The ISA allowance is the maximum amount you can invest across all types of ISAs in any one tax year. You can put your whole allowance into a particular type of ISA or you can split it between the different types of ISAs: Cash, Stocks & Shares, Lifetime and Innovative Finance. The ISA allowance for the 2020/21 tax year is £20,000. For Junior Cash ISAs, the allowance is £9,000.

You can make payments into your Triodos Current Account by bank transfer or online. If you wish to pay a cheque into your account you can send cheques via our freepost service to our office in Bristol - Freepost TRIODOS BANK. Please include the sort code and account number of the account you wish the cheque to be credited to.

Cash cannot be paid in to the Triodos Current Account.

Please note that in order to protect our staff and to help reduce the spread of the Coronavirus, all our offices are closed to visitors from the general public at this time. This means it is not possible to deliver cheques to our office in person.

We support charities, social enterprises, mission-aligned “for profit” businesses and renewable energy projects to raise “non-bank” finance. A typical client is one who has a clear commercial proposition with equally clear social, cultural or environmental impact and who needs a form of finance that banks are typically unwilling to provide.

Many of our clients start by seeking bank debt but, often, lack the security or collateral required by those banks. Nonetheless, that does not mean they are not able to raise and service capital to grow and achieve sustainability – they simply need an alternative form of finance, often from alternative sources. It’s typically our role to help them access this capital.

When it comes to capital raising we:

• Help our clients get investment ready – meaning that when they approach the investor market they stand the best chance of securing investment. This may involve writing business plans, building financial models to help forecast future performance, advising on suitable governance structures etc;
• Advise on the right form of capital for the organisation and the best source of that capital;
• Advise on the optimal terms of any capital and help negotiate with investors to secure those terms.

Money mules are people used to help launder money, often without realising that’s what they’re doing. They help move illegitimate funds (money gained illegally) between accounts so that the money then appears to be legitimate. They may be asked to receive money into their account, then withdraw it and put it into another account, sometimes in another country. Sometimes the money mules are offered compensation or commission.

Even if money mules don’t know the money they’re transferring is fraudulent, they are still committing fraud and money laundering, and could be sentenced to time in prison or to pay a fine.

Money mules are often recruited into this activity through false job adverts, or social media posts that promote quick money-making opportunities. Sometimes they are duped by fake social media profiles that pretend to want a romantic relationship with the victim to gain their trust and affection before asking this favour or blackmailing them. This is also known as romance fraud.

Never move money between accounts you don’t know and trust, especially because someone else has asked you to, or if you don’t know where that money has come from. If you are suspicious of money laundering, call us immediately on 0330 355 0355.

Fraudsters often look for data on people that they can use to impersonate or defraud them.

They may research you or your colleagues, so we advise that you educate your staff about protecting their data and ensure they are fraud aware too.

What kind of data might a fraudster steal?

• Personal details, such as your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number.
• Contact details like your mobile phone, landline, work number and email address(es).
• Memorable information used for security and passwords, such as mother’s maiden name, schools or university attended, pet names, car makes and names of family members.
• Your bank account number, sort code and card details.
• PINs, passwords, Digipass number or other login details.

Ways fraudsters might get hold of your data:

• Social media and online forums – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit – all public platforms could hold a wealth of information about you, your employees, your business and your customers.
• Your company website – if your business has a website, consider what information you include. We advise you not to put your bank details on your website, as fraudsters can use this to impersonate you or your bank.
• Competitions and quizzes – particularly those found on social media websites.
• Calling you and pretending to be a trusted organisation.
• Companies who sell your email address or phone number - always read terms and conditions when signing up for a product or service.
• Bank statements, post and paper documents. Always lock away documents that hold sensitive information and destroy them when no longer required.
• Hacking into email accounts. Ensure your IT systems are secure and be wary of using shared internet connections outside of work. Consider that your suppliers, customers and partners can also have their emails hacked. We recommend that you do not share sensitive data via email – if you need to, encrypt the information with a password.
  

Do not respond to any email that asks you for information about your internet banking log in details. If you have received a suspicious email, do not respond and call our Contact Team as soon as you can during our opening hours on 0330 355 0355 to check if it is a genuine email.

Our Contact Team is available 8am-6pm Monday-Friday, and 10am-4pm on weekends for fraud related enquiries only.

Alternatively please email us at contact@triodos.co.uk from the registered email address we hold for you and mark it urgent in the subject line.

