The independent certification is awarded to businesses that are deemed to be meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency.

The assessment is run by B Lab UK, a non-profit network.

To be certified, a company must demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above.

It also has to pass an in-depth risk review.

Cambridge & Counties Bank scored 92.8, outperforming the banking sector on its impact on the environment, customers and its people.

As a Certified B Corporation, the bank has adopted specific wording into its Articles of Association.

B Corp Certification status supports the bank’s long established ESG programme.

The bank’s chief executive officer Donald Kerr says: “As a B Corp, we’re counted among businesses that are leading a global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.

“We see it as recognition of who we are and what we have strived to achieve as a bank supporting the UK SME sector, and that as we grow, we do so in a way that is sustainable and has a positive impact on the world around us.”