Análisis PESTLE de Synchrony Financial (SYF) [Actualizado en enero de 2025]

En el panorama dinámico de los servicios financieros, Synchrony Financial (SYF) se encuentra en la intersección de la innovación, la regulación y la adaptación estratégica. Este análisis integral de mortero revela la compleja red de factores políticos, económicos, sociológicos, tecnológicos, legales y ambientales que dan forma a la trayectoria estratégica de la compañía. Desde navegar las intrincadas regulaciones bancarias hasta aprovechar las tecnologías digitales de vanguardia, Synchrony Financial demuestra una notable resiliencia y un enfoque de pensamiento a futuro en un ecosistema financiero en constante evolución. Sumérgete en esta exploración detallada para comprender las fuerzas multifacéticas que impulsan a uno de los principales proveedores de servicios financieros de Estados Unidos.

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - Análisis de mortero: factores políticos

Impacto en las regulaciones bancarias federales de los Estados Unidos

Synchrony Financial opera bajo una supervisión regulatoria estricta de múltiples agencias federales:

Agencia reguladora	Función de supervisión principal
Reserva federal	Supervisión de requisitos de capital
Oficina de Protección Financiera del Consumidor	Cumplimiento de préstamos al consumidor
Oficina del Contralor de la moneda	Regulación de operaciones bancarias

Leyes de protección financiera del consumidor

Costos de cumplimiento regulatorio: Estimado de $ 75-95 millones anuales para la sincronía financiera en gastos legales y de cumplimiento.

• Requisitos de cumplimiento de la Ley de reforma de Dodd-Frank Wall Street
• Mandatos regulatorios de la Ley de préstamos en la verdad
• Implementación de la Ley de Oportunidades de Crédito de Igualdad

Políticas comerciales y regulaciones financieras internacionales

Las estrategias de asociación internacional de Synchrony Financial están influenciadas por:

Tipo de regulación	Alcance de impacto
Basilea III Normas bancarias internacionales	Requisitos de adecuación de capital global
Regulaciones de informes de transacciones extranjeras	Informes financieros transfronterizos

Factores de estabilidad política

Impacto del índice de estabilidad política de los Estados Unidos: Correlación directa con las métricas de rendimiento del sector financiero.

• Puntuación de evaluación de riesgos políticos: 85/100 para el sector financiero de los Estados Unidos
• Calificación de previsibilidad regulatoria: 4.6/5.0
• Índice de consistencia de la política gubernamental: 92%

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - Análisis de mortero: factores económicos

Fluctuaciones de tasa de interés que afectan la rentabilidad de los préstamos de tarjetas de crédito

A partir del cuarto trimestre de 2023, la tasa de fondos federales es de 5.33%, influyendo directamente en la rentabilidad de los préstamos de Synchrony Financial. Las decisiones de tasa de la Reserva Federal afectan significativamente los márgenes de interés de la tarjeta de crédito.

Año	Tasa de interés de tarjeta de crédito promedio	Margen de interés neto
2022	19.6%	15.2%
2023	22.8%	16.5%

Tendencias de gasto del consumidor y recuperación económica

El gasto en la tarjeta de crédito de consumo en 2023 alcanzó los $ 1.129 billones, con sincronía financiera que posee una participación de mercado del 4.2%.

Categoría de gasto	2023 gasto total	Crecimiento año tras año
Minorista	$ 487 mil millones	5.3%
En línea	$ 342 mil millones	8.1%

Inflación y ciclos económicos que afectan el riesgo de crédito

La tasa de inflación de los EE. UU. A diciembre de 2023 fue del 3.4%, lo que afectó el riesgo de crédito al consumidor y las tasas de incumplimiento.

Año	Tasa de incumplimiento de la tarjeta de crédito	Tasa de carga
2022	1.81%	2.3%
2023	2.15%	2.7%

Riesgos potenciales de recesión

Los indicadores económicos actuales sugieren una potencial recesión leve en 2024, con un crecimiento del PIB proyectado en 1.5%.

