EQB highlights progress towards key sustainability milestones in 2025 Responsibility Report

TORONTO, April 21, 2026 /CNW/ - EQB Inc. (TSX: EQB) is proud to publish its 2025 Responsibility Report. The annual report outlines the company's progress against its environmental, social and governance priorities and its ongoing efforts to build a stronger, more competitive banking system that better serves Canadians and supports EQ's responsible long-term growth as Canada's Challenger Bank™.

"At EQ, we're building better banking for Canadians by challenging the system to work harder for them," said Chadwick Westlake, President and CEO. "We're focused on strengthening Canada's financial system by driving real competition and expanding access to innovative, rewarding banking that delivers where it matters most. That same long-term, future-focused mindset guides our approach to environmental, social and governance practices, and reflects our commitment to acting with purpose and discipline as we create lasting value for Canadians."

In 2025, EQB strengthened its ESG governance and accountability, guided by a comprehensive enterprise-wide Materiality Assessment to identify and prioritize efforts most relevant to the business and stakeholders. The 2025 Responsibility Report highlights EQB's ongoing progress towards its sustainability priorities. Key highlights include:

Supporting housing affordability and access across Canada

• Housing remains a key priority and an area where EQ believes it can make the greatest difference
• In 2025, EQ funded $4.3 billion in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation-insured multi-unit residential loans, of which $3.5 billion qualified under CMHC's MLI Select program based on affordable housing criteria, addressing the need for stable, inclusive and affordable housing options for Canadians

Bringing rewarding and accessible everyday banking to more Canadians

• Improving access to essential financial services remains a core priority, with a focus on removing barriers such as high fees and minimum balance requirements
• In 2025, more than 90,000 Canadians opened an EQ Bank Personal Account, gaining access to high-interest, no-fee everyday banking, while the company continued to expand flexible and rewarding offerings like our Notice Savings Account to Québec

Expanding access to credit for underserved Canadians

• Increasing access to credit for self-employed Canadians and small and medium-sized businesses is central to EQ's differentiated lending approach
• In 2025, lending to these segments grew 8% year over year, alongside the launch of a no-monthly fee, high-interest Business Account designed to reduce complexity and expand access to simple, inclusive banking solutions for entrepreneurs

Addressing climate risks while pursuing climate-aligned opportunities

• EQ continues to address climate risks through prudent governance and risk management, supported by transparent emissions disclosure, while advancing climate-aligned opportunities
• In 2025, EQ relocated to a Gold-certified LEED^® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) office building in Toronto, an important milestone in its sustainability journey
• Deployed $24 million in seed capital to support the Climate and Social Fund of ACM Advisors, a majority-owned subsidiary, across the fund's first three climate-aligned investments
• Extended its track record of maintaining carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions since 2020 through the purchase and retirement of verified emission reduction (VER) credits
• Advanced climate risk management through climate scenario analysis and further integrating climate considerations into enterprise risk management in alignment with OSFI Guideline B-15

Supporting equity, diversity and inclusion

• Supported EQ's vibrant and empowered Employee Resource Groups, including The Black Collective, The Green Team, Indigenous, Newcomers to Canada, Proud and Women in Tech
• Strengthened focus on building diversity in senior leadership, leading to a seven percentage point increase in female representation and a four percentage point increase in leaders that identify as racialized persons compared to last year

Building an empowered Challenger workforce

• Supported internal career growth, with internal candidates filling 33% of new roles in 2025, a 55% increase from last year
• In 2025, EQ enhanced wealth building offerings for employees by increasing the employer match under the Employee Share Purchase Plan (ESPP), leading to a nearly 20% increase in total ESPP contributions

To learn more about EQB's commitment to responsible growth and its approach to environmental, social and governance priorities, including the 2025 Public Accountability Statement, please visit eqb.com/responsibility.

About EQB Inc.
EQB Inc. (TSX: EQB) is a leading digital financial services company with $142 billion in combined assets under management and administration (as at January 31, 2026). It offers banking services through Equitable Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary and Canada's seventh largest bank by assets, and wealth management through ACM Advisors, a majority owned subsidiary specializing in alternative assets. As Canada's Challenger Bank™, Equitable Bank has a clear mission to drive change in Canadian banking to enrich people's lives. It leverages technology to deliver exceptional personal and commercial banking experiences and services to over 800,000 customers and more than six million credit union members through its businesses. Through its digital EQ Bank platform (eqbank.ca), its customers have named it one of Canada's top banks on the Forbes World's Best Banks list (2021 – 2025).

To learn more, please visit eqb.investorroom.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Investor contact:
Lemar Persaud
VP and Head of IR
[e-mail]

Media contact:
Danielle Mason
Director, PR & Communications
[e-mail]

SOURCE EQB Inc.