The World Savings Banks Institute (WSBI), in cooperation with Oxford Policy Management (OPM), conducted a study on the social dividend generated by savings and socially committed retail banks. While savings banks are competitive for-profit organisations, they are also driven by the conviction that alongside the financial return necessary to achieve the sustainability of their operations, they also assume a social responsibility and generate a social return or social dividend. This social dividend materialises notably in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and in their direct support to programmes and projects in their regions with the aim to foster economic, social and cultural development. The present study goes beyond these visible ('explicit') illustrations of the savings banks' social commitment. It reveals and assesses the value of the hidden ('implicit') part of the savings banks' social dividend. The one which derives from their provision of extensive access to financial services in their regions, including to underserved customer groups and geographical areas which would otherwise be deprived of proximity banking services.