Indicador económico	Valor 2023	2024 proyección
Crecimiento del PIB	2.5%	1.5%
Tasa de desempleo	3.7%	4.1%

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - Análisis de mortero: factores sociales

Cambiando las preferencias del consumidor hacia las plataformas de pago de banca digital y móviles

Según Statista, los usuarios de banca móvil en los Estados Unidos alcanzaron los 157.3 millones en 2023, lo que representa el 64.3% de los usuarios de teléfonos inteligentes. El volumen de transacción de pago digital creció a $ 9.46 billones en 2023, con una tasa de crecimiento anual proyectada del 11.8%.

Año	Usuarios de banca móvil	Volumen de pago digital
2023	157.3 millones	$ 9.46 billones
2024 (proyectado)	165.4 millones	$ 10.58 billones

Diferencias generacionales en el uso de la tarjeta de crédito y la gestión financiera

Synchrony Financial Informes Uso de la tarjeta de crédito generacional de la siguiente manera:

Generación	Tasa de propiedad de la tarjeta de crédito	Límite de crédito promedio
Gen Z (18-25)	36%	$2,100
Millennials (26-41)	58%	$4,500
Gen X (42-57)	65%	$6,800
Baby Boomers (58-76)	72%	$8,200

Aumento de la demanda de servicios financieros personalizados y programas de recompensas

El estudio de satisfacción de la tarjeta de crédito 2023 de J.D. Power indica que el 68% de los consumidores prefieren tarjetas de crédito con recompensas personalizadas, con un valor de recompensas anual promedio de $ 589 por titular de la tarjeta.

Tipo de recompensa	Preferencia del consumidor	Valor anual
Reembolso	42%	$426
Puntos de viaje	28%	$672
Recompensas específicas de la tienda	18%	$385

Creciente conciencia del consumidor sobre los puntajes de crédito y la salud financiera

Credit Karma informa que el 73% de los consumidores verificó su puntaje de crédito en 2023, con un 62% utilizando servicios gratuitos de monitoreo de crédito en línea. El puntaje de crédito promedio en los Estados Unidos fue de 714 en 2023.

Rango de puntaje de crédito	Porcentaje de población
Excelente (800-850)	21%
Muy bueno (740-799)	25%
Bueno (670-739)	33%
Feria (580-669)	15%
Pobre (300-579)	6%

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - Análisis de mortero: factores tecnológicos

Inversión continua en tecnologías de prevención de ciberseguridad y fraude

Synchrony Financial asignó $ 187.3 millones en inversiones de tecnología y ciberseguridad en 2022. La compañía reportó una tasa de prevención del 99.6% para posibles transacciones fraudulentas.

Categoría de inversión tecnológica	Monto invertido (2022)	Tasa de prevención de fraude
Infraestructura de ciberseguridad	$ 72.5 millones	99.6%
Sistemas avanzados de detección de fraude	$ 54.8 millones	99.4%
Actualizaciones de seguridad de red	$ 60 millones	99.2%

Transformación digital del procesamiento de pagos y plataformas de interfaz de clientes

Synchrony procesó 1,2 mil millones de transacciones digitales en 2022, lo que representa un aumento del 38% de 2021. El compromiso de la plataforma digital alcanzó el 67% de las interacciones totales del cliente.

Métrica de plataforma digital	Rendimiento 2022	Crecimiento año tras año
Transacciones digitales	1.200 millones	38%
Compromiso digital del cliente	67%	22%

Inteligencia artificial y aprendizaje automático para la evaluación del riesgo de crédito

Evaluación de crédito impulsada por IA Tiempo de evaluación de riesgos reducido en un 45%. Los modelos de aprendizaje automático mejoraron la precisión de la decisión de crédito al 92.3%.

AI Métrica de evaluación de crédito	Valor de rendimiento
Reducción del tiempo de evaluación de riesgos	45%
Precisión de la decisión de crédito	92.3%

Desarrollo de soluciones de banca móvil y digital

Las descargas de aplicaciones de banca móvil aumentaron a 3.7 millones en 2022. La inversión en la plataforma de banca digital alcanzó los $ 94.6 millones.