Yes, you can split your ISA allowance into different types of ISA: Cash, Stocks & Shares, Lifetime, and Innovative Finance.

We will not charge you for cash withdrawals from any ATM in the UK. However, some ATM providers may charge for using their machines to withdraw cash. There is a charge for withdrawing cash from abroad, please see our tariff for details.

Yes, there are charges for foreign payments. Transactions will be processed using the exchange rate set by Mastercard

• Debit card payment in a foreign currency: 2.5% of the value charged in GBP
  
• Cash withdrawal in a foreign currency outside the UK: 2.5% of the value charged in GBP
  

See our tariff of charges for full details or the Fee Information Document for more information.

Identity fraud happens when someone steals and uses your personal information to buy products or services. They get hold of this information in many ways - taking post from your bin, looking for information about you online, or contacting you directly, pretending to be from a real organisation.

There are several things you can do – offline and online - to protect your personal information. Here are a few tips.

Protect yourself offline:

1. Shred your post
   Shred or cut up your post before putting it in the bin, so your name and address cannot be stolen.
2. Redirect your post
   If you move house, ask Royal Mail to redirect your post for at least a year.
3. Be tidy
   Don’t leave things like bills or personal documents lying around for others to see. Even on your work desk.
4. Know your bank
   This sounds like an odd one, but knowing how your bank will and won’t contact you can help you spot fraudulent emails, texts or calls claiming to be from your bank. If a bank statement or new bank card doesn’t arrive, tell your bank or card company immediately.

Protect yourself online:

1. Create complex passwords
   Create strong passwords and different passwords for every online account you have (email, online banking, social media, retail websites etc). Avoid using personal information in passwords, like names of family, school, pets, cars. This will reduce the likelihood that someone could guess or hack your password and access other platforms you use. You might find a password management tool useful.
2. Use anti-virus software
   Protect your internet-connected devices with up-to-date security software, and make sure you install all official software updates and security fixes on your devices.
3. Connect with those you know
   Don’t accept invitations from people you don’t know on social media sites.
4. Be wifi wise
   Public wifi connections and Hotspots can be hacked and used to see what you’re doing online. Whilst it’s fine to use public wifi for browsing, never use it for buying something, logging in, online banking, filling in forms – or anything else that requires your personal or card data.
5. Be private
   Double-check that your social media profiles are private so that you’re only sharing information with people you know.
6. Think before you post
   Before you post anything on social media, forums or online platforms, make sure you’re not revealing any personal information – even pictures of your car registration can be used to get your address from DVLA records.

It can be very difficult to spot a fraudulent call. The best thing you can do if you get an unexpected call – especially if the person is asking you to make a payment or move funds, or rushing you to make a decision – is to call the organisation back on the number published on their website.

Fraudsters may call you or someone in your team and pretend to be a well-known business like BT, the bank, HMRC, the police, a supplier or even another person in your business.

Examples of what a fraudster might ask you to do:

• Move your money to a safe, secure holding account
  Fraudsters often call businesses pretending to be from their bank. They may ask you to move your money to a safe account because of suspected fraud or risk to your account. In reality, this ‘safe’ account is controlled by the fraudster. Hang up and report it to Action Fraud UK and your bank.
  
• Change the payment details of one of your suppliers
  Fraudsters often impersonate suppliers and ask businesses to pay into a new account – controlled by the fraudster. Check the caller is genuinely your supplier by calling back on the number on their website or, better still, by calling your direct contact at the company.
• Download something – software, a programme, app or other online tool
  Fraudsters may tell you there’s something wrong with your computer and it’s not secure. By downloading some software, they’ll be able to fix it for you. They might even offer you compensation or a refund for this inconvenience. In reality, the downloaded software could give them access to your computer. They may ask you to log in to your internet banking so they can issue your refund, when really they’re asking you to authorise payments into their own account. Triodos will never call you out of the blue and ask you to transfer money into another account, or download something onto your device.
• Tell them your Digipass codes
  Your Digipass codes give permission for money to leave your account. Never give these codes, no matter what they tell you. We will never ask you for these codes.
  

Screen scraping happens when you allow a third party to log into your computer while you are using it, so they see what you are doing and can copy the data on the screens you are viewing. This is a way for third parties to be able to get access to your payment data or account overview.

Triodos Bank is not in favour of this practice, as it potentially compromises the integrity of your own computer and your passwords.

