Key takeaways:
Being recognized for a 12th consecutive year reflects U.S. Bank’s ongoing commitment to ethical business practices, strong governance and responsible decision-making.
Customers, employees and stakeholders benefit from a culture that prioritizes integrity, accountability and long-term trust across the organization.
The award places U.S. Bank among a select group of companies recognized globally for maintaining high standards in ethics, compliance and corporate responsibility.
The Ethisphere Institute recognized 138 honorees that span 17 countries
MINNEAPOLIS — For the 12th consecutive year, U.S. Bank has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.
Who else made the World's Most Ethical list?
Ethisphere recognized 138 honorees that span 17 countries. U.S. Bank is one of three honorees in the banking category. placing it among a small group of financial institutions distinguished for their ethics and compliance programs
“Being named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 12th consecutive year is a tremendous honor,” said Gunjan Kedia, U.S. Bank CEO. “This recognition reflects the unwavering commitment of our U.S. Bank team to doing the right thing—for our customers, our stakeholders, and for one another—every single day. I am proud of what we have accomplished together.”
How does Ethisphere evaluate the World's Most Ethical Companies?
The World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment is grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, which requires companies to provide more than 240 documented proof points on practices that support robust ethics and compliance. These include:
- Corporate governance
- Program structure and resourcing
- Written standards
- Training, awareness and communication
- Risk assessment and auditing
- Investigations, enforcement, discipline and incentives
- Measurement of ethical culture
- Third-party risk management
- Environmental and social impact.
That data undergoes further qualitative analysis by a panel of experts who spend thousands of hours vetting and evaluating each year’s group of applicants.
This process serves as an operating framework to capture and classify best-in-class ethics and compliance practices from organizations across industries and around the world.
What did Ethisphere say about this year's honorees?
“Congratulations to U.S. Bank for achieving recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies®,” said Erica Salmon Byrne, Ethisphere’s chief strategy officer and executive chair. “As we mark the 20th class of honorees, this group continues to raise the bar for business integrity by embedding ethics into everyday decision-making and long-term strategy. Companies with strong ethics, compliance, and governance programs are built for better long-term performance.”
About U.S. Bank
Headquartered in Minneapolis, U.S. Bancorp is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. Our three major business lines serve 15 million clients throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, and our team of nearly 70,000 people invest our hearts and minds to power human potential every day. Ranked 105th on the Fortune 500, we are deeply respected for our culture and long-term stewardship and admired for our diversified business mix and product capabilities.
About Ethisphere
Ethisphere is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that strengthen corporate brands, build trust in the marketplace, and deliver business success. Companies turn ethics, compliance, and culture into a business advantage by leveraging Ethisphere’s data-driven program and culture assessments featuring the latest guidance and the practices of hundreds of global organizations across the 8 pillars of an ethical culture, and 240+ ethics, compliance, social, and governance data points delivered through a proprietary software platform. Ethisphere also honors superior integrity programs through World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition, brings together a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA), and advances ethical business practices through the Global Ethics Summit, Ethisphere Magazine and the Ethicast podcast. For more information, visit https://ethisphere.com.
Contacts:
Jeff Shelman, U.S. Bancorp Public Affairs and Communications
jeffrey.shelman@usbank.com
Julia Petre, Ethisphere
Julia.petre@ethisphere.com
Frequently asked questions:
What is Ethisphere?
Ethisphere is a global organization that defines and advances standards of ethical business practices through research, benchmarking tools and the annual World's Most Ethical Companies® recognition.
How long has the World's Most Ethical Companies list existed?
2026 marks the 20th class of World's Most Ethical Companies® honorees, according to Ethisphere.
What does this recognition mean for U.S. Bank customers?
It signals that the organization has documented, independently vetted practices in governance, compliance and risk management, factors that support long-term trust and stability for the people and businesses it serves.
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