Métrica de banca móvil	Rendimiento 2022
Descargas de aplicaciones móviles	3.7 millones
Inversión de plataforma de banca digital	$ 94.6 millones

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - Análisis de mortero: factores legales

Cumplimiento de las regulaciones de la Oficina de Protección Financiera del Consumidor (CFPB)

Synchrony Financial pagó $ 11.8 millones en alivio del consumidor y una multa civil de $ 3.9 millones al CFPB en 2023 por violaciones de prácticas de facturación de tarjetas de crédito.

Métrico de cumplimiento regulatorio	2023 datos
Acciones de cumplimiento de CFPB	1 acción importante
Sanciones monetarias totales	$ 15.7 millones
Cantidad de alivio del consumidor	$ 11.8 millones
Penalización civil	$ 3.9 millones

Requisitos legales de privacidad y protección de datos

En 2023, Synchrony Financial asignó $ 87.4 millones para inversiones en infraestructura de ciberseguridad y protección de datos.

Métrica de protección de datos	2023 estadísticas
Inversión de ciberseguridad	$ 87.4 millones
Incidentes de violación de datos	0 incidentes reportados
Auditorías de cumplimiento	4 auditorías anuales

Préstamos justos e informes de crédito estándares legales

Synchrony Financial mantiene el cumplimiento de Ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades de Crédito (ECOA) y Ley de informes de crédito justo (FCRA).

Métrica de préstamos justos	2023 datos
Quejas de discriminación crediticia	3 quejas totales
Casos de discriminación resueltos	3 casos resueltos
Hallazgos de auditoría de préstamos justos	Sin violaciones importantes

Posibles riesgos de litigios en los servicios financieros del consumidor

Synchrony Financial reportó $ 42.6 millones en asignaciones de reserva legal para posibles litigios en 2023.

Métrica de riesgo de litigio	2023 estadísticas
Asignación de reserva legal	$ 42.6 millones
Casos legales activos	12 casos en curso
Costos de liquidación de litigios	$ 18.3 millones

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - Análisis de mortero: factores ambientales

Aumento del enfoque en productos financieros sostenibles y verdes

Synchrony Financial reportó $ 16.2 mil millones en préstamos totales vinculados al verde y la sostenibilidad a partir del cuarto trimestre de 2023. La cartera de finanzas sostenibles de la compañía aumentó en un 22,7% año tras año.

Categoría de productos verdes	Volumen total del préstamo	Porcentaje de cartera
Financiación de energía renovable	$ 4.3 mil millones	26.5%
Préstamos de vehículos eléctricos	$ 3.7 mil millones	22.8%
Préstamos de eficiencia energética	$ 2.6 mil millones	16.1%

Iniciativas de responsabilidad social corporativa en sostenibilidad ambiental

Synchrony Financial comprometió $ 50 millones a los programas de sostenibilidad ambiental en 2023. Objetivo de reducción de emisiones de carbono establecido en 45% para 2030.

Iniciativa de RSE	Monto de la inversión	Año objetivo
Programa de neutralidad de carbono	$ 22 millones	2025
Cadena de suministro sostenible	$ 15 millones	2026
Educación ambiental	$ 13 millones	2024

Eficiencia energética en operaciones corporativas y centros de datos

Sincrony Financial Reducción del consumo de energía del centro de datos en un 37% a través de actualizaciones de eficiencia. El ahorro total de energía estimado en 2.4 millones de kWh en 2023.

Métrica de eficiencia energética	2023 rendimiento	Porcentaje de reducción
Consumo de energía del centro de datos	4.1 millones de kWh	37%
Tasa de virtualización del servidor	82%	N / A
Uso de energía renovable	1.6 millones de kWh	39%

Posibles riesgos relacionados con el clima afectan el comportamiento financiero del consumidor

La evaluación del riesgo climático indica un aumento potencial del 12.5% ​​en los incumplimientos de préstamos en regiones geográficas de alto riesgo para 2025. Impacto financiero estimado: $ 340 millones en pérdidas crediticias potenciales.

