The engagement of stakeholders in non-financial reporting. New information‐pressure, stimuli, inertia, under short‐termism in the banking industry

In the past few years non-financial reporting has been a widely debated issue in literature, not least because of its importance during times in which topics such as climate change and social transformations have become strategic issues, particularly for larger companies. Recent regulatory changes within the European legal framework have marked the transition from a voluntary non-financial reporting system to a mandatory one for larger companies. Unlike the case of manufacturing companies, the debate surrounding the application of CSR policies in the banking industry has not been as univocal. Taking into account a case study, we how such pressure is neither strictly positive nor negative, but can rather be defined as a stimulating inertia, able to indicate prompt and sure strategic directions for the Company, to be pursued in a sustainable manner. This will need the implementation of internationally acknowledged policies and procedures regulating the interactions between the Company and its stakeholders.