If the text is from a sender you know, or from a shortcode (five to eight digits long):

• Reply ‘STOP’. You shouldn’t be charged for this, and it will let the sender know you don’t want to receive their text messages.
• If you’re unhappy about receiving the text or continue to receive them after asking the sender to stop, you can complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) on 0303 123 1113 or online.

If the spoof text message (sometimes known as smishing) is from an unknown sender, or from an organisation you’re not familiar with:

• Do not reply or click on a link in the text. Responding confirms your number is active and could result in you receiving more messages or calls.
• Report the spam text to your network operator. Simply forward the text to 7726. An easy way to remember ‘7726’ is that they’re the numbers on your phone keypad that spell out the word ‘SPAM’. You may get an automated response thanking you for the report and giving you further instructions if needed, like forwarding on the number the spam text message was sent from. You won’t be charged for forwarding spam texts to 7726.
  

You can switch between funds and share classes by completing a fund switch form. 

A fund switch is when you sell your holding in one fund or share class and buy back another. For example, if you hold the Triodos Global Equities Impact Fund and want to switch to the Triodos Pioneer Impact Fund you should download and complete the fund switch form. This will instruct us to sell your holding in the Triodos Global Equities Impact Fund and buy back the Triodos Pioneer Impact Fund.

We don’t charge for carrying out this instruction and the switch takes place at the same valuation point, however you must still meet the minimum investment amount of £1,000 and minimum top up amount of £500.

If you would like to switch, please ensure you have read the relevant Key Investor Information Document (KIID) which can be found under Key Documents.

Please note, when selling your holding outside of an ISA you will realise a capital gain or loss. Most individuals have a capital gains allowance of £12,300 (for the 2020/21 tax year), below which there is no charge on gains. If you happen to make a capital loss this can be used to offset future capital gains.

To sell your Triodos Impact Investment fund, you must complete a Redemption Form and send it to:

Freepost RTAB-JGZR-BUHK
Triodos Bank
T. Bailey Asset Management Ltd
64-66 St James’s Street
Nottingham
NG1 6FJ

Our freepost address is Royal Mail registered and simple to use - write it on your envelope exactly as shown above (no stamp required) and your letter will get to us free of charge by second class mail. Alternatively, for first class mail, you can post your form to us in the normal way, simply copy our above address without the first line.

The proceeds of the sale will be sent to your nominated bank account within 3 business days of the dealing date.

Please note that if you are not selling the whole of your holding, a minimum fund balance of £500 applies. If your instruction takes the fund below that minimum balance we will try to contact you to establish how you would like to proceed, however if we are unable to contact you we reserve the right to reject your instruction pending further clarity.

We offer three impact investment funds - the Triodos Global Equities Impact Fund, the Triodos Pioneer Impact Fund and the Triodos Sterling Bond Impact Fund. All the Impact Funds are available in two different share classes, distribution and capitalisation.

The minimum initial investment per Impact Investment Fund is £1,000, and the minimum top up amount is £500 per fund.

The minimum holding amount is £500 per share class. This means that your initial investment must be at least £1,000 per impact investment fund and £500 per share class. In addition to this, you are not able to sell part of your holding and leave a positive balance of below £500, and you will either need to sell your entire holding in that share class or if applicable a smaller amount.

Yes.

If you receive a call from Triodos, we’ll be happy for you to question who we are and call us back on the number published on our website, just to make sure. If you can, call us back from a different phone, as an extra safety precaution. Fraudsters can clone numbers, so it may look like the number we use to call you.

We will never call you to ask you to transfer money or for your Digipass codes, and we will never ask you to download software onto your device. If someone calls pretending to be from Triodos, and they ask you to do these things, hang up immediately and report it to us on 0330 355 0355.

The Triodos Impact Investment Funds are sub-funds of Triodos SICAV I, a “Société d’Investissement à Capital Variable” established in Luxembourg. Triodos SICAV I has a Passport into the UK, enabling UK distribution. Triodos SICAV I, including its sub-funds, is governed by the law of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Triodos Global Equities Impact Fund
Triodos Global Equities Impact Fund offers investors the possibility to invest in equities issued by larger listed companies worldwide delivering superior social and environmental performance within their sector as well as a strong financial performance.

Triodos Pioneer Impact Fund
Triodos Pioneer Impact Fund provides investors the opportunity to invest in equities issued by innovative and pioneering small and medium-sized listed companies worldwide that focus on the sustainable themes of climate protection, clean planet, healthy living, and or corporate social responsibility.