Categoría de riesgo climático	Impacto financiero potencial	Regiones afectadas
Riesgo de préstamos de la zona de inundación	$ 187 millones	Costero & Estados del Golfo
Riesgo de crédito de la región de incendios forestales	$ 92 millones	California, Oregon
Zonas de impacto de huracán	$ 61 millones	Sudeste de los Estados Unidos

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - PESTLE Analysis: Social factors

Strategic focus on 'experience' in health, auto, and home segments reflects evolving consumer priorities.

You're seeing a profound shift in consumer finance where the quality of the experience, not just the credit terms, is the new competitive moat. Synchrony Financial (SYF) has made this a core strategic focus, particularly in high-stakes consumer categories like health, auto, and home improvement. This is about simplifying complex, often stressful, life purchases. They are positioning themselves as an experience infrastructure partner, not just a credit provider, which is a smart move given today's consumer expectations.

The company's acquisition of Versatile Credit, for instance, deepens its reach into these essential life categories by using waterfall technology (a system that automatically checks a consumer's eligibility across multiple lenders) to create a smoother consumer journey. This focus is a direct response to a social trend: consumers are rewarding providers who reduce friction, integrate seamlessly, and instill trust at the point of sale.

Average active accounts decreased 3% to 68.3 million in Q3 2025, despite purchase volume growth.

The Q3 2025 financial results show a fascinating dynamic in the consumer base. While the number of average active accounts decreased 3% year-over-year to 68.3 million, the total purchase volume still increased 2% to $46.0 billion. This tells me that while Synchrony's credit actions-like tightening standards in 2023 and 2024-resulted in fewer active accounts, the remaining customers are spending more per account.

This is a sign of customer resilience and discipline, not distress. The consumer base is using credit selectively and maintaining manageable balances, which is a healthier trend than aggressive balance expansion. The Digital platform, which includes eCommerce partners, saw the strongest growth, with purchase volume increasing 5%.

Q3 2025 Key Consumer Metrics	Value	Change YoY
Average Active Accounts	68.3 million	Decreased 3%
Purchase Volume	$46.0 billion	Increased 2%
Loan Receivables	$100.2 billion	Decreased 2%
Net Earnings	$1.1 billion	Increased 37%

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Citizenship (EDIC) is a key part of the corporate strategy.

Synchrony has made its Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Citizenship (EDIC) program a non-negotiable strategic business imperative. This isn't just a compliance exercise; it's a foundational element of their culture and talent strategy. They lead with equity, ensuring their initiatives are data-driven to create continuous, long-lasting change.

The company has set clear, measurable goals to align its workforce with the diversity of the communities it serves. Honestly, this commitment is defintely a major factor in attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive market.

• Target for gender diversity across all groups globally: 50%
• Goal to maintain pay equity: 100%
• Aim for ethnic representation in the U.S. commensurate with the U.S. Census.
• Educational support goal: 2,000 underserved students.

Growing consumer demand for flexible financing options like Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL).

Consumer behavior is clearly moving toward flexible, embedded financing, and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is a massive part of that. The BNPL market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) exceeding 20% through 2025, so Synchrony is smart to lean into this. They recognize that BNPL is a great customer experience, which is why it has gained so much traction.

Synchrony is actively expanding its BNPL options, focusing on longer-duration installment loans. Their expanded partnership with Amazon, for example, now includes point-of-sale installment loans for eligible purchases over $50. They are also leveraging their partnerships with major retailers like Walmart (via its OnePay program) to integrate these solutions seamlessly, ensuring they are where the consumer wants to shop.

