Our Story
Our journey from trade union roots to purpose-led banking.
Pioneering social impact banking
Founded on the belief that finance should do more than just profit, we’ve spent years creating a bank that serves people, communities and the planet. From our earliest days our focus has been on transparency, ethical practices and meaningful impact.
As we continue to grow, our commitment remains the same: to offer banking that inspires trust, fosters positive change and makes a real difference to the world around us. Join us on a journey to redefine what a bank can be.
Useful Links
Unity in the 2020s
Strengthening Values Based Banking & Customer Excellence
The 2020s were a time when we moved our mission forward quickly. We joined global groups focused on values‑based finance, increased our support for communities that often miss out, invested in our staff, and earned national awards for our impact, culture and climate leadership.
Championing Customer Service Excellence
We earned ICS ServiceMark Accreditation, a national award that shows we give great customer service. It recognises how we listen to customers, act on what they tell us, and give a service based on care, clear communication and doing the right thing.
Strengthening People and Partnerships
We achieved the Best Companies Two Star Accreditation, which celebrates how involved and supported our employees feel. We also built stronger relationships with youth and community groups, including The King’s Trust, showing our commitment to helping the next generation of people who want to make a positive difference.
A Landmark Year for Impact and Recognition
Our 40th anniversary was one of the most important years in our history. We received the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, one of the UK’s top business awards, recognising many years of helping people, communities and the environment. The Good Economy also confirmed that our approach follows global best practice. We were named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work, showing our welcoming and purpose‑led culture. We became the first UK bank to support HACT Retrofit Credits, helping cut carbon in social housing, and the first to invest in Local Climate Bonds, supporting community‑led climate action. We also built stronger partnerships in our regions, including with the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and the Centre for the New Midlands CIC, helping us play a bigger role in creating a fairer, greener economy.
A Year of Growth, Inclusion and Recognition
We achieved Investors in People Gold, showing our strong focus on leadership, development and putting people first. We became a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2), improving how we recruit and support disabled colleagues. We also earned the Carbon Literacy Bronze Standard, bringing climate awareness and carbon‑cutting training to our whole organisation. We continued to grow our social impact lending, reaching major milestones in supporting organisations that help local communities. The year ended with us being named Business of the Year by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, showing our growing impact.
Deepening Impact Across the Social Economy
We continued to grow as a lender focused on helping charities, social enterprises and inclusive businesses across the UK. Our yearly report showed more responsible lending, more jobs created and more benefits for communities, strengthening our role in supporting the social economy.
Expanding Support for Underserved Communities
We increased our lending to areas facing high levels of need, supporting organisations working to improve local strength, housing and essential services. Our mission‑led approach helped support recovery and stability during a difficult time for the country.
Joining Global Movements for Inclusive and Sustainable Finance
We joined Responsible Finance, becoming part of the UK’s network of lenders focused on fair and inclusive economic growth. We also joined the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), connecting with banks around the world that care about social and environmental impact. In the same year, we adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and joined the Financing a Just Transition Alliance (FJTA), building global sustainability principles into our strategy at a time when responsible finance was especially important.
Unity in the 2010s
Early Ethical Accreditations & Responsible Business Leadership
The 2010s were a decade of transformation, independence and purpose‑driven growth for Unity. We reshaped our ownership, strengthened our ethical foundations, became the first UK bank to achieve several national standards, and expanded our mission to support a wider range of socially minded organisations. It was a period marked by new leadership, deeper commitments to fairness and transparency, and record levels of social impact lending, setting the stage for the accelerated progress of the 2020s.
A Year of Record Social Impact
We ended the decade strongly, lending more than ever to organisations that improve lives and support communities across the UK. It was also the year we signed the Women in Finance Charter, showing our commitment to fairness, representation and responsibility in leadership. Together, these achievements showed our growing confidence and influence in the social economy.
Expanding Impact Across Communities
We kept up our momentum by increasing our support for housing providers, community projects and social enterprises. Our lending continued to grow, showing both rising demand and our stronger role as a lender focused on social impact.
Purposeful Growth and Reach
We built on our ethical foundations by increasing our work with organisations driven by a clear mission. These were years of steady, purposeful growth, reaching more sectors that create real social value.
Setting the Standard with B Corp Status
A major moment came when we became the first UK bank to achieve B Corp certification. This global award recognised our commitment to helping people and the environment, being open and responsible, and leading the way in ethical finance.
Independence and New Horizons
We began a new chapter as we became a fully independent bank and appointed our first female CEO, a powerful moment for our identity and leadership. We also achieved the Investors in People Gold Standard for the first time, showing our commitment to supporting and developing our staff. Alongside this, we widened our mission by supporting profit‑with‑purpose businesses, helping organisations that combine commercial success with clear social impact. Together, these achievements marked a bold step forward in our purpose and ambition.
