Bimonthly magazine Finance New Europe named Bulgarias fifth-largest bank, HVB Bank Biochim, as the countrys best bank.
HVB Bank Biochim last year was named by magazine Euromoney as the country's best bank.
The bank, owned by UniCredit Group, will merge by the middle of 2007 with UniCredit's two other banks in Bulgaria, Bulbank and Hebros, to form Bulgaria's largest financial entity. The new bank, to be named UniCredit Bulbank and to be headed by Levon Hampartzoumian, will have total assets of more than seven billion euro and more than 1.1 million clients.
The ranking was published in Finance New Europe's January 2007 issue.
Finance New Europe is published twice monthly and provides information and analysis on strategic financial issues related to the companies and the governments of the Central and Eastern European countries.
A media statement by UniCredit said that it had won several awards for its activities in Central and Eastern Europe.
The US financial magazine Global Finance named UniCredit Group Best Trade Finance Bank in Central and Eastern Europe. The bank has also won the award Best Trade Finance Bank in Austria (Bank Austria Creditanstalt) and Best Trade Finance Bank in Poland (Bank BPH). Global Finance has more than 245 000 readers in 158 countries. Its target group comprises top managers and finance experts. Criteria for choosing the best Trade Finance Bank included transaction volume, scope of global coverage, customers service, competitive pricing and innovative technologies. The ranking will be published in the February issue.
Additionally, UniCredit Group has received other awards from Finance New Europe in recognition of its activities and achievements in Central and Eastern Europe:
In the regional award categories, the group has been named Best Investment Bank (CA IB), Best Brokerage and Custody House (CA IB), Best Privatisation - Budapest Airport (CA IB) and Best Project Finance House (BA-CA). The Group also won the country awards as best bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Poland.
UniCredit Group operates the largest international banking network in CEE with more than 3000 offices. More than 60 000 employees serve some 25 million customers. The UniCredit Group maintains offices in the Central and Eastern European countries of Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.