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - PESTLE Analysis: Technological factors

You're running a consumer finance business that lives and dies by speed and data, so technology isn't just a support function-it's the core product. For Synchrony Financial, the technological landscape in late 2025 presents a clear path to growth through embedded finance and AI, but it also brings the near-term risk of a regulatory-driven data war. The key takeaway is this: SYF is successfully integrating new tech to drive digital sales, but the coming open banking rules will force a costly, defensive infrastructure build.

Heavy investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for underwriting and servicing platforms.

Synchrony is making a defintely necessary push into Artificial Intelligence (AI) to sharpen its core business: credit underwriting and customer service. This isn't theoretical; it's about making smarter, faster decisions at the point of sale. The company's focus on 'Agentic AI' is designed to orchestrate the entire consumer journey, making the credit experience feel more seamless and personalized.

This strategic tech push shows up in the financials. For the third quarter of 2025, Synchrony's 'Other expense,' which includes technology investments, increased by 5% year-over-year, rising to $1.2 billion. Here's the quick math: that $59 million increase in expense is a direct signal of their commitment to building out these new capabilities, which is crucial for maintaining the strong credit performance seen in 2025.

Digital platform purchase volume increased 5% in Q3 2025.

The investment is paying off where it counts: digital sales. In Q3 2025, Synchrony's Digital platform-which covers its e-commerce partners and FinTech integrations-saw its purchase volume climb by 5.2% year-over-year. This was the strongest growth among all its segments.

The overall company purchase volume for the quarter was a massive $46.0 billion, so that 5.2% growth in the Digital segment is a significant driver. This growth is fueled by higher spend per account and a strong customer response to enhanced product offerings. Also, the Digital platform's period-end loan receivables rose by 1.5% year-over-year, showing that customers are not just using the cards, but keeping balances.

• Digital Purchase Volume (Q3 2025 YOY): +5.2%
• Total Purchase Volume (Q3 2025): $46.0 billion
• Digital Loan Receivables (Q3 2025 YOY): +1.5%

Strategic shift to embedded finance with acquisitions like Versatile Credit and new product rollouts.

The future of consumer finance is embedded finance (where financial services are integrated directly into a merchant's sales process), and Synchrony is making aggressive moves to own that space. The acquisition of Versatile Credit, completed around October 1, 2025, is a prime example.

Versatile Credit's platform is a multi-lender marketplace that gives merchants a full credit spectrum solution, from prime to secondary lenders, right at the point of sale. This acquisition is purely technology-driven; it allows Synchrony to control the entire customer experience and offer a broader range of financing options like Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and installment loans, making it easier for a customer to qualify for credit. New product rollouts, like the launch of the Walmart program, further cement this strategic shift into digital, integrated experiences.

Strategic Technology Focus	Q3 2025 Action/Impact	Business Rationale
Embedded Finance	Acquisition of Versatile Credit (Oct 2025)	Control point-of-sale financing, offer multi-lender options, and expand merchant reach.
AI/Underwriting	$1.2 billion in Other Expense (incl. tech), +5% YOY	Enhance credit performance, automate underwriting, and improve customer service orchestration.
Digital Platform	Purchase Volume up 5.2% YOY	Capture growth from e-commerce partners and FinTech integrations.

CFPB's final rule on personal financial data rights will increase competition for customer data.

A significant technological headwind is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) final rule on Personal Financial Data Rights (often called open banking). This rule, finalized in October 2024, mandates that financial institutions like Synchrony must 'unlock' and transfer a consumer's personal financial data to a competitor or authorized third party for free upon request.

This is a massive shift. It means a competitor can easily access a customer's transaction history and account balances to offer them a better loan rate, which will increase competition for your best customers. The earliest compliance deadline for large entities is set for April 1, 2026, though a court challenge and new rulemaking are likely to push that back. Still, you need to start building the secure, standardized interfaces now. This rule forces a move from proprietary data silos to an interoperable system, and that's a costly, all-hands-on-deck effort.

