Speak up! We care.

Why should I make a whistleblowing report?

Compliance with the rules of the Bank is important at the BIS. You may be aware of activities carried out within the BIS in a manner that is, or you believe may be, in breach of applicable BIS rules and which could expose the Bank to potential financial losses or reputational damage. Your report will help the Bank to promptly investigate and address such potential risks.

What should I report?

Any inappropriate activity, including fraud, theft, coercion or corruption, affecting the Bank’s financial interests or reputation, or any conduct relating to the discharge of professional duties, by the BIS General Manager, BIS Deputy General Manager, any BIS staff member, secondee to the BIS, contractor of the BIS, or any individual / entity associated with the BIS, which constitutes a failure to comply with rules and regulations applicable to them. Such rules and regulations include the applicable Code of Conduct, but also all rules and regulations governing the Bank’s operations and activities ( e.g. banking operations, procurement, financial rules, etc.).

Who can make a report?

All members of staff, secondees, contractors and any third parties are strongly encouraged to report any suspected breaches of rules.

What is the process for submitting a report? What is a postbox and how do I set up one?

To submit an anonymous or personalised report, start by clicking the “Submit report“ button at the top of our introduction page.

There are 4 steps to the report process:

1. First, you will be asked to read some information on the protection of your anonymity and to respond to a security query.
2. On the following page, you will be asked about the category of your report.
3. On the report page, you can elaborate on your report in your own words and answer questions about the incident by simply selecting responses. You can type up to 5000 characters into the free text field, which corresponds to a full A4 page. You may also submit a file of up to 5 MB to support your report. Please do bear in mind that documents can contain information about the author. Following the sending of your report, you will receive a reference number as confirmation that you have forwarded this report.
4. Please subsequently set up your own secured postbox. You will receive feedback from us via this postbox, including answers to questions and information about the progress of your report.

If you already have a secured postbox, you can access it directly via the ”Login“ button. First, you will have to answer a security query.

As long as you do not enter any data from which conclusions about your person can be drawn, the technology of the BKMS^® System will protect your anonymity.

Please rest assured that we are interested only in the incident you are reporting. Malpractices should be revealed and financial losses prevented.

Can I remain anonymous and receive feedback at the same time?

You may report anonymously if you wish to do so. The overriding principle of this online platform is the protection of the whistleblower. The system’s anonymity function is certified by an independent body.

If you wish to report anonymously, when setting up your secured postbox, please select your own pseudonym/ username and password. These login credentials are not visible for anyone but yourself. If you lose your login details, please submit a new report and set up a new postbox. If possible, please provide the reference number of your initial report. As this will be a new postbox, you cannot see the content of your previous report.

Your report is kept anonymous through encryption and other special security routines. If you want to submit your report anonymously, you do not have to provide any personal details. Do not submit any information that can be traced back to you. Please do not use any technical device, for example a PC or smartphone, that has been provided by your employer, to submit your report.

Via the secured postbox, an examiner will provide you with feedback on what is happening with your information or pose questions if details still need to be clarified - you will also remain anonymous during the dialogue. We are interested in reports to avoid damages, not in you as a whistleblower.

How will I be protected against retaliation if I make a report?

Retaliation against whistleblowers is strictly prohibited, whether they are working for the BIS or not. Any retaliation should be reported through the whistleblowing channels for the Bank to take remedial action.

Pending the completion of the investigation, the Whistleblower may request from the General Manager, the Deputy General Manager, or the Chair of the Board of Directors, that appropriate measures to safeguard the interests of the Whistleblower, including, but not limited to, the suspension of the implementation of the action reported as retaliatory. The General Manager, the Deputy General Manager or the Chair of the Board of Directors may decide, also at their own discretion, to take interim protective measures.

Will I be penalised if my report does not lead to the discovery of a real breach of rules?

No, if you acted in good faith. The protections under the Policy do not require that a whistleblower’s report of suspected breach leads to a final determination by the Bank that a breach has occurred. The whistleblower is not required to determine whether the suspected breach meets a specific degree of seriousness. However, the Policy does not protect allegations that are knowingly false or made with reckless disregard as to whether they are true or false.

Making such allegations itself constitutes a breach and shall be subject to investigation. When such an allegation is made by a third party, external to the Bank, the Bank shall take any remedial measures it deems appropriate, including referral to the employer of such third party, if applicable, referral to the national law enforcement authorities, and/or filing a claim against such third party before the competent national courts.