A Landmark Year for Ethical Practice
We strengthened our financial position and improved our ethical lending approach, preparing for the growth ahead. It was also the year we became the first UK bank to achieve the Fair Tax Mark, recognising our open, responsible and ethical approach to tax, and strengthening our reputation as a values‑driven bank.
A Year of Independence and Integrity
A major change in ownership shaped our future. As the Cooperative Bank reduced its stake and several trade unions increased theirs, we gained more independence and a clearer link to our social purpose. It was also the year we became the first UK organisation to commit to paying the Real Living Wage to all staff and contractors, a strong expression of our values and a key moment that shaped the rest of the decade.
Committing to a Double Bottom Line Future
We continued to strengthen our governance and operations, and this was the year we formally committed to a double bottom line strategy, promising to deliver positive social impact as well as sustainable financial returns. This decision clarified our purpose and prepared us for the major changes that followed.
Expanded Support for Key Sectors Through Values-Led Banking
We increased our support for charities, trade unions and social enterprises, strengthening our reputation as a trusted partner for organisations working to improve society.
Focused on Reinforcing our Ethical Mission
We entered the decade with a renewed focus on our ethical mission. These early years were about strengthening our values, building strong foundations and preparing for the big changes that would shape the decade.
Unity in the 2000s
Building a Values Driven Culture
We modernised throughout the 2000s, strengthening our digital systems, governance, and resilience while deepening our support for charities, trade unions, social enterprises, and not-for-profit organisations. These investments strengthened our role as a trusted, values‑driven partner to the UK’s social economy.
Preparing for the Future
By the end of the decade, we were stronger, more modern and more resilient. The foundations we built in the 2000s prepared us for the strategic changes of the 2010s, including our shift toward supporting more profit‑with‑purpose businesses.
Building Resilience
As financial rules tightened and global economic pressures grew, we focused on strengthening risk management and operational resilience. This meant that when the 2008 financial crisis hit, we stayed stable and continued supporting the social economy without compromising our values.
Expanding Ethical Banking
We deepened our commitment to ethical finance, improving our socially responsible lending approach and widening our support for organisations delivering community benefit. These years helped build our reputation as a principled, mission‑driven bank.
Investors in People Accreditation
A milestone year. We achieved Investors in People accreditation, recognising our commitment to developing staff, building a positive workplace culture and embedding strong people‑focused practices across the organisation. This strengthened our values‑driven identity both inside and outside the bank.
Strengthening the Foundations
A milestone year. We achieved Investors in People accreditation, recognising our commitment to developing staff, building a positive workplace culture and embedding strong people‑focused practices across the organisation. This strengthened our values‑driven identity both inside and outside the Bank.
Unity in the 1990s
Strengthening our mission and expanding our reach
The 1990s were key years in which we strengthened our identity, increased our impact and prepared for the growth that followed.
Building on the momentum of our launch in the previous decade, we spent the 90s improving our services for trade unions, charities and not‑for‑profit organisations, becoming a trusted financial partner for the UK’s social economy.
This was a decade of steady growth. We improved our ethical banking model, expanded our support for mission‑driven organisations and strengthened our ownership structure rooted in the trade union movement. By investing in strong relationships and responsible banking, we built the foundations that later helped us grow into a wider profit with purpose institution.
Unity in the 1980s
A purpose driven pioneer
Unity’s achievements in the 1980s laid the foundation for our reputation as a principled, socially conscious bank built to help organisations make a positive difference.
Acquired Full Status as a Bank
By 1987, we had secured full banking status, confirming our place as a trusted financial institution with a unique ownership model rooted in the labour movement. Throughout the decade, we promoted ethical banking long before it became common, offering values‑aligned financial services and supporting the UK’s social and voluntary sectors.
Unity Trust Bank is Founded
We were founded in 1984 with a bold mission: to show that banking could help society as well as make a profit. Created by the UK trade union movement in partnership with the Cooperative Bank, we set out to support organisations working for social good that mainstream banks often overlooked, such as trade unions, charities and community groups.
Learn about our Impact
Explore the Unity Impact Hub to understand the difference our lending creates, and use our Impact Toolkit to measure and grow your own impact.
Join a bank recognised for doing business the right way
Our awards and accreditations demonstrate the strength, integrity and impact behind everything we do. If you want your money to create positive change, we’re here to help.
It’s simple, secure and stress-free to switch to us
If you’re ready to switch your Business Current Account to Unity Trust Bank, we’ll make sure it happens like clockwork. The account switch process is guaranteed to take 7 working days or less, and it’s all taken care of by the Current Account Switch Service.