18 non-profit programs combating educational inequalities across 10 UniCredit countries announced as winners

UniCredit Foundation is excited to announce the winners of “Call for Education 2023”, awarding 18 projects by non-profit organizations with a total of nearly 3,250,000 euros to support their work with secondary school students (age range 11-19) in 10 different UniCredit countries.

The UniCredit Foundation, the corporate foundation of UniCredit Group, launched its “Call for Education 2023” in June. The latest initiative to combat educational disadvantage across Europe invited the Group's banks to identify up to five outstanding social projects in UniCredit’s territories that are focused on tackling early school leaving, encouraging university attainment and providing youth with adequate skills to enter the job market.

A total of 175 candidates were put forward and reviewed by an especially established Evaluation Committee, who selected the winning initiatives across 10 UniCredit Group countries: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

This follows the “Call for Education: Romania & Bulgaria”, which awarded 500,000 euros to 4 projects by non-profit organizations aimed at addressing educational disadvantage in the two countries. These pan-European initiatives to promote educational equality for school students, along with the Foundation’s recently announced partnership with global education network Teach For All, are further proof of the UniCredit Foundation’s firm commitment to unlocking the potential of Europe’s next generation.

Silvia Cappellini, General Manager of the UniCredit Foundation, said:

"Giving our youth across Europe the power to unlock their full potential takes more than just financing. It means fostering equal educational opportunities for them where they are in Europe. This entails forging partnerships with educational institutions and local entities to co-create tailored programs that address the unique needs of the communities we serve. UniCredit’s pan-European presence gives the UniCredit Foundation the unique opportunity, through the Group’s network of banks, to empower disadvantaged youth across the continent and help create a brighter future for Europe’s next generation. I am immensely pleased with the outcomes of this initiative, and I look forward to seeing how these 18 projects make an impact for young people in their respective regions.”

Milan, 7 December 2023

Contacts

Media Relations

E mail: mediarelations@unicredit.eu

*** Appendix - the winners AUSTRIA 1. Non-profit: CAPE 10 die gemeinnützige Stiftung Project: Cape 10 Education Academy (to impact 1,000 children and 500 teachers) Geography: Vienna The Education Academy focus is providing future perspectives and career opportunities, equipping the students with school materials as well as cultural experiences, sport and leisure programs. Through

therapies, participation, networking & opinion forming, youngsters should be given the opportunity to

discover their own strengths and resources. In collaboration with education, business, health, art, and

culture experts, the organization creates interactive programs for young individuals to enable holistic

support and to achieve fewer school dropouts, successful career prospects and equal opportunities.

2. Non-profit: Vienna Hobby Lobby

Project: Hobby lobby Skills acquisition through informal education (to benefit 3,000 children/young

adults)

Geography: Salzburg, Graz, Lower Austria, Innsbruck and Vienna

Over the next two years 420 free leisure courses will be offered at ten Austrian locations for children

and young people from socially disadvantaged communities. Through the intensive work in the courses,

the participating children and young people achieve improvements in their social skills and further

development of their personalities. The acquisition of these skills will enable participants to access the

labor market more easily in the long term.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - MOSTAR

3. Non-profit: GUS - Gruppo Umana Solidarietà Guido Poletti APS

Project: The L.E.A.P. project - Learning, Educational Advanced Program in BiH (to benefit 350

children aged 11-19 from Srebrenica and Tuzla, 40 young people from the Tuzla orphanage and

50 Roma young people plus 100 families in social exclusion of Srebrenica area)

Geography: Srebrenica and Tuzla

The program was born from participatory planning process with the involvement of the direct beneficiaries

and project partners. The aim is to promote fight against educational disadvantage in favor of lower and

upper secondary school students in the rural area of Srebrenica, one of the poorest areas with very high

social marginalization. The project adopts the results-based management of the European National

Agencies for Cooperation.

CROATIA

4. Non-profit: Udruga Profesor Balthazar

Project: Enhancing Education and Employability through Professor Balthazar Cartoon (to benefit

50 schools; 1,400 students from lower and upper secondary school)

Geography: 10 counties (of 21 total); 5 schools from each county: Zagreb, Primorje-Gorski Kotar,

Međimurje, Šibenik-Knin, Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje, Koprivnica-Krizevci, Bjelovar-Bilogora, Sisak-

Moslavina, Vukovar-Srijem

The program aims to impact school children in Croatia, focusing on reducing university dropouts and

enhancing employability through a cartoon medium centered on the popular character "Professor

Balthazar." Over an initial six months, a new cartoon emphasizing STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading,

Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) values will be developed, featuring the famed science advocate, Professor

Balthazar. The alignment with the Ministry of Science and Education's directives guarantees a sustained

impact. The initiative also harbors pan-European aspirations, with provisions for language dubbing to

resonate across ten countries, spotlighting its scalability and foresight.

5. Non-profit: SOS Children’s Village Croatia

Project: Prepare for Leaving Care (to benefit 70 young people aged 14-19)

Geography: Osijek (Osječko-baranjska County), Velika Gorica (Zagrebačka county) and the City of

Zagreb

SOS Children’s Village Croatia provides high-quality long-term care to children and youth without adequate

parental care. Coordinated and monitored by the Program Department Coordinator, a Personal Mentor

implements wide range of activities with young people to strengthen their capacities during the sensitive

transition to their independent life. For young people who struggle with ensuring quality housing in the

first, delicate period of their independence, housing in three apartments our Association got for use from

the City of Zagreb will be provided.

CZECH REPUBLIC

6. Non-profit: Rokit, z.s.

Project: Up we go! Transition from lower to upper secondary schooling (to benefit 1,000 lower

secondary school students, 200 teachers)

Geography: Královehradecký region

The project aims to tackle the issue of early school leaving. The target groups include lower-secondary

school learners, teachers, school career counsellors, and schools within the region. The goal is to have

empowered learners, trained educators, integrated workshops, improved smooth transition between

educational levels, reducing difficulties and enhancing students' engagement with education.

By fostering self-awareness, providing tailored support, and training educators, the project aims to

empower learners and improve their academic journey.

7. Non-profit: Chance 4 Children

Project: Springboard to Life - Every child has the right to an education (to benefit 500 teenagers

and young adults)

Geography: Czech Republic - all regions

The project aids institutionalized children transitioning into society – by providing supplemental,

educational opportunities – teaching participants vocational and practical life skills to make them either

employable or pursue higher education. The program is currently active in 25 children’s homes and aims

to expand its reach by 2026 to 32 institutions. In 2022 the Czech Ministry of Education fully accredited the

HELPMATE online platform for self-education and community sharing for educators in children’s homes.

