OREANDA-NEWS. On 10 April 2009 was announced, that the banking network of UniCredit reached 100 branches and offices in Russia and Belarus. ”Babushkinskaya” branch in Moscow – the 100th office – started to operate in consultancy format * (address: Eniseyskaya street, 11).

In this regard the Minister of economic development of Italy, Claudio Scajola, visited one of UniCredit Bank branches in Moscow, where Deputy CEO of UniCredit Group Roberto Nicastro and members of the Board of Management of UniCredit Bank (Russia) gave him a warm welcome. Representatives of the Italian economic mission and top managers of UniCredit shared their opinions on cooperation development between the two countries – Italy and Russia. The Minister also praised UniCredit for courage to invest in the East and positively evaluated the development strategy of the Group in the CEE region.

Dynamic network development is a fundamental pillar of UniCredit strategy in Russia. In spite of financial turmoil on the markets, UniCredit Bank continued its regional expansion in Moscow and other regions. Within first three months of 2009 new UniCredit offices were opened in Perm, Ufa, Lipetsk, Miass and Taganrog, as well as six new branches in Moscow and five in St. Petersburg.

According to the Russian version of Forbes magazine, which rated UniCredit Bank as the most sustainable amongst foreign banks in Russia, “with the crisis, in contrast to most of its competitors it [the Bank] did not start to cut staff, but even hired several dozens of new employees. UniCredit needs managers to serve retail clients. In 2009 their number according to the Bank’s forecasts, in spite of the crisis, will increase by 25%”.

UniCredit Bank has a clientele of more than 600 000 clients in key cities and regions of Russian Federation. As of today, the UniCredit perimeter covers 32 Russian cities and one city in Belarus, includes 68 offices and branches, 13 regional branches, 4 credit-cash offices, 1 operational unit and 14 regional representative offices. During 2009 UniCredit Bank plans to further expand its retail network reaching 9 cities of Russia: short term plans include new offices in Moscow, Mytishchi and Podolsk of Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Krasnoyarsk, Rostov-on-Don, Ekaterinburg, Saratov, Barnaul, Tyumen and Belgorod.

* From 9:00 to 17:00 on working days clients will be able to get information on UniCredit Bank products and services at “Babushkinskaya” branch. Start of full format activity of the branch will be announced additionally.