Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Policy

Our Commitment to Sustainable Finance

At Unicorn Currencies, we believe that financial services companies have a responsibility to operate sustainably, inclusively, and ethically. While we don't manufacture products or operate physical infrastructure at scale, we recognize that every business—including digital-first fintech platforms—has an impact on the environment, society, and the governance of the financial system.

Our ESG Policy outlines our commitment to conducting business in a manner that creates value for our clients, employees, partners, and communities while minimizing negative environmental impact, promoting social inclusion and equity, and upholding the highest standards of governance and ethical conduct.

Our ESG strategy is built on three pillars: Environmental Efficiency, Social Inclusion, and Governance Excellence.

Alignment with Global Frameworks

Our ESG approach aligns with internationally recognized frameworks:

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

We contribute to: SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth); SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure); SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities); SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production); SDG 13 (Climate Action); SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

Additional Frameworks: Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD); UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; Global Reporting Initiative (GRI); ISO 26000 Social Responsibility.

PILLAR 1: ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

As a digital-first treasury platform, Unicorn Currencies operates with a minimal physical footprint. Our strategy: maximize operational efficiency through digitalization, leverage carbon-efficient infrastructure, and minimize unnecessary resource consumption.

Paperless Operations

100% digital client onboarding; electronic identity verification; digital storage of KYC documentation; electronic signatures and contracts (DocuSign, Adobe Sign); digital transaction confirmations and reporting; cloud-based document management. Environmental benefits: elimination of 10,000+ pages of paper annually; reduced transportation emissions; no physical document storage.

Carbon-Efficient Cloud Infrastructure

Partnership with carbon-efficient cloud providers (AWS commitment to 100% renewable energy by 2025); use of AWS regions powered by renewable energy; Supabase and PostgreSQL on energy-efficient data centers; right-sizing, auto-scaling, serverless architecture; data lifecycle management and compression. Environmental benefits: estimated 80–90% reduction in carbon emissions compared to on-premise infrastructure.

Remote-First Workforce

Distributed, remote-first workforce across Canada, UK, UAE, and India; cloud-based collaboration tools; secure VPN and access controls; flexible work arrangements. Commuting emissions avoided: estimated 13–17.6 metric tons CO₂ annually for our team (equivalent to removing 3–4 passenger vehicles from the road).

Future Environmental Initiatives

Carbon footprint measurement (Scope 1, 2, 3) by 2026; carbon neutrality roadmap by 2030; sustainable procurement; client impact measurement; green finance products.

PILLAR 2: SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Our strategy: expand access to institutional-grade financial services, build a diverse and inclusive organization, and uphold the highest labor and human rights standards.

Financial Inclusion

Accessible transaction minimums for SMEs; streamlined digital onboarding; institutional-grade technology for SMEs (client portal, API integrations, mobile accessibility); transparent, fair pricing; global reach (50+ currencies, 150+ countries); educational support and dedicated account managers. Impact: enabling SMEs to expand internationally, supporting SDG 8 and SDG 10.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Minority-led leadership (Nazia M Thakur, Mohsen M Thakur); global, diverse workforce across 4 continents; inclusive hiring practices; equitable compensation and development; zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. Supplier diversity (future initiative).

Fair Labor Practices and Human Rights

Strict labor standards (fair wages, working conditions, safe environment, freedom of association); Modern Slavery Statement and supply chain due diligence; contractual protections and staff training; UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; data protection and financial inclusion as human rights. Zero tolerance for forced labor, child labor, or human trafficking.

PILLAR 3: GOVERNANCE EXCELLENCE

Our strategy: implement robust governance structures, leverage ethical AI, maintain zero tolerance for corruption, and ensure Board-level oversight of ESG risks.

Ethical AI and Responsible Technology

AI use cases: OCR for KYC, risk scoring, transaction monitoring, fraud detection, customer service automation. Principles: transparency and explainability; fairness and non-discrimination (bias testing, training data quality, human oversight); privacy and data protection; accountability and governance; human-in-the-loop. Safeguards: KYC/identity verification with human review; risk scoring as input to human decision-making; transaction monitoring alerts for human investigation. Future: AI Ethics Statement by 2026; regular AI bias audits from 2027.

Anti-Corruption and Financial Crime Prevention

Zero tolerance for bribery and corruption; ABC Policy (UK Bribery Act, CFPOA); Financial Crime Prevention Framework; FINTRAC registration and FCA partner alignment; Board-level oversight; whistleblower protection.

Data Protection, Privacy, and Cybersecurity

Privacy Policy compliant with UK GDPR and PIPEDA; encryption at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.2+); role-based access controls and MFA; 24/7 security monitoring; regular penetration testing; vendor security assessments; incident response plan. Roadmap: ISO 27001 (2027).

Board Oversight and ESG Integration

Board approves ESG Policy and strategy; reviews annual ESG reports; ensures adequate resources; holds management accountable. Annual ESG Report (from 2027) covering environmental, social, and governance performance; risk assessment; stakeholder feedback.

Measuring Our Impact

Environmental (2025): 100% digital KYC and onboarding; 100% electronic signatures; 100% cloud-based infrastructure; 90%+ remote workforce. Targets: carbon footprint assessment by 2026; carbon neutrality by 2030.

Social (2025): Serving enterprise SME clients; team across 4 continents; minority-led organization. Targets: 5,000+ SME clients by 2030; 40%+ female representation by 2028; pay equity audits; 100% Tier 1/2 supplier modern slavery assessment by 2026.

Governance (2025): Zero material regulatory breaches; zero data breaches; confidential reporting channels; 100% mandatory training completion. Targets: AI Ethics Statement by 2026; 2 independent directors by 2028; ISO 27001; annual ESG Report from 2027.

Key Questions