Home AWARDS The International Banker 2021 Western & Eastern European Awards Winners

The International Banker 2021 Western & Eastern European Awards Winners

by internationalbanker

 

In light of the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, which took place in Glasgow, Scotland, much of the most notable recent banking activity has pertained to lenders’ commitments to address climate risks. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) governor, Andrew Bailey, confirmed in early November that he would step up scrutiny of how British financial institutions identify such risks, stressing that the issues already impact the UK economy. “As we enter 2022, we will be shifting gears in our supervisory approach domestically to ensure firms are identifying and addressing climate-related financial risks,” Bailey said in his November 3rd speech at the conference.

Several UK banks have also joined a global alliance aimed at ending reliance on coal power worldwide. HSBC Group, Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest Group will be among 10 financial institutions signing up to the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), established by the UK and Canada in 2017.

French banks came under fire from the country’s financial regulators in the run-up to COP26, specifically regarding the vagueness of their climate commitments. According to Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR), which issued a joint report on October 26, financial institutions (FIs) did provide clear information on exit dates from the coal industry last year, but their policies remain inconsistent and often lack transparency. The report recommended that FIs agree on common definitions to measure fossil-fuel exposures and cover the entire value chain.

French lenders are also set to maintain their third-quarter loan loss provisions (LLPs) throughout 2022, alongside their Spanish peers, as they remain in wait-and-see mode with regards to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Although other European lenders have begun to release some of those funds as lockdowns have ended and economic activity has returned with some force, French and Spanish banks have been among the most cautious in the region, representing seven of the top ten spots for loan loss provisions during the first six months of the year across the continent’s 25 largest lenders by total assets, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.  

Poland’s biggest lenders warned that efforts to boost green finance would require further regulatory supports and economic incentives, particularly if the Polish banking sector wants to succeed in lowering its reliance on coal. Last year, the country accounted for 96 percent of the European Union’s (EU’s) total hard-coal production and 43 percent of total EU hard-coal consumption, according to Eurostat. And figures provided by Polish pro-climate organization Rozwój Tak-Odkrywki Nie (RT-ON) put the value of loans provided to Polish companies involved in dirty, mainly coal-related investments at roughly 36 billion zlotys (US$9.06 billion) between October 2018 and October 2020.

After the Czech central bank, Czech National Bank (CNB), raised its benchmark two-week repo rate by 75 basis points at the end of September—the biggest increase in nearly a quarter of a century—the Czech Banking Association (CBA) announced that it expects the move to impact corporate loans the most, while the impact on mortgages will be less pronounced, given that they respond more to longer-term rates. “As such, mortgage rates will continue to increase moderately, continuing the trend of the recent months. However, there is no need to be concerned about mortgage rates rising as fast as the CNB is increasing its rates,” the association concluded. More rate increases are widely anticipated, with Bloomberg News quoting the CNB’s governor, Jiří Rusnok, explaining that future decisions would be decided based on the size and frequency of further rate hikes.

The biggest Austrian banks will also benefit significantly from the CNB rate hike, especially given their sizeable presence in the Czech Republic. Erste Group Bank and Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), in particular, rely on the country as a key foreign market, with the former having about 4.5 million Czech customers and the latter 1.4 million customers. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence data, Erste derived €382 million of its group-wide €1.96 billion operating income from its Czech business in the second quarter, while RBI’s Czech presence accounted for €124 million of its €1.38 billion group-wide operating income.

Sberbank Europe AG, a subsidiary of Russia’s biggest bank, recently confirmed that it would sell some of its banks in Central and Eastern Europe with total assets of €7.33 billion ($8.51 billion). The sales are being completed so that Sberbank can focus on key markets and explore new business models. The banks due to be sold are located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia, totalling 162 branches and around 600,000 clients at the end of 2020. And they will be offloaded to AIK Banka a.d. Beograd, Gorenjska Banka d.d., Kranj and Agri Europe Cyprus Ltd., with the sales expected to be finalised next year.

 

 >>> WESTERN EUROPE AWARD WINNERS  

 

BANKING CEO OF THE YEAR
Western Europe
Mr. Frank Vang-Jensen

Nordea Bank Abp (Finland)

**********

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE
PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

Western Europe
Commerzbank AG (Germany)

**********

Best Banking Group Austria
Erste Group Bank AG

Best Banking Group Netherlands
ING Groep N.V.

Best Investment Bank Of The Year Greece
AXIA Ventures Group

Best Investment Bank Of The Year Italy
Mediobanca

Best Investment Bank Of The Year Portugal
Banco Invest

Best Investment Bank Of The Year Switzerland
Credit Suisse

Best Investment Bank Of The Year Turkey
ICBC Turkey

Best Investment Bank Of The Year UK
Barclays

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year France
BNP Paribas

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Ireland
Bank of Ireland

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Malta
BNF Bank

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Sweden
Handelsbanken

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Turkey
ICBC Turkey

Best Private Bank Of The Year Austria
Erste Private Banking

Best Private Bank Of The Year France
BNP Paribas Banque Privée

Best Private Bank Of The Year Portugal
Banco Finantia

Best Private Bank Of The Year Switzerland
Piguet Galland & Cie SA

Best Private Bank Of The Year UK
Coutts & Co.

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Denmark
Danske Bank A/S

Best Innovation In Retail Banking France
Crédit Agricole

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Malta
BNF Bank

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Spain
Banco Santander

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Turkey
TurkishBank Group

 

 

 

 >>>EASTERN EUROPE AWARD WINNERS  

 

BANKING CEO OF THE YEAR
Eastern Europe
Mr. Ömer Tetik

Banca Transilvania (Romania)

**********

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE
PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

Eastern Europe
Alfa Bank (Russia)

**********

Best Banking Group Hungary
OTP Group

Best Investment Bank Of The Year Croatia
Zagrebačka banka

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Albania
Banka Kombëtare Tregtare (BKT)

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Bulgaria
UniCredit Bulbank

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Croatia
OTP banka

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Czech Republic
Česká spořitelna

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Estonia
LHV Pank

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Georgia
Bank of Georgia

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Poland
PKO Bank Polski

Best Commercial Bank Of The Year Serbia
AIK Banka

Best Private Bank Of The Year Croatia
Zagrebačka banka

Best Private Bank Of The Year Czech Republic
ČSOB

Best Private Bank Of The Year Georgia
TBC Bank

Best Private Bank Of The Year Hungary
OTP Private Bank

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Bulgaria
UniCredit Bulbank

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Croatia
Erste Bank

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Czech Republic
Komerční banka

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Estonia
Coop Pank

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Georgia
Bank of Georgia

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Poland
Bank Pekao

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Romania
Banca Transilvania

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Russia
Alfa Bank

Best Innovation In Retail Banking Ukraine
PrivatBank

 

 

Related Articles

Leave a Comment

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.