GERMANY

8. Non-profit: Joblinge e.V.

Project: PLAN A@School - Improved early career orientation and securing career entry after school

graduation for socially and economically disadvantaged pupils (to benefit 375 pupils from the

ninth and tenth grades of regular schools, comprehensive schools and secondary schools)

Geography: Berlin

The program aims at developing and piloting of a new modular career orientation and preparation offer for

schools with a strong focus on pupils with special need for support. It intends to establish a completely

new career preparation program for schools to effectively support pupils in their two years before

graduation. Further, it aims to fund an extensive pilot at a secondary school in Berlin, which benefits a total

of 375 pupils (age 15-17). The new program will consist of 12 mandatory modules such as Career

Orientation, Job Application and more than 15 additional modules.

9. Non-profit: TeachCom Edutainment gGmbH

Project: NAWI-KATOR (to benefit 3,000 students primary and secondary school)

Geography: Berlin (Mitte district)

The project will provide extracurricular support to children and young people of primary and secondary

school-age in neighborhood areas with high levels of unemployment and child poverty. This support will

take the form of easy and free access to STEM education and integrated language acquisition programs

delivered in community housing facilities, young people’s recreational facilities, family canters, schools and

children’s day care centers. The fundamental principle of the activities is “Teaching and Learning New

Things”, which prioritizes identifying problems and relevant actions.

HUNGARY

10. Non-profit: Bagázs Public Benefit Association

Project: Growing by learning - Reducing early school leaving among Roma (to benefit 80 children,

80 parents, 15 teachers, 120 volunteers)

Geography: Pest County (Bag and Dány)

The program aims at promoting the further education of children aged 11-19 living in or coming from two

Roma settlements in Central Hungary by building a complex support system that simultaneously tackles

most of the barriers to children's learning. The project aims to strengthen the responsibility of the society

to promote equal opportunities. Another goal of the project is to communicate the structural anomalies

that hinder children's education and further education through social media and media platforms, in order

to give visibility to the fact that the difference between the educational attainment of Roma and non-Roma

is mostly due to the disadvantage amplifying effect of systemic failures.

11. Non-profit: Technológiai Oktatásért Alaptívány

Project: Skool Skiils for a better life (to benefit 1200 children in a year)

Geography: Hungary rural regions

One-year holistic program for high schoolers aged between 15-19, during which coding and soft skill

training for students will be provided. Strong emphasis will be given in developing young people's personal

and social competencies through experiencing success and joyful learning processes while boosting their

self-confidence and preparation during their subsequent job search and career.

ITALY

12. Non-profit: Soc. Coop. Soc. In-presa

Project: GO-PRO - Giovani Orientati al PROtagonismo (to benefit 715 students)

Geography: Lombardy (Monza and Brianza, Lecco and Como provinces)

The program consists of 5 courses: ALZIAMO LA MEDIA and FUORI DALLA MEDIA for youth aged 12 to 16

who fail to complete the 1st year at secondary school, providing specific aid at school and at home;

LABORATORI DEL FARE to offer laboratory orientation moments, so that young people are stimulated to

practice technical-practical activities; ORIENTAMENTO aimed at young people attending the 2nd year at

secondary school, at risk of dropping out of school; LA CASA DEI MESTIERI open to all young people who

have dropped out of 2nd year at secondary school and need to resume their journey within meaningful

relationships; IN-CIRCOLO is a youth gathering center of In-Presa whose priority is to promote the welfare

of young people 15-20 years old to help them not to be apathetic and boosts their self-esteem by giving

them useful tools to cope with school difficulties.

13. Non-profit: Centro Calabrese di Solidarietà

Project: YEI! - Youth Education Improvement (to benefit 100 primary school students age 12-14;

100 secondary school students age 15-18; 70 disadvantaged families and 50 teachers)

Geography: Calabria – several towns

YEI! is an experimental project lead in collaboration with the Regional Department of Schools of Calabria

Region. The goal is to establish a regional changemaker partnership in the field of education, developing

an innovative model aimed to reduce the number of NEET and dropouts.

Actions:

- Call for schools to identify the 10 participating schools. The selected ones will win a 1000,00 Euros

prize; will be officially involved in the YEI! Network; will host one of the 10 pilot centers against

educational disadvantage.

- In the pilot centers against educational disadvantage students at risk dropout will receive an

innovative kind of support through students-led focus groups and teacher supervision.

- Educational and vocational guidance and Experience Summer Programs; two-month internships

for 18-19 years students in the informatics, social services, healthcare or legal field.

14. Non-profit: Coop. Soc. Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII

Project: SOS No One Out – Empowerment of students, school staff and parents to prevent the early

school leaving (to benefit 3300 students - 90 teachers - 150 parents - 5 school principals)

Geography: Zelo Buon Persico (District of Lodi, Lombardia Region), Viserba and Misano(District of

Rimini, Emilia-Romagna Region), Erice (District of Trapani) and Viagrande(District of Catania) in

Sicily

The program intends to identify and mitigate the risk factors that could lead to school drop-out, working

together with students, school staff and families to prevent the early school leaving. The specific objective

of the program is to build in the 5 involved schools a supportive environment that promotes learning, selfawareness,

life skills and opportunities for students to express themselves in accordance with their

interests and attitudes.

SERBIA

15. Non-profit: Friends of Children of Serbia

Project: Steps to Independence: Supporting Children in Institutional Care for Successful Education

and Career Paths (to benefit 80 young people 11-19 years old)

Geography: Republic of Serbia – all regions

The project aims to support vulnerable children (victims of violence, abuse, human trafficking, forced

begging, and those involved in criminal activities due to harsh socio-economic conditions) by providing

direct support for their education, promoting higher education, teaching employability skills, and

connecting them with potential employers. This project will also empower staff of state care institutions,

employment agencies (national and private), social workers (including students) and companies to help

this vulnerable group on their way to independence.

