The total number of trees planted as part of the programme has reached 12 000

More than 1000 saplings of the Pinus sylvestris species were planted by the employees of United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) and the KBC Group companies in Bulgaria last Saturday. The new Blue Forest was planted along the Kurtova riverbed in Plana Mountain, close to the Yarema saddleback ridge. It is meant to restore the pine trees in a region where the forest was affected by snow-break and needs recovery. This initiative is of extreme importance for restoring the natural balance in the locality.

It was under professional mentorship by representatives of the State Forestry Department, Sofia, with whom the Bank has been partnering for a third consecutive year in the planting of forests that the large team of over 200 employees, children, relatives and friends worked together to transform the allotted space into a new forest. They cleared the terrain, marked out the planting lines, prepared the dug holes and placed there the roots of the new saplings, through which the pine forest was going to recover its former appearance and strength and would be able to fully perform its role of enriching the soil, providing a habitat for the versatile flora and fauna in the region and cleaning the air.

The initiative for planting the new forest was once again linked to customer activity in the Bank’s digital channels. This time the emphasis was on the InResto investment product - an innovation, which allows for the spare change of every purchase made with a UBB card, to be rendered an investment. The first 1000 customers, who had activated InResto within the campaign, held at the beginning of the year, how have a planted tree of their own and thus with one prudent action they not only invest and accumulate assets in their own account, but also support the protection of the environment and the biodiversity in Bulgaria.

The blue team of UBB, DZI and the other KBC Group entities in Bulgaria have made it a long and versatile tradition of planting and maintaining newly planted forests, and these initiatives are part of the Group’s sustainable development strategy and of promoting responsible behaviour towards the environment among its employees.

This has been the second planting campaign in 2026, given that at the beginning of April employees of KBC Group in Bulgaria, jointly with lecturers and students at the Agricultural University in Plovdiv town planted 250 apple trees of the traditional Bulgarian variety named “Karastoyanka”. Thus, UBB’s Blue Forest now numbers 12 000 young deciduous, coniferous, fruit-bearing and honey-bearing trees, and the planting areas are being expanded with every subsequent year and campaign.

What is specific about the reforestation programmes of UBB is that they do not end with planting the sapling varieties, but continue with subsequent maintenance and care, to enable the new reforested areas to grow full of vitality and in adequate proportions. At the same time the rich diversity of planted tree varieties and their carefully selected locations immensely contribute to the sustainability and viability of the local ecosystem upon each of the campaigns, part of the Blue Forest project of KBC Group in Bulgaria.