UniCredit was awarded by Euromoney, the world's leading financial publication, in various categories of the prestigious Awards for Excellence, 2017 edition, assigned yesterday evening during a gala dinner held in London. UniCredit won five awards: “Best Bank in Italy”, “Best Bank in Croatia”, “Best Wealth Management Bank in Central and Eastern Europe” and “Best Bank for Transaction Services in Central and Eastern Europe”. In addition, the CEO Jean Pierre Mustier was named "Banker of the Year 2017"
CEO Jean Pierre Mustier declared: “I want to congratulate all my colleagues and thank them because this recognition is the result of the contribution of all the people who work in the Group, and it is to them that I dedicate the Banker of the Year award. I am grateful for the effort that the various teams have put into these past twelve months. We will continue to devote ourselves tirelessly to the transformation of the Group, strengthened by our pan-European business model, simple and successful, and by the considerable competitive advantage that makes UniCredit the bank of choice in all the countries where it is present”.
Euromoney explained the Banker of the Year award as follows: “Jean Pierre Mustier was nominated a year ago and has already made great strides in the process of transforming an Italian bank in difficulty into a European bank with a bright future. Achievements include completion of a €13 billion capital increase, divestments of non-strategic and non-performing businesses and businesses at the right time and at the right price, and an unwavering determination to pursue the strategy pre-established. But above all, UniCredit is the story of a leadership team led by a pragmatic and determined CEO who revived a sense of pride and purpose in a weakened institution. It therefore seems appropriate to ask: has a bank CEO ever achieved this in just one year before?”.
Below are Euromoney's reasons for the prizes awarded to UniCredit.
- BEST BANK IN ITALY – “The results achieved in the last year go far beyond the amount of capital raised and the reduction of NPEs (non-performing exposures). A radical culture change should unleash the potential of UniCredit's banking talent and pan-European strengths”.
- BEST BANK FOR TRANSACTION SERVICES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE “UniCredit firmly holds the scepter of transaction services in emerging European countries, thanks to its solid market presence and a continuous drive towards connecting the different countries within the its network in the area”.
- BEST BANK FOR WEALTH MANAGEMENT IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE – “Few banks can advise clients with substantial assets across the myriad of different countries and cultures in Central and Eastern Europe, but UniCredit has earned the role of wealth manager of election in virtually every one of those markets.”
- BEST BANK IN CROATIA “Zagrebacka Banka has led the way in terms of profitability, improving asset quality and reducing non-performing loans in the last 12 months, while increasing mortgage and SME loan origination, thus consolidating its position of leading bank in Croatia”.