SLOVAKIA

16. Non-profit: Cestavon

Project: The Zebra Program: A positive youth development program empowering Roma youth to

overcome poverty through mentoring, life skills training and increased access to the labor market

(to benefit 240 youngster 11-19 years old in 3 Roma communities)

Geography: Roma settlements in Chminianske Jakubovany, Veľká Lomnica, Kecerovce

This pilot initiative aims at disrupting the cycle of poverty during the vital developmental stage of

adolescence. It emphasizes the augmentation of emotional, social, and intellectual growth among youth

participants from marginalized Roma communities in Slovakia. It is committed to empowering emerging

leaders within the Roma communities by applying a participatory approach, who will subsequently engage

their peers in enriching activities. By fostering connections between the marginalized Roma youth and the

Slovak majority, the program aspires to mitigate social exclusion, prejudice, and institutional racism, all of

which have historically impeded the Roma community's pursuit of dignity and self-sufficiency.

17. Project: Skills4Life: Empowering Young Women in IT (to benefit 2,100 at-risk female high school

students (aged 15-19) and 600 IT teachers

Non-profit: Aj Ty v IT

Geography: several towns and cities in approx. 20 districts located in the Banská Bystrica, Košice,

and Prešov regions

The project aims to enhance the competitiveness of at-risk female high school students in least developed

districts and areas with limited IT education access by offering specialized IT courses and essential soft

skills training. The project will also create a comprehensive guideline for IT teachers to promote inclusive

teaching methods, creating sustainable impact on the whole educational landscape of Slovakia. To further

motivate girls to pursue higher education in IT, the project will collaborate with various universities in

Slovakia to enable female high school students to spend half a day at different university IT faculties.

SLOVENIA

18. Non-profit: Association of Friends of Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje

Project: Study Buddy - Learning support program (to benefit 400 children and adolescents)

Geography: Central Slovenia region

The program’s goal is to help children improve their learning and social skills, knowledge, attitude towards

schoolwork and school environment. It also aims to empower their parents to gain more knowledge on how

they can be of help to their own children. Learning Support encompasses the academic, social, behavioral,

and emotional needs of students and targets processes and resources that enable students with additional

needs to participate meaningfully within the school community.

UniCredit expands onemarkets Fund in Central and Eastern Europe

 

Prague, 5 December 2023 – New funds family bolsters range of investment solutions offered to clients across the region.

Following the first anniversary of its successful launch in Italy, Germany and Austria, pan-European bank UniCredit has today announced that its onemarkets Fund is now available to clients of the bank in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and with Romania to follow shortly.

onemarkets Fund is a funds family that significantly expands the range of investment solutions offered to UniCredit customers across the bank’s core markets.

In the first year of its launch, the initiative surpassed EUR 3 billion in assets under management in Italy, Germany and Austria.

The selection and design of the funds is based on UniCredit's deep knowledge of its clients – with products developed inhouse and via strategic partnerships with leading asset managers, including Amundi, Allianz Global Investors, BlackRock, Fidelity, J.P. Morgan, Pictet and PIMCO.

The exclusive selection of bespoke investment opportunities is managed by a team of experts under a framework designed to ensure quality and the specific risk-return profile of the selected strategy throughout the cycle. 

Teodora Petkova, UniCredit’s Head of Central Europe and Eastern Europe said: “Alongside our world class business partners, onemarkets immensely increases our offering to the customers in Central and Eastern Europe, increasing their choices and opportunities to diversify their investments. It is a real game changer, a perfectly orchestrated new way of fund management that sits hand in hand with our strategy.”

Richard Burton, UniCredit’s Head of Client Solutions, added: "The success of onemarkets Fund lies in the fact that across all areas of the business, we are putting the needs of our clients firmly at the centre of everything we do. The launch of our onemarkets Fund in several new countries in Central and Eastern Europe demonstrates further the scalability of our model of delivering industry-leading products and services to new markets and clients. It is a story of cross-business and cross-country collaboration.”

UniCredit’s onemarkets Fund initiative is concrete result of the bank's UniCredit Unlocked strategy and ambition to drive sustainable, capital-light revenues with a client-centric approach – continuously fine-tuning the product offering based on an ‘open architecture’ approach.

 

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Contact details:

Petr Plocek, UniCredit Bank Press Spokesperson

Email: petr.plocek@unicreditgroup.cz

Tel.: + 420 606 694 156

UniCredit named Global Bank of The Year 2023 by The Banker

Milan, December 1, 2023 – UniCredit was hailed Global ‘Bank of the Year’ for 2023 at The Banker’s annual ceremony in London, in a first for the bank, as well as being named ‘Bank of the Year in Western Europe’, ‘Bank of the Year in Italy’ and ‘Bank of the Year in Bulgaria’.

Regarded as the industry standard for banking excellence, The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards, evaluates the world's leading financial institutions, based on their ability to deliver returns, gain strategic advantage, and serve their markets. The Banker magazine, part of the Financial Times Group, provides economic and financial intelligence for the world's financial sector and has built a reputation for objective and insightful reporting since its inception in 1926.

Commenting on the Awards won by UniCredit, Joy Macknight, editor of The Banker, said: “UniCredit is an impressive turnaround story, delivering more than 200% increase in profits during the full year under review, reducing its cost base and achieving its best Q1 results ever in 2023. It is well on its way to deliver its ‘UniCredit Unlocked’ 2022-2024 Strategic Plan, exceeding its ambitions to date. The bank is in the second phase of its industrial transformation, having made significant investments in digital and data. Alongside revamping its IT architecture through API and cloud infrastructure, UniCredit is investing in digitizing all its processes to improve employee experience. Its ESG commitments are ahead of peers, particularly its efforts to strengthen its focus on social issues. Its landmark partnerships with Allianz and Azimut illustrate the bank’s foresight in providing excellent customer service and offerings”.

Over the last two years, since the launch of its UniCredit Unlocked strategic plan, UniCredit has relentlessly worked on its cultural and industrial transformation, committing to fundamental change to redefine its future, with the ambition of becoming the bank for Europe’s future.

Commenting on the Awards, Andrea Orcel, UniCredit CEO, said: “We are proud of these achievements, recognizing the bank’s relentless work to offer the best possible service to its customers in Europe. We continually invest in research to develop innovative solutions for our individual and corporate clients: digitization and our commitment to ESG principles are key enablers for our service, helping us to deliver excellence to our stakeholders and creating a sustainable future for our clients, our communities and our people.”

Serving 15 million clients in 13 markets across Europe, UniCredit remains focused on supporting its clients, employees, and communities to progress and facilitate clients in a just and fair green transition, delivering lasting growth and prosperity for the long term.