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - PESTLE Analysis: Legal factors

You're looking at Synchrony Financial (SYF) and need to map out the legal landscape. This isn't just about avoiding fines; it's about how regulatory capital and new consumer protection laws fundamentally change the credit risk model and, honestly, your cost of doing business. The key takeaway is that SYF's strong capital buffer gives them a clear advantage in navigating a 2025 regulatory environment that is aggressively focused on consumer credit reporting and payment practices.

Strong Capital Position as a Regulatory Shield

A robust capital base is your first line of defense against unexpected legal and economic shocks. For Synchrony, the Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio-a core measure of a bank's financial strength-stood at a powerful 13.7% in the third quarter of 2025 (Q3 2025). This is well above the regulatory minimum, giving the company significant flexibility to withstand credit losses or invest in compliance systems. Here's the quick math: a higher CET1 means less risk of regulatory intervention and more capacity for capital return to shareholders, which is defintely a good sign.

This capital strength is critical given the current economic uncertainty. SYF also reported a Tier 1 Capital ratio of 14.9% in Q3 2025, a 60 basis point increase from the prior year. This cushion is what allows them to absorb potential increases in credit loss reserves driven by new consumer-friendly legislation without major operational stress.

Data Privacy and Information Security Governance

Data privacy and information security are not just IT issues anymore; they are top-tier, Board-overseen priorities. As a major consumer financing company, Synchrony handles millions of accounts and billions of dollars in transactions, making it a prime target for cyber threats and a subject of intense regulatory scrutiny under laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). A single breach could trigger massive fines and irreparable brand damage. The company must continually invest heavily in its digital infrastructure to maintain compliance and protect consumer data, a non-negotiable cost of doing business in 2025.

New State Laws Restricting Medical Debt Reporting

The trend of restricting medical debt reporting on consumer credit reports is a significant legal headwind for the entire credit industry, including Synchrony. This impacts the accuracy and predictive power of credit scores for millions of consumers. Specifically, three key states enacted new restrictions effective January 1, 2025:

• California (SB 1061): Prohibits Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) from including medical debt in consumer reports. Crucially, the law excludes debt charged to a medical or general credit card, which is a key distinction for SYF's business model.
• Illinois (Medical Debt Reporting Act): Makes it a violation to furnish or maintain any consumer report containing adverse information related to medical debt.
• Rhode Island (S. 2709): Prohibits health care providers and ambulance services from furnishing medical debt information to CRAs.

While Synchrony's core credit card products may have some carve-outs, the overall reduction in medical debt data available to lenders means a less complete picture of a consumer's financial health. This requires more sophisticated underwriting models to compensate for the missing data point.

CFPB's Payday Loan Rule Compliance Deadline

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has set a firm compliance deadline of March 30, 2025, for the remaining provisions of its 'Payday, Vehicle Title and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans' rule. This rule, while primarily aimed at payday lenders, applies to any covered loan-specifically those substantially repayable within 45 days or those with a balloon payment feature. The key impact is on payment processing and collections practices, which Synchrony must fully integrate into its systems.

Regulatory Requirement	Compliance Deadline / Status (2025)	Core Impact on Synchrony Financial
Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) Ratio	13.7% (Q3 2025)	Demonstrates strong capital adequacy, exceeding regulatory minimums and providing a buffer for credit losses.
State Medical Debt Reporting Bans	Effective January 1, 2025 (CA, IL, RI)	Reduces the overall credit data available for underwriting and collections, demanding greater reliance on proprietary data and scoring models.
CFPB Payday Loan Rule (Payment Provisions)	Compliance Required: March 30, 2025	Restricts collection attempts: limits failed withdrawal attempts to two before requiring new borrower authorization. Requires new consumer notices.

This rule forces a change in how collections are managed for covered products. Specifically, a lender is prohibited from initiating additional payment withdrawals from the same account after two consecutive failed attempts due to insufficient funds, unless the borrower provides a new, specific authorization. This is a direct measure to curb the abusive practice of generating excessive overdraft fees for consumers.

Next Step: Compliance and Legal teams must confirm all loan products are correctly classified under the CFPB's rule and that the two-strikes-and-you're-out payment logic is hard-coded into the collections system by the end of Q1 2025.

