow.
Aniela Unguresan, Founder of the EDGE Certified Foundation: "UniCredit's renewal of EDGE Certification® across ten European markets strengthens its status as the first—and still the only—pan-European bank certified at this scale. Progress is clear and measurable: women now hold over 30% of top management roles across all certified entities, with sustained advancement through the leadership pipeline that goes far beyond policy into day-to-day practice. With more than 80% of its workforce covered by EDGE Certification®, UniCredit is proving that workplace gender balance, fairness and inclusion can be embedded systematically across markets, cultures, and business contexts as key drivers of performance and growth."
Across the nine entities assessed, each one progressed at its own pace — from strengthening foundations at the EDGE Assess level, to advancing to EDGE Move — but all contributing to a shared ambition.
Together, these achievements form a unified Group-wide journey toward creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive UniCredit.
Milan, 02 March 2026
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