 

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Contact details:

Petr Plocek, UniCredit Bank Press Spokesperson

Email: petr.plocek@unicreditgroup.cz

Tel.: + 420 606 694 156

This brand-new partnership builds on UniCredit Group’s relationship with the global education network to help teachers serve under-resourced schools across Europe

UniCredit Foundation and global educational network Teach For All (TFA) have launched a three-year partnership worth 5.5 million euros, providing quality education to underserved schools in Europe and promoting education equality across the continent. This transformative partnership will focus on six countries where the bank operates: Slovakia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, and Romania.

The Foundation is also supercharging support of TFA to train educators to work in underserved schools in these nations. Through this multi-million-euro commitment and boosted support, UniCredit Foundation and TFA will combat educational disparities experienced by children throughout Europe and prevent early school dropout rates among youth, by giving young people the quality of education they deserve to seek new opportunities and fulfil their career ambitions.

UniCredit Foundation and TFA established their relationship in 2022, as the corporate foundation of UniCredit Group and network of independent partner organisations joined forces to help fulfil the Foundation’s ambition of unlocking the potential of Europe’s next generation. They aim to achieve this by focusing their efforts in Europe to ensure access to quality education for children, as TFA aims to do internationally.

A March UNICEF report found that educational inequality in Europe and Central Asia had been deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic, despite continued efforts by governments, with school closures affecting 63 million learners.

The report also observes that 3% of primary school age children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia were not in school, compared with 1% in Western Europe, from 2013-2019. Romania, one of the UniCredit territories supported by the new TFA partnership, has a particularly high rate of primary school age dropouts: 12% for boys and 13% for girls.

11.1% of young men and 8% of young women in the EU are early leavers from education and training, according to Eurostat. Leaving education early has life-long ramifications, cutting off employment opportunities which can lead to reduced potential earnings, compromised mental health and social exclusion.

Since launching their collaboration with a roughly 2 million euro-investment in 2022, UniCredit Group and Teach For All have already made a profound impact on young people’s education across Europe. Together they successfully trained and supported 592 diverse fellow teachers within the Teach For All network in Europe, improving the educational experiences of over 40,600 students across the continent in just one year.

Our new 5.5 million-euro partnership will help the UniCredit Foundation and Teach For All to deliver even bigger and better results, empowering the Teach For All network teachers in training and local communities to reimagine the education systems in under-resourced areas and build more inclusive school environments that offer quality education for all children, year on year. The Foundation and Teach For All’s network partners will train over 1,400 extraordinary teachers, providing education to over 83,000 students by 2026. In addition, network partners will develop the leadership skills of more than 3,600 alumni and more than 10,870 system-wide teachers.

 

Andrea Orcel, Chairman of UniCredit Foundation, said: "I am delighted to announce the UniCredit Foundation’s partnership with Teach For All. Europe has the potential to be a major economic bloc – to lead the way in global economic and social progress, fostering a future of shared prosperity. This is why our Bank and the Foundation have made it our shared mission to unlock this potential. The UniCredit Foundation is dedicated to equipping students with the essential tools to build a better future for themselves, their communities, and our continent. Together with Teach For All, we will advance equitable education within six UniCredit regions, nurturing collective leadership in young people and, in the long term, driving societal transformation.”

 

“We are proud of this partnership with UniCredit Foundation,” said Wendy Kopp, Co-Founder and CEO of Teach For All. “Their support will be instrumental in helping us to scale our work and develop a pipeline of teacher-leaders who continue to change educational outcomes for some of the most marginalized students in Europe. Together, we are committed to ensuring that every child has access to opportunities to fulfil their potential and shape better futures for themselves and the world.”

This partnership brings the Foundation's total investment in educational interventions from the start of the year to 18.1 million euros, constituting 91% of UniCredit Group's allocated 20 million euros for the Foundation this year. This commitment underscores the UniCredit Foundation's dedication to the cause and its pivotal role within the bank's overarching social strategy, which has seen the group issuing a total volume of around 8 billion e[NB(1] uros in social financing via micro credit, impact financing and lending to disadvantaged areas. This is all part of a total amount of ESG issuance for the FY 2022 and first 9 months of 2023 of about 80 billion. In addition to this, UniCredit Group invested a total of 36.5 million in 2022 in social and philanthropic initiatives, 8 million of which was allocated to Education & young people.

“In Slovakia, according to OECD data, a below-average percentage of students from families where parents do not have a university education study at universities. It is extremely important to strengthen equality in access to education, especially for disadvantaged groups. That's why I'm proud that we have a new generation of leaders among our colleagues who are working together to make changes in schools and beyond so that all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential,” added Jakub Dusílek, Chairman Of The Board Of Directors and CEO of UniCredit Bank CZ & SK.

 

"It is an honor for us, together with UniCredit Bank, to bring the basics of financial education to partner schools and also to develop our program with the aim of contributing to changing the education system in Slovakia so that one day all children have a chance to succeed in life," said Stanislav Boledovič, founder and CEO of Teach.

 

Notes to Editors:

Teach For Italy

The plan is to expand their cohort of first- and second-year teachers over the next three years to serve more than 7,200 students in 100 disadvantaged schools across Italy, by

• Reinforcing the fellows’ impact in preventing explicit or implicit dropout from schools by training them to build solid relationships with students
• Cultivating partnerships with the Regional Education Authority from North to South of Italy to grow the number of schools in new regions.
• Enhancing their alumni strategy to support more than 110 alumni by 2026.

 

Teach For Austria

The plan is to expand their cohort of first- and second-year teachers over the next three years to serve more than 11,500 students in over 80 schools across the region, by

• Expanding programming to support Early Childhood Educators in the City of Vienna.
• Creating a new pathway for Teach For Austria teachers to teach in primary education.
• Scaling corporate volunteering opportunities and support to teachers outside the fellowship program.

 

Teach For Bulgaria

The plan is to expand their support to system-wide teachers over the next three years, which will impact more than 35,000 students in over 780 schools across the region, by

• Scaling the Model Schools Program to develop principals, experienced teachers and novice teachers.
• Growing their alumni support by creating online and in-person spaces for the community to gather
• Developing high-quality digital content for teachers to access 21st century pedagogical tools.
• Building policy advocacy efforts by working with decision-makers and stakeholders and supporting alumni to fill positions within the government.

 

Teach For Deutschland

The plan is to expand their cohort of first- and second-year teachers over the next three years to serve more than 11,000 students in over 180 schools across the region, by

• Expanding to two new regions in Hessen and Bavaria, where UniCredit’s local office is established.
• Developing a long-term teacher qualification program to strengthen the systemic impact of their teachers to teach beyond their two-year commitment.
• Growing their alumni impact by strengthening network connection opportunities and developing an alumni journey training program.

