Our code serves as the foundation for how we do business and helps define our culture and reputation for ethical excellence. Our ethics and integrity permeate every interaction we have—with customers, each other, our shareholder and society—and our code helps us navigate the complexities of the global trade ecosystem.

Our code applies across our organization and all employees—permanent and contract—are expected to comply with it. Employees participate in annual training on the code, and sign an annual statement confirming their understanding of, and compliance with, its terms. Our board members are also expected to carry out their roles in accordance with EDC’s Board Code of Conduct and sign an annual attestation statement.

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Financial crime is a real and costly risk in global trade, and we take a strong stance against it. We also recognize we have a role to play in combating financial crime on the global stage. 

We abide by all laws and international guidelines that apply to us and are bound by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Convention, the Recommendation on Bribery and Officially Supported Export Credits. We also actively support Canada and other leading trading nations in efforts to fight corruption as an OECD member.

Our financial crime program focuses on providing the right controls and tools to ensure we don’t knowingly support sanctioned parties or transactions that involve bribery or corruption. It also prevents our products and services from being used to further money laundering, sanctioned or fraudulent activity, or terrorist financing.

The foundation of this program is our Financial Crime Policy, which is being implemented across all business lines. Key elements of our policy include: 

• Annual mandatory financial crime training for employees, with enhanced training for those working in specialized areas
  
• An automated risk assessment tool that screens customer information for risk indicators early in our relationship with a company, and triggers enhanced due diligence by EDC’s subject matter experts if there are financial crime risk flags
• Clear risk escalation standards for fast decision-making
• Ongoing monitoring of counterparties and transactions
• Resources for companies on how to protect themselves against threats to business integrity

Find out how companies can unknowingly become involved in financial crimes and how to manage that risk with our guide on Financial crime in international trade.

Business leaders today are faced with a complex trade environment, further complicated by the possibility of corrupt practices. We’re here to help you navigate these complexities and understand our requirements. 

We offer several guides for Canadian exporters to learn about how to manage corruption and bribery risks to their business:

• Keeping corruption out: Anti-corruption guide for Canadian exporters
  
• EDC’s approach to combatting bribery and corruption
• Briber beware: Six questions to help you avoid bribery in international transactions

These guides and additional resources are available on our Anti-Corruption Resource Centre. Learn more. 

As Canada’s export credit agency, we understand that transparency and disclosure are integral to EDC’s business, to facilitating accountability and oversight, and building trust and promoting meaningful dialogue with our stakeholders. We also recognize the importance of ensuring all communications about our business must be honest, accurate and consistent. 

We’re also bound by specific rules about how and when information about EDC is released to the public. 

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