OREANDA-NEWS. October 21, 2009. From the votes we received this year, the Eastern European trade banking category appears to have considerably grown in popularity. In the end, UniCredit Group have come out winners, with the highly commended place going to RZB. Both banks, with their extensive footprints throughout the region are worthy of these poll positions.

Speaking to Trade Finance, a spokesperson at UniCredit, comments: “Thanks to its unrivalled reach in Central Eastern Europe (CEE), the global transaction banking (GTB) division of UniCredit Group is ready to provide more than 600 interconnected and centrally coordinated professionals in the region, offering a full range of transactional banking services and many cutting edge solutions tailored to meet clients’ expectations through a local base.”

Markus Wohlgeschaffen, head of global trade finance and services within global financial institutions and trade finance (GFI&TF), adds: “UniCredit Group is the first bank in Europe to offer one of the most efficient supply chain finance technology solutions in the market, named Trade Purchase, combining state-of-the-art technologies with fully automated processes. This enables large-scale implementations and provides its clientele with a working capital enhancement method in 22 CEE countries. The platform provides tailor-made solutions on an end-to-end basis, which allows clients to optimise their internal processes based on slim documentation, easy access through the internet and a protection of their physical supply chain.

“The results of our working capital advisory are reflected in enhanced relationships between our clients and their customers on one hand and improved financial ratios for all parties involved in a Trade Purchase transaction on the other.”

A recent regional example of one of the group’s successful deals in the transaction banking market is an export finance agreement with VimpelCom (VIP), a large group of telecommunications operators in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, concluded in March. This \\$160 million loan is being used for financing VIP’s imports from equipment supplies. The deal underscores the important role of UniCredit Group in CEE at a time when some other banks are CIS/CEE market risk averse.

Says Angelo Rizzuti, global head of structured trade and export finance (STEF): “This award underlines that the GTB unit of UniCredit Group offers its clients the best possible support for their cross-border activities in CEE, not least thanks to innovative skills and the combination of expert know-how and local knowledge”.