 

Teach For Romania

The plan is to expand their cohort of first- and second-year teachers over the next three years to serve more than 26,000 students in over 137 schools across the region, by

• Piloting the first national numeracy program in Romania to develop students’ reading and writing during summer and winter school sessions.
• Establishing the Educational Leadership for Sustainable Transformation program, the first postgraduate training in Romania co-created by a higher education institution and an NGO.

 

Teach For Slovakia

The plan is to expand their cohort of first- and second-year teachers over the next three years to serve more than 5,940 students in over 20 schools across the region, by

• Scaling financial education program in Slovakia with UniCredit’s support to more classes and schools.
• Growing mentoring program in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
• Expanding access to the Public Leadership Academy.
• Supporting social innovation fund initiatives to accelerate alumni-led projects that promote educational equity.

 

 

UniCredit Foundation

This Third Sector Body (TSB) is the corporate foundation of UniCredit Group whose purpose is to unlock the potential of Europe’s next generation. Its mission is to empower young people across Europe by creating equal opportunities in education and to support them in making their way in life and the professional world. The Foundation's initiatives aim at combating school drop-out, enhancing employability, encouraging university attainment and promoting study and research. The Foundation is committed to supporting communities in all countries where UniCredit Group operates.

 

 

Teach For All

Teach For All is a global network of 61 independent, locally led and governed partner organizations and a global organization that works to accelerate the progress of the network. Each network partner recruits and develops promising future leaders to teach in their nations’ under-resourced schools and communities and, with this foundation, to work with others, inside and outside of education, to ensure all children are able to fulfil their potential. Teach For All’s global organization works to increase the network’s impact by supporting the development of new organizations, fostering network connectivity and learning, providing coaching and consulting and enabling access to global resources for the benefit of the network.

 

Teach For All Media Contact:

Henry Anumudu

henry.anumudu@teachforall.org

Unicredit Foundation Media Contact:

Barbara Calosso

Barbara.calosso@unicredit.eu

UniCredit Bank awarded the Best ESG Bank in the Czech Republic. The bank's efforts to care for
clients, employees and our planet have been recognised by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence

 

Bratislava, 31 October - UniCredit Bank was named Best ESG Bank in the Czech Republic in the Euromoney Awards for Excellence. The award confirmed the bank's efforts to be a role model in ESG principles for others. We are committed to ESG principles to ensure a sustainable future for the communities in which we operate and the families, individuals and businesses that make them up.

“We are delighted to be recognised for our efforts to set an example in sustainable business. Responsibility towards our planet and people is not only a key success factor, but also a solid part of our DNA – whether it's digitisation towards a paperless bank where clients can open a current account or loan in a few minutes from the comfort of their home, responsible use of artificial intelligence in the form of a unique recruitment chatbot or supporting communities, for example through financial education. Diversity and inclusion are also an integral part of our corporate culture. In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, 63% of our employees are women and 38% of managerial positions are held by women,” says Jakub Dusílek, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of UniCredit Bank. According to data by the Czech Banking Association, this is the highest percentage among domestic banks. 

In the area of digitisation, the bank continues to expand its digital platform that enables clients to handle requests across all levels. Last year, clients opened over 50,000 accounts online. 

The emphasis of companies and individuals on sustainability is also reflected in their choice of loans, which plays an increasingly important role in the decision whether they are “green”. “Last year, UniCredit Bank achieved a 20% share of long-term ESG loans, lending more than 11 billion to clients. We help identify opportunities in sustainable business, for example thanks to our ESG Barometer. We expect that soon the interest in green financing will increase even more,” adds Slavomír Beňa, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of UniCredit Bank.

A total of 9 national banks within UniCredit Group received the Best ESG Bank award. The emphasis that UniCredit Group places on ESG principles was also confirmed by the recent upgrade of the rating from "A" to "AA" in ESG by MSCI.

UniCredit has been further recognized in nine categories at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023. These fresh accolades build on the awards received earlier this year for Best Bank in Central & Eastern Europe, as well as Best Bank in Italy, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Croatia, among others.

The Awards for Excellence were established in 1992 and are widely regarded as the definitive awards programme for the global banking industry – identifying 'the best of the best' in all countries offering banking services.

Euromoney announced that this year they received a record number of submissions.

UniCredit has been named:

• Best Bank for ESG in Czech Republic
• Best Bank for CSR in Germany
• Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Austria
• Best Bank for ESG in Austria
• Best Corporate Bank in Italy
• Best Corporate Bank in Bulgaria (UniCredit Bulbank)
• Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Bulgaria (UniCredit Bulbank)
• Best Corporate Bank in Croatia (Zagrebacka banka)
• Best Bank for SMEs in Croatia (Zagrebacka banka)

 

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About UniCredit:

UniCredit is a pan-European Commercial Bank with a unique service offering in Italy, Germany, Central and Eastern Europe. Our purpose is to empower communities to progress, delivering the best-in-class for all stakeholders, unlocking the potential of our clients and our people across Europe.

We serve over 15 million customers worldwide. They are at the heart of what we do in all our markets. UniCredit is organized in four core regions and two product factories, Corporate and Individual Solutions. This allows us to be close to our clients and use the scale of the entire Group for developing and offering the best products across all our markets.

Digitalization and our commitment to ESG principles are key enablers for our service. They help us deliver excellence to our stakeholders and creating a sustainable future for our clients, our communities, and our people.

For further information, please contact: mediarelations@unicredit.eu

 

 

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Enquiries:             

email: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu

The current Head of Corporate Banking, Slavomír Beňa, has been appointed as the new Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and deputy CEO of UniCredit Bank. He replaces Marco Iannaccone, who will now be a member of the Board of Directors of HypoVereinsbank, responsible for the Client Solutions division of the German UniCredit Bank AG (HypoVereinsbank) of the UniCredit Group. Slavomír Beňa will continue to be the head of corporate banking at UniCredit Bank.

“Marco Iannaccone has over 20 years of experience in UniCredit and almost 18 of them he spent in senior roles connected with Central and Eastern Europe. His new appointment is also a testament of the development and growth opportunities of the region. We will continue working together to unlock new opportunities for our clients. Slavomír Beňa plays a key role in the management of corporate banking in our bank - both at the strategic and operational level. He has demonstrated professional qualities, excellent leadership and a strong customer focus during his tenure with our Group and I would like to wish him success in his new role in shaping our bank for the future of Europe," said Teodora Petkova, Head of Central and Eastern Europe.