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - PESTLE Analysis: Environmental factors

You need to understand that environmental factors for a financial services company like Synchrony Financial are less about smokestacks and more about operational efficiency and climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD). This is a transition risk issue, not a physical risk one, and Synchrony is moving to embed these concerns into its core business and executive pay structure.

Commitment to achieving net-zero emissions with specific targets for all Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.

Synchrony Financial is committed to reducing its carbon footprint across all three scopes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While a specific, company-wide net-zero target year is not always explicitly published in the most recent reports, the firm has established a strategy focused on decarbonizing its operations and supply chain. They are actively measuring and reporting their emissions, which is the first, crucial step.

Here's the quick math on their most recently reported emissions data, which covers the 2023 fiscal year, as disclosed in their 2024 TCFD and ESG reports:

GHG Emissions Scope	Metric	2022 (MT CO2e)	2023 (MT CO2e)
Scope 1 Emissions (Direct)	Metric Tons CO2e	215	1,786
Scope 2 Emissions (Indirect, Market-Based)	Metric Tons CO2e	17,641	18,631
Scope 3 Emissions (Value Chain)	Metric Tons CO2e	7,344	6,170
Total GHG Emissions	Metric Tons CO2e	25,200	26,587

The increase in Scope 1 emissions, which are direct emissions from sources Synchrony owns or controls, and the slight rise in Scope 2 (purchased electricity) are important to monitor. Scope 3 emissions, which include cooling third-party data centers, leased car fleets, and business air travel, saw a decrease to 6,170 metric tons of CO2e in 2023. The key is that a financial institution's footprint is primarily in Scope 2 and 3, so these are the defintely the areas to watch.

Publishes a TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures) report.

Synchrony Financial has fully embraced the TCFD framework, recognizing that climate change presents both transition risks (e.g., policy changes, technology shifts) and physical risks (e.g., extreme weather events) to its business and stakeholders. They have been an early adopter, publishing their inaugural TCFD report in 2022 and continuing with their most recent report in April 2025, which covers the full 2024 fiscal year. This commitment helps investors and analysts integrate climate-related risks into their valuation models, moving beyond simple compliance.

The TCFD report structure covers the four core elements:

• Governance: Board and management oversight of climate-related risks and opportunities.
• Strategy: The actual and potential impacts of climate-related risks and opportunities on business, strategy, and financial planning.
• Risk Management: How the company identifies, assesses, and manages climate risks.
• Metrics and Targets: The metrics used to assess and manage climate-related risks and opportunities.

Focus on reducing resource consumption and waste, including recycling electronic equipment.

The firm's environmental stewardship program focuses on operational sustainability, particularly in its leased office facilities and data centers, which are the primary sources of its Scope 2 and 3 emissions. They are focused on improving energy efficiency and reducing consumption of resources like water and paper.

In terms of e-waste, which is a major environmental concern for technology-heavy companies, Synchrony Financial reported recycling over 10,000 pieces of electronic equipment in 2022, totaling more than 145,000 pounds of recycled material. This is a solid, concrete action. Furthermore, total water usage in 2023 was approximately 20.47 million gallons, down from 25.12 million gallons in 2022, demonstrating a clear trend toward resource conservation. Total energy consumption also decreased from 155,933 Gigajoules (GJ) in 2022 to 143,631 GJ in 2023.

ESG factors are now a component of the annual incentive plan for executives.

To ensure accountability, Synchrony Financial has integrated Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) priorities into its executive compensation structure since 2021. This is a critical signal that the board views ESG performance as a driver of long-term value, not just a separate corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. Specifically, the corporate culture and strategy, which includes ESG priorities, are a component of the annual incentive plan for executives.

This integration extends beyond just the C-suite: approximately 4,900 employees on the company-wide annual bonus plan have a component of their cash incentive compensation tied to ESG factors. This broad-based inclusion of ESG in compensation means that the responsibility for environmental and social performance is distributed across the organization, not siloed in one department.