Community Support

The REYL Group attaches the utmost importance to conducting its affairs as a responsible member of society. Recognising its privileged position, it promotes values of generosity and care and is committed to giving back to the community in thoughtful and meaningful ways.

Research for Life Foundation

The quest for innovation that characterises the REYL Group is also present in its philanthropic endeavours, such as the creation in 2014 of the Research for Life foundation. A Swiss non-profit organisation, Research for Life is dedicated to supporting and funding ground-breaking medical projects in the fields of adult and paediatric oncology.

Exceptionally promising research programmes

Research for Life identifies and supports promising research teams who are seeking to make breakthrough progress in the understanding and treatment of emblematic forms of cancer, particularly through the use of innovative technologies.

Disciplined project selection process

Research for Life focuses on projects characterised by their intensity and their ambition, as well as the academic and clinical achievements of their researchers. Projects conducted by the teams of Prof. Michielin, Group Leader of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, oncologist at CHUV in Lausanne and renowned world specialist in the field on immunotherapy, are perfect illustrations of the kinds of highly stimulating works that Research for Life wishes to support.

Efficient and transparent operations based on volunteering

With the exception of modest annual audit and filing charges, Research for Life does not incur any operating costs. All work is carried out on a volunteer basis, with REYL Intesa Sanpaolo providing logistical support services. This allows Research for Life to focus on what matters most: getting funds fast to the projects that it supports.
Research for Life is a Swiss non-profit foundation registered in the Canton of Geneva.
Link to the Research for Life website

MSFeCARE

REYL Intesa Sanpaolo is proud to be one of the first financial partners of MSFeCARE—an innovative initiative with a global impact, run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) in Geneva. 
MSF is an international humanitarian organisation that was founded in Paris in 1971. MSF provides medical assistance in over 70 countries to people affected by conflict, epidemics and natural disasters, irrespective of race, religion, creed or political convictions. 
In response to the major issues of infant mortality and drug-resistant bacteria, which are often found in remote areas, MSF launched MSFeCARE, an electronic decision support system that uses a tablet-based application to enhance paediatric care in clinics. It enables healthcare professionals to follow complex medical protocols interactively, guiding the consultation process and improving the overall quality of care and the prescription of antibiotics.
Link to YouTube video

Swiss Paralympic 

Partnership with Swiss Paralympic during Tokyo 2021 Games and the Beijing 2022 Games.
In January 2019, continuing its tradition of collaborating with elite sportsmen and women, REYL Intesa Sanpaolo became an official partner of Swiss Paralympic, the umbrella organisation for Swiss handicapped athletes.
REYL Intesa Sanpaolo supported the Swiss athletes who were selected by Swiss Paralympic to take part in the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympics. For these elite competitors, achieving their Paralympian dream demands tireless physical and mental commitment, in an increasingly competitive environment. Through this sponsorship agreement, the REYL Group hopes to ensure the athletes are able to focus all their attention on achieving their goals.

  • Sofia Gonzalez (athletics) and Robin Cuche (alpine skiing), two promising young Paralympic athletes, are receiving financial support and assistance from the Group for their national and international competitions. The two are completely in-line with the Group's values—passion, self-improvement, humility and determination. Sofia Gonzalez was born in 2001 with a congenital limb malformation on her right leg. At age three, her leg was amputated above the knee. Before focusing on the 100-metre sprint and the long jump, she played tennis, danced, skied and rode horseback. Sofia competed in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and set new personal bests. She ran the 100m in 16.17 and ranked 7th in the final. She also reached 3.96m in the long jump and placed 8th in the final.
  • Robin Cuche was born prematurely in 1998. This, combined with a lack of blood flow to the brain, caused him to develop hemiplegia on his right side. He competes in all of the various skiing disciplines, with his best showings in the downhill and super-G. His goals for 2022 are to compete with the best in the World Cup to be as prepared as possible for both the World Championships and the Paralympic Games in Beijing, where he hopes to be able to bring back a medal.
    Link to the Swiss Paralympic website

IUCN

In September 2020, REYL Intesa Sanpaolo announces its support for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a democratic union of influential organisations and renowned experts with the shared goal of protecting and conserving nature and accelerating the transition to sustainable development.

The Bank is supporting the IUCN “Save Our Species” programme in particular, in order to strengthen its work to protect endangered species and plants. This biodiversity programme (www.saveourspecies.org) operates globally to ensure the long-term survival of endangered species and their habitats and works with local communities dependent on the species or coexisting with them to reduce unsustainable dependence on natural resources.

Since launching its first projects in 2010, the programme has grown and supported more than 110 civil society organisations in more than 75 countries, launching 160 projects to help save nearly 500 endangered species.

Sophie Lavaud

Sophie has been supported by REYL Intesa Sanpaolo since 2017. Although records are less important to her than enjoying the journey, the mountaineer has become the first Swiss woman to have successfully climbed 13 peaks of over 8,000 metres in the Himalayas, earning her the nickname the “104,000 lady”. 
Sophie supports project “Mahila”, which means “woman” in Nepalese. This programme helps women affected by discrimination and the negative consequences of male migration in the rural communities of the Rasuwa district.

About Sophie Lavaud:

Sophie Lavaud is a French, Swiss and Canadian national. After a career as a manager in the hotel, luxury and event industries in Geneva, Sophie Lavaud made a remarkable entry into the world of mountaineering in 2012. She had successful climbs just ten days apart at Central Shishapangma (8'012 meters) and Cho Oyu (8'201 meters). 
Her climb of Everest in 2014 and first attempt to climb K2 in 2016 were the subject of films directed by French filmmaker and guide François Damilano ("On va marcher sur l'Everest" and "K2, une journée particulière"). In 2019, she successfully climbed mounts Annapurna, Kangchenjunga and Gasherbrum I. In 2023 she climbed mount Shishapangma (8027 meters).
Link to her website

Intermezzo - Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

REYL Intesa Sanpaolo supports Intermezzo, which has a mission to help discover and promote the highly talented Orchestre de la Suisse Romande to a younger audience (25 to 45 years’ old) of music lovers. With this partnership, REYL Intesa Sanpaolo contributes to local culture and community, enabling more of the public to access classical music in an original way.
Link to the Intermezzo – OSR website

Grand Théâtre de Genève

REYL Intesa Sanpaolo acts as a project partner to Grand Théâtre de Genève, specifically financing its plans to film and broadcast its best productions.
Link to the Grand Théâtre de Genève website

Every Day Social Responsibility

Our actions :

  • Recovery of all PCs and gifts to local non-profit organisations
  • Recycling of all toners and batteries by local social reinsertion associations
  • Cleaning works by PRO Foundation
  • Printing of REYL Intesa Sanpaolo's annual report on certified FSC paper
  • Electric bicycles for employees’ urban transport between REYL Intesa Sanpaolo’s Geneva sites
  • Energy-saving LED light bulbs
  • Sponsored Red Cross money box at Geneva’s international airport

Link to the CSR brochure