"Thanks to his exceptional track record in corporate banking and his deep understanding of our bank make him the ideal choice for the position of Vice Chairman of the Board. I am convinced that his leadership will have a major impact on the further success and growth of our company," highlights Jakub Dusílek, Chairman and CEO of UniCredit Bank.

Slavomír Beňa has been with UniCredit Group for 27 years. He started his international career in Slovakia in 2001, where he gained experience in financial markets management and controlling. Subsequently, he worked as Director of Financial Markets Management at HVB Bank in Serbia and Montenegro, and four years later moved to Slovenia, where he also worked as Director of Financial Markets Management. In 2010, he joined the UniCredit Group in Vienna as Director of Financial Institutions Relationship Management in Central and Eastern Europe and subsequently as Deputy Global Head of Financial Institutions Relationship Management, alongside his role as Director of Financial Institutions Relationship Management in Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2018, he helds the position of Head of Corporate Banking at UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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Enquiries:             

email: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu

The world-famous America’s Cup and UniCredit are delighted to announce a brand-new collaboration, with UNICREDIT as GLOBAL PARTNER and exclusive GLOBAL BANKING PARTNER of the 37th America’s Cup 2024.

 

The 37^th America’s Cup will be held in Barcelona from October 12^th-20^th 2024, with a preliminary regatta taking place in Vilanova i La Geltrú in Catalonia, Spain from the 14-17^th September 2023. Pan-Europe Commercial Bank UniCredit has partnered with the long-running international sailing competition to help bring the excitement, drama, and triumphs of the race for the trophy to audiences worldwide.

 

The America’s Cup is renowned for being both the world’s oldest international sporting trophy, with the inaugural competition having taken place in 1851, and an incredible test of physical endurance for competitors. The last America’s Cup was watched eagerly by an international audience of 931 million fans, with Europe producing the highest viewing figures.

 

The competition expects to capture an even greater audience from the continent in 2024, with the main event taking place in Barcelona and four of six the teams representing the old continent (Switzerland, Italy, Britain and France). Moreover, this year, for the first time, the America’s Cup will host both a Youth and Puig America’s Cup, with eight of the twelve teams from Europe.

With such high interest anticipated, the America’s Cup could not have picked a better Global Partner and Global Banking Partner than UniCredit, a financial institution with its own long heritage in Europe, a presence in thirteen countries across the continent, and 15 million customers worldwide. The Bank recently saw record-breaking results for Q2 and H1, achieving the best in its history for each period and ten quarters of consecutive growth.

 

This partnership is a powerful union based on shared values, as well as a common focus on diversity, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability. AC37 Event Ltd and World Sailing’s sustainability agreement will ensure that investments are made into community projects as part of Barcelona’s innovative Blue Economy, which supports the region’s marine environment, and that World Sailing’s sustainability strategy, Agenda 2030, is supported. This edition of the America’s Cup will also see the inaugural launch of the Hydrogen powered foiling chase boat, a revolutionary new zero emission foiling chase boat designed and built by Emirates Team New Zealand capable of over 50 knots.

 

This commitment to both environmental and social sustainability is mirrored by UniCredit’s strategic objectives. The Bank has a long-standing focus on funding sustainable growth in partnership with its clients, this year alone launching the Finanziamento Futuro Sostenibile (Sustainable Future Financing) in Italy, as well as launching multiple youth focused educational initiatives through the UniCredit Foundation. June’s ‘Call for Education’ set out to fund educational projects across the continent, while in July the Foundation partnered with Junior Achievement Europe to invest EUR 6.5 million in education programmes in ten of the Bank’s territories.

 

Andrea Orcel, UniCredit Group CEO and Head of Italy: “UniCredit is proud to be Global Partner of a competition with such a rich heritage as the America's Cup. The trophy is symbolic of the incredible feats that can be achieved through teamwork and a determined pursuit of a common goal. These are also the driving forces behind everything we do at UniCredit – our recent successes in spite of ‘choppy waters’ in the macro-economic environment are proof of this – and so this is a natural partnership.

This is also the case when it comes to sustainability. We admire Grant and the AC team’s work to align with World Sailing’s Sustainability Agenda 2030 as a World Sailing Special Event. Environmental and social sustainability are priorities for UniCredit, and this partnership will help us to make a significant contribution in both these areas for all our stakeholders”.

 

Grant Dalton, CEO of America’s Cup Events: “America’s Cup are excited to welcome the UniCredit Group to the family, as Global Banking Partner of the 37^th America’ Cup in Barcelona. The UniCredit Group’s values of integrity, ownership and caring are mirrored in all we have set out to achieve with the competition. For example, we are determined to champion diversity as the bank has done through the Youth & Puig Women’s America’s Cup events. We have also made sustainability commitments with the aim of empowering the local communities of Barcelona, which dovetail with UniCredit’s own actions in the sustainability space and its stated Purpose: to empower communities to progress.

 

“Progression is an integral part of what it takes to compete, and indeed win, the America’s Cup. We are excited to work with a partner who shares so many of the same values as us, and we look forward to working with Andrea and his global team to bring audiences a remarkable journey in 2024.”

 

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¹source: Nielsen report on AC36 

UniCredit Foundation and Junior Achievement Europe launch "Re-power your future"

• A 6.5 million euro program to empower youth across 10 European countries

Brussels and Milan, July 17th – UniCredit Foundation, the Corporate Foundation of UniCredit Group whose purpose is to unlock the potential of Europe's next generation, and Junior Achievement Europe, the largest organization in Europe dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed, launch "Re-power your future" to prevent early school leaving.

Through this partnership UniCredit Foundation will invest €6.5 million to promote a three-year program, across ten UniCredit countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Designed for 10-19 year-old students - an age that is critical for further education and the future labour market integration - the initiative aims at re-engaging students in school, improving outcomes, preventing dropouts and inspiring students to find careers they are passionate about. 

More in detail, the proposed programs will be implemented through partnerships with schools, businesses, and community organizations and will be structured into a triple approach with activities across "Inspire", "Prepare" and "Succeed" pillars.

Through the "Inspire" and "Prepare" sessions JA Europe Member organisations together with UniCredit mentors and advisors will empower participants with essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to seize control of their future and accomplish their aspirations. Meanwhile, the "Succeed" session aims to provide comprehensive support to students as they transition from the realm of learning to earning, bringing them closer to securing valuable opportunities such as internships, job placements, or even embarking on an entrepreneurial journey. These activities will include an extended "Job Shadow Week", engaging internships, and enlightening "Incubation" workshops.

