Principal® Named One of the 2026 World's Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere
Recognizing Principal as a consistent leader in integrity, compliance, and ethical leadership
Principal Financial Group® has been honored as one of the 2026 World's Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere, reaffirming the organization's long-standing dedication to integrity and ethical leadership. This milestone marks the 15th time Principal has received this honor.
"We're honored to be recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 2026," said Deanna Stable, chair, president and CEO of Principal. "This recognition belongs to our employees, whose daily commitment has built a culture where ethics and integrity are a core part of who we are as a company. As we continue to help more people and businesses build their financial futures, this recognition reinforces that doing what's right—consistently and authentically—is both a competitive strength and a fundamental part of our culture."
Inclusion on the 2026 World's Most Ethical Companies® list recognizes the long-standing commitment to transparency, accountability, and trust that Principal demonstrates across its operations. Ethical leadership is embedded across the organization through strong governance, robust compliance practices, and engaged employees worldwide. Principal is one of 138 companies across 19 countries and 41 industries recognized for demonstrating a sustained commitment to ethical business practices.
"Congratulations to Principal Financial Group for achieving recognition as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies®. As we mark the 20th class of honorees, this group continues to raise the bar for business integrity by embedding ethics into everyday decision-making and long-term strategy. Companies with strong ethics, compliance, and governance programs are built for better long-term performance," said Erica Salmon Byrne, Ethisphere's chief strategy officer and executive chair.
Methodology & Scoring
The World's Most Ethical Companies assessment is grounded in Ethisphere's proprietary Ethics Quotient®, which requires companies to provide 240+ documented proof points on practices that support robust ethics and compliance, including: corporate governance; program structure & resourcing; written standards; training, awareness, & communication; risk assessment & auditing; investigations, enforcement, discipline & incentives; measurement of ethical culture; third-party risk management, and environmental & social impact. That data undergoes further qualitative analysis by a panel of experts who spend thousands of hours vetting and evaluating each year's group of applicants. This process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify best-in-class ethics and compliance practices from organizations across industries and from around the world.
About Principal Financial Group®
Principal Financial Group® (NASDAQ:PFG) is a global financial company with nearly 19,000 employees1 passionate about improving the wealth and well-being of people and businesses. In business for 146 years, we're helping over 75 million customers1 plan, insure, invest, and retire, while working to support the communities where we do business, and building an inclusive workforce. Learn more about Principal and our commitment to building a better future at principal.com.
1 As of December 31, 2025
Ethisphere is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that strengthen corporate brands, build trust in the marketplace, and deliver business success. Companies turn ethics, compliance, and culture into a business advantage by leveraging Ethisphere's data-driven program & culture assessments featuring the latest guidance and the practices of hundreds of global organizations across the 8 pillars of an ethical culture, and 240+ ethics, compliance, social, and governance data points delivered through a proprietary software platform. Ethisphere also honors superior integrity programs through World's Most Ethical Companies® recognition, brings together a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA), and advances ethical business practices through the Global Ethics Summit, Ethisphere Magazine, and the Ethicast podcast. For more information, visit https://ethisphere.com.
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Media Contact: Megan Grandgeorge, [email protected], 515-878-1146