- EBRD TFP holds in-person awards for partner banks at 2022 Annual Meeting
- Green trade turnover under TFP exceeded €375 million in 2021
- President Renaud-Basso praises TFP community’s unity in turbulent times
The EBRD’s Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP), the key supporter of international trade in the EBRD regions, has announced the winners of its annual TFP awards at the Bank’s 2022 Annual Meeting in Morocco.
With a record annual volume of more than €3.2 billion in 2021, the TFP supported international trade via almost 2,000 transactions.
The TFP makes it easier for local companies to import equipment, raw materials and other goods necessary for their business by supporting local banks in their provision of trade finance.
Before the awards, at the TFP Information Session, discussions focused on the need to support international trade affected by Russia’s war on Ukraine; the development of trade finance in North Africa and the Middle East; and the importance of trade for low-carbon transition.
The event was opened by EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso, who stressed the importance of keeping global trade going.
“The Trade Facilitation Programme is well known for being a community built on close relationships and friendships. Forums such as these demonstrate how we stand united,” she said.
The awards were supported by the TaiwanBusiness-EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund.
“The EBRD has done a great job in facilitating global trade through the TFP and, as quickly as it could, it responded to the fallout of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia,” said Representative Kelly Hsieh from the Taipei Office in the United Kingdom in a video message.
“As a longstanding partner of the EBRD we are pleased to have supported the TFP’s work.”
Awards for last year’s most active issuing banks and confirming bank were presented by Francis Malige, EBRD Managing Director for Financial Institutions.
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Awards for 2021 winners | |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Albania |
Banka OTP Albania SHA |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Armenia |
Armswissbank CJSC |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Raiffeisen Bank dd Bosnia I Hercegovina |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Bulgaria |
United Bulgarian Bank |
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Most Active Partner Bank in Croatia |
Erste & Steiermärkische Bank dd |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Egypt |
Bank Audi SAE |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Egypt |
Qatar National Bank Alahli |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Georgia |
TBC Bank |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Greece |
Piraeus Bank |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Jordan |
Bank al Etihad Jordan |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Jordan |
Jordan Ahli Bank |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Kazakhstan |
JSC Bank CenterCredit |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Kosovo |
NLB Banka SHA Prishtina |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Kyrgyz Republic |
OJSC Optima Bank |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Lebanon |
Byblos Bank |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Moldova |
OTP Bank SA |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Mongolia |
Khan Bank |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Montenegro |
Hipotekarna Banka AD Podgorica |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Morocco |
Bank of Africa BMCE Group |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in North Macedonia |
Komercijalna Banka AD Skopje |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Romania |
Alpha Bank Romania SA |
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Most Active Partner Bank in Serbia |
Addiko Bank AD Beograd |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Tajikistan |
Bank Eskhata OJSC |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Tunisia |
Banque de Tunisie |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Turkey |
Alternatif Bank AŞ |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Ukraine |
JSB Ukrgasbank |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in Uzbekistan |
JSICB Ipak Yuli |
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Most Active Issuing Bank in West Bank and Gaza |
Quds Bank Plc |
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Most Active Confirming Bank in 2021 |
Commerzbank AG (Germany) |
A special tribute was paid to the winners in a separate award ceremony for those banks most active in Green TFP, which facilitates the trade in goods necessary for energy efficiency improvements and low-carbon transition.
The winners were announced by Ksenia Brockmann, EBRD Green Financial System Associate Director.
The awards for most active issuing and confirming bank in Green TFP went to Piraeus Bank, Greece and to UBS Switzerland AG respectively, who supported the highest number of green trade transactions, helping to reduce CO2 emissions to a level that is equivalent to taking thousands of cars off the road.
Prizes for Deal of the Year – Green Trade were awarded to:
- Ameriabank and Banca Popolare di Sondrio, jointly, for saving water resources in Armenia through the import of a modern bottling line, with a water-savings impact equivalent to the annual fresh water consumption of 440 Armenian households.
- Piraeus Bank and Hellenic Bank, jointly, for promoting renewable energy in Cyprus through the installation of photovoltaic plants, resulting in renewable energy generation equivalent to the electrical energy consumption of 1,175 inhabitants of Cyprus.
- Alpha Bank SA, Greece and UniCredit Bank Austria, jointly, for supporting circularity in the PET plastics sector in Greece, resulting in the annual production of approximately 460,000 half-litre PET bottles from recycled plastic.
- Alpha Bank SA, Romania and Intesa Sanpaolo, jointly, for promoting responsible forest management by supporting trade in sustainably sourced secondary wood products, by facilitating the production of approximately 250 single entry doors from FSC certified timber, saving approximately 800 trees.
- Uzpromstroybank and JP Morgan, jointly, for improving the energy efficiency of the retail sector in Uzbekistan, resulting in energy savings equivalent to the energy consumption of 24,250 inhabitants of Uzbekistan.