Andrea Orcel, Chairman of UniCredit Foundation, said: "UniCredit is united behind a collective Purpose, to empower communities to progress, and the UniCredit Foundation's work in education is essential to this. It is more important than ever that we are committed to building brighter futures for our youth and their communities through education, paving the way for future growth and development. The Foundation's partnership with JA Europe will help us to do this by directly combatting one of the major challenges our continent's educators face at this moment: school dropout rates, which stifle employment opportunities and leave a lasting impact on lifetime earnings. Through this new partnership, the UniCredit Foundation and JA Europe aim to reach over 400,000 students in ten countries, empowering them through the transformative power of learning".

 

Salvatore Nigro, CEO JA Europe, highlighted:"We can achieve a more equal and prosperous Europe only when every young European has access to opportunities and resources to thrive and succeed. Our collaboration with UniCredit Foundation is historical because of its scale and ambition to address the most vulnerable segments of Europe's youth. Together, UniCredit Foundation and JA Europe have the ambition to change the landscape of Europe's education systems by significantly preventing and reducing the current rates of school dropout. We expect a huge spillover effect from this activity in terms of higher youth employment and entrepreneurship rates, more innovation and bigger numbers of Start Up activity in Europe". 

The partnership has been announced during "GEN-E" 2023, Europe's largest entrepreneurship event organized in Istanbul by JA Europe and JA Türkiye.

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Enquiries:             

Media Relations: e-mail: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu

 

UniCredit announces critical appointments designed to accelerate the bank's transformation further.

 

Ali Khan will join in the role of Group Digital & Information Officer. Gianfranco Bisagni, currently Head of Central Europe, will move to be Group Chief Operating Officer and Teodora Petkova will become Group Head of Central Europe and Eastern Europe.

 

Ali Khan, who joins UniCredit from PWC where he led their Industry Cloud business as a Senior Partner, will succeed Jingle Pang. Pang has built strong foundations in digital over the last two years and accelerated the bank's transformation in this space. She has brought the Group closer together and set UniCredit on the path to a truly digital future. Given these achievements, and Pang's family being based in the UK and China, she has decided it is the right time for her to leave UniCredit for a new opportunity closer to her family.

 

Khan's knowledge of UniCredit's current technology and deep expertise in Cloud and Data will be critical in delivering the next step of the Digital and Data transformation, where the focus is on making reclaimed technology fit for the future.  Khan has successfully led and delivered some of the largest transformations in banking, telecommunications and manufacturing, driving execution for clients globally. This transition will be effective as of the end of Q3.

 

To partner with Ali Khan and help foster true partnership between central functions while empowering each countries' Digital and Operations teams, Gianfranco Bisagni return to lead Group Operations. This focus on strengthening the partnership requires Operations to adjust its approach. His understanding of both the needs of the business, coupled with his direct experience in Operations, make him a natural fit to help make this change. As a result of this move, Bart Schlatmann will be leaving UniCredit.

 

Following Bisagni's move, Teodora Petkova will take the leadership of both EE and CE, assisted by Ivan Vlaho who will be appointed as Teodora's deputy in her new role, in addition to his role as CEO of Croatia. This organizational change will further drive the convergence within CEE and between CEE and the rest of the Group.

Group CEO Andrea Orcel thanks Jingle Pang and Bart Schlatmann for their work, wishing them the very best in their future endeavors, and congratulates all the appointees on their new roles.  

 

He added: "Our execution of UniCredit Unlocked is well underway, we are continuing to transform the Group while delivering value for all stakeholders. We are on an ambitious, exciting journey. The milestones we have delivered so far have laid the foundations for going well beyond what even the most optimistic among us expected to achieve at the outset. With this relevant step, we accelerate the transformation of our operating machine to support and then drive our commercial one. Today's appointments signal a shift into the next phase of UniCredit's development".

UniCredit named Best Sub-Custodian Bank in CEE by Global Finance

• The Group also picked up country awards for Best Sub-Custodian Bank in Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovenia

 

Milan, 6 June 2023 – UniCredit has been named Best Sub-Custodian Bank in Central and Eastern Europe in Global Finance magazine’s annual awards, while also claiming six country awards for Best Sub-Custodian Bank in Austria, Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovenia.

Global Finance’s Sub-Custodian Bank Awards honour organisations that offer innovative ideas, efficient solutions, and strong advisory support.

“This is the 14th consecutive year that UniCredit has been recognised with this prestigious award, showing our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional services to our clients,” said Fabio Fornaroli, Head of Corporates for Central and Eastern Europe, UniCredit.
“Our country awards highlight the strength and dedication of our central and local Global Securities Services teams, who work tirelessly to provide the highest standards of custodian services, ensuring a smooth and efficient service for our clients. We are proud to be recognised as leaders in the industry and remain committed to exceeding expectations in the years to come,” he added.

As part of the judging process, Global Finance’s editorial board considers market research, input from expert sources and entries from banks to select the institutions that reliably provide the best services in local markets and regions.

The criteria include customer relations, quality of service, competitive pricing, smooth handling of exception items, technology platforms, post-settlement operations, business continuity plans and knowledge of local regulations and practices. Last, but not least, Global Finance also obtain
input from users of sub-custody services.

“The pandemic accelerated the pace of digitization for sub-custodians and these banks continue to adapt in order to provide top-notch securities services to their global clients,” said Joseph D. Giarraputo, publisher and editorial director of Global Finance in the announcement of the awards.

 

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Enquiries:             

Media Relations: e-mail: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu

Investor Relations: e-mail: InvestorRelations@unicredit.eu

 

UniCredit and Mastercard expand payments partnership 

• Unprecedented commitment first of its kind in Europe
• Agreement extends to 13 banks in 12 markets across all card products totaling 20 mln cards
• Focus on accelerating innovation and enhanced customer experience

 

Milan, 26 May 2023 – UniCredit and Mastercard announce a global expansion of their payment partnership. 

The agreement sets the stage for the start of a strong partnership consistent with UniCredit Unlocked strategy. This is the first time any a large commercial bank has put in place a single card multi market
strategy of this scale in Europe. It brings together in one agreement UniCredit’s ability to harness the collective weight of our 13 banks as one institution with Mastercard’s expertise in the card payment space. The significant broadening of the parties’ relationship will deliver payment innovation and enhanced digital experiences to customers. 

This enhanced multi-year partnership provides the necessary resources to achieve a shared ambition to increase the speed of innovation in the payments space and put the customers at the center. It enables UniCredit to provide a best in class offering for all cardholder needs, delivering a simplified core product proposition, optimized digital experience with a full suite of in-app solutions and the development of a dedicated approach for innovation, increasing payment choice to customers, across multiple payments rails.

Both parties’ commitment to increase their tangible actions across environmental and social sustainability, will also be enhanced through this partnership. Insight and resources will be combined with a particular focus on the implementation of new projects on common ESG goals, developing solutions to support empowering communities to progress, fighting climate change with mindful spending choices and the ability to contribute tangibly to environmental goals integrating donations in the everyday spend. This partnership is a tangible example of the execution of UniCredit Unlocked MYP 2022-2024, uniting across our 13 banks to deliver value for UniCredit stakeholders in a capital-light manner, taking opportunity from its European DNA but working as a unified group. It is the most immediate manifestation of the opportunities within payments, which we are working to further extract value from in terms of product simplification, cost synergies and digital transformation. 

The partnership is multi-year and will focus on supporting the delivery of the bank’s strategic priorities such as digitalization of payments solutions, offering multi functioning solutions with a fully equipped card, aligning with UniCredit’s brand attributes to build increased preference and loyalty across the consumer lifecycle, enriching bank wide opportunities thanks to Mastercard’s strong award-winning Priceless brand platform and sponsorship marketing assets.

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

Andrea Orcel Quote “This partnership epitomizes the essence of UniCredit Unlocked and our commitment to leverage the full impact of our multi market footprint as one complete offering for the benefit of our clients.  Our geographical reach and Mastercard’s expertise in this space enables us to not only streamline our partnerships and contracts, but enhance our digital, security and product offering for all our current and future cardholders. This is a perfect example of the new way of managing projects in UniCredit, bringing benefits to all legal entities in a disciplined way and acting as a single company.” 

Quote Partner “UniCredit has been an important partner for many years. Together we have created real solutions that help people and businesses across Europe. This expanded relationship will build on that experience to bring new innovations to UniCredit cardholders,” said Michael Miebach, Mastercard CEO.

 

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Enquiries:             

Media Relations: e-mail: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu

Investor Relations: e-mail: InvestorRelations@unicredit.eu

 

On Saturday 25 March at 20.30 local time, UniCredit will turn off the lights in 35 of its buildings across twelve Group countries for sixty minutes – marking the bank’s sixteenth consecutive year of participation in Earth Hour.

Since its beginnings in 2007, the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Earth Hour has been known for the “lights off” moment, with individuals from around the globe switching off their lights to show symbolic support for the planet and to raise awareness of the environmental issues affecting it.

This year, however, Earth Hour is expanding its focus beyond switching off the lights. With the call “Switch off. Give an hour for Earth”, the WWF will use Earth Hour to highlight the importance of European nature and shine a spotlight on its restoration.

Fiona Melrose, Head of Group Strategy and ESG at UniCredit, said: "We take part in Earth Hour each year as a clear demonstration of our strong efforts to support sustainability and take concerted action against climate change. ESG topics remain embedded in everything we do. In fact, we recently published our Net Zero targets on the first carbon intensive sectors for 2030: Oil & Gas, Power Generation and Automotive. We are also defining a Group roadmap to achieve Net Zero on our own emissions by 2030, leveraging on space optimization, energy efficiency, electricity from renewable sources and heating systems transformation.”

At UniCredit, we are focused on delivering a positive and sustainable transition to green energy which does as little harm to the planet and its people as possible.

We are working to contain our environmental footprint by procuring our electricity from renewable sources, improving the energy efficiency of our premises and data centres, supporting our people with more sustainable mobility solutions and sourcing from environmentally friendly suppliers. This approach is also supported by the implementation of Environmental Management Systems across the Group.

To concretely showcase how ESG values are embedded in our business and culture, we are also part of the Principles for Responsible Banking (including the PRB's commitment on Financial Health and Inclusion), the Ellen MacArthur Foundation network committed to Circular Economy, and have signed up to the Sustainable STEEL Principles and Finance for Biodiversity Pledge as the first bank from Italy at COP15.

Our 2022 Integrated Report describes in detail how we intend to create sustainable value over time under a common Purpose of Empowering Communities to Progress.

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Enquiries:             

Media Relations: e-mail: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu

Investor Relations: e-mail: InvestorRelations@unicredit.eu

 

• The bank has been recognised as a leading provider of trade finance in 10 country and regional categories, including top rankings for Best Service, Global and Market Leader, Central and Eastern Europe.
• UniCredit picked 22 awards across various categories and geographies.

 

The results of this year’s Euromoney Trade Finance Survey have again confirmed UniCredit as a leading trade finance player across Europe, with the bank picking up 22 awards across various categories and geographies.

The survey, now in its 12th year, collates feedback from around 12,000 corporates and financial institutions, providing compelling evidence of UniCredit's suite of solutions, market-leading customer service and deep understanding of markets.

The results benchmark banks under two headings – "Best Service", which assesses levels of customer service, and "Market Leader", which combines penetration, percentage of business and turnover data to create an overall ranking of the best trade finance banks.

In the "Best Service" rankings, UniCredit retained top global honours for another consecutive year, besides securing success in “Central and Eastern Europe” (CEE), in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and ranked number one in Bulgaria for the first time in the same category. These all indicate UniCredit’s exceptional customer service across its core markets in Europe and beyond.

UniCredit was also highly successful in the "Market Leader" category, securing the top spot in CEE, alongside a further ten countries – namely, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia, and gaining the first position also in Bulgaria.

On the recognition, Luca Corsini, Head of Global Transactions & Payments, said:

“The past 12 months have brought a wave of new challenges to the trade finance industry. In response, we have doubled down on our partnership with clients while continuing to refine our digital solutions. It’s great to see these efforts reflected in another strong set of results.”

Riccardo Madinelli, Head of Transactions & Payments CE&EE at UniCredit, also commented:

“These achievements witness our clients’ recognition for the expertise in providing leading Trade Finance Solutions across UniCredit core markets and stand testament to our hard-working colleagues in Central and Eastern Europe. We look forward to continuing to provide our clients with market-leading services and innovative products well into the future”.

The Euromoney Trade Finance Survey adds to an increasing list of successes for UniCredit's trade finance platform. It follows recognition in 2022 as Euromoney's Best Bank for Transaction Services in Western Europe and Best Bank for Transaction Services in CEE, and Global Finance’s Best