An international group of bankers has pledged to provide financial products to a billion customers who do not have access to traditional banking services. The Global Alliance for Banking on Values, a network of sustainable banks, made this commitment at the end of a three-day conference in Dhaka. Fazle Hasan Abed, founder-chairperson of BRAC and co-founder of the GABV, announced the pledge to reach one billion people by 2020, which could have a significant impact on global efforts to combat climate change. Bank representatives from Asia to Latin America attended the seminar in Dhaka to discuss building a sustainable future for the financial industry. The GABV, established in March 2009, utilizes financial resources to provide sustainable development tools for underserved individuals, communities, and the environment. It represents approximately seven million clients in 20 countries, with a total capital exceeding $14 billion. The organization has pledged to secure $250 million in new capital over three years to facilitate $2 billion in lending to environmentally friendly projects and underserved communities worldwide. The funds are anticipated to come from various sources, including current clients, institutions, and new investors. The alliance believes that expanding the network's membership and establishing new banks will enable them to serve more customers, as stated in their announcement. The members of the network are planning to promote and demonstrate the impact of business models that focus on addressing the world's most urgent social and environmental issues. Peter Blom, who is the chair and co-founder of the GABV, emphasized the importance of raising more money and investing in sustainable bankers to fully utilize financial resources. Blom, who is also the CEO of Triodos Bank, a GABV member based in the Netherlands, believes in the potential of values-led banking to positively impact the lives of one in six people within the next ten years. Participants from the member banks noted that increasing this capital significantly in the coming years will assist in achieving the goal of one billion.