OREANDA-NEWS. On 29 February 2008 was announced, that BTA Bank was awarded another Best Deal 2007. This time, Trade Finance and Global Trade Review had a shared vision on BTA deal to finance a cement plant of BI Cement in Akmola Oblast. BTA Bank has arranged the deal in tandem with Fortis Bank NV-SA, Belgium.

Key criteria for the Best Deal 2007 award:

a 10-year import financing of Czech equipment for the cement plant covered by EGAP, and an 8-year trade financing of an advance payment and local expenses on attractive terms;
a flexible financing structure enabling to provide a client with a reasonably long grace period and an opportunity to plough back the interest over a construction period;
BTA arranged the financing within financial leasing with optimum taxation.

"We have expended considerable amount of time to find the most optimum financing structure that meets all demands of the client. Out trade finance deals have been included into the global best deals for a third year in a row and obtained top industry awards owing to their structure. This proves our ad hoc approach to the structured trade finance as a business direction," says Timur Sabyrbaev, Head of BTA Bank International Relations and Trade Finance Division.

The cement plant construction is a breakthrough project in Kazakhstan. Through financing of such projects BTA Bank makes a significant contribution to the 2003-15 Strategy of Industrial and Innovation Development of Kazakhstan. The dry mix process plant will harness PSP Engineering AS equipment. The new environmentally friendly facility with 500 new jobs will comply with high international standards.
BTA Bank JSC is among biggest banks in the CIS with an extensive banking chain. According to tentative data, as of January 1, 2008 BTA consolidated assets totaled US$  25.5 billion, a 56% increase from early 2007. Its capital made US$  3.8 billion. Consolidated net income reached US$  580 million, a two-fold rise from 2006.

BTA Bank operating in the CIS and far-abroad countries is expanding into the CIS. Its strategic bank partners cover Ukraine, four regions in Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. BTA Bank also runs its representative offices in Russia, Ukraine, China and the United Arab Emirates. In Kazakhstan, BTA Bank’s chain embraces 22 branches and 280 cash settlement centers.

Bank TuranAlem holds a number of industry awards. Reputed Itogi magazine named Bank TuranAlem "The Best CIS Bank 2007." Euromoney declared BTA "A Leading Bank in Corporate Governance in Emerging Europe 2007". BTA also appeared in the Banker’s TOP 300 and ranked the third in its Highest Movers rating. The Europe Business Assembly (EBA, Oxford, UK) awarded Bank TuranAlem JSC (BTA) the "Best Enterprise of Europe" in the Eurasian banking sector.

Fortis Bank NV-SA, Belgium, is an international provider of financial services in banking and insurance. It offers clients and partner banks a broad gamut of services and products through its own chain, intermediaries and distributors.

Fortis has been active in Asia for more than 105 years. The bank has successfully combined its experience in banking and insurance sectors of the key emerging markets in the region.

Fortis is among 15 biggest financial institutions in Europe with EUR 32.8 billion capital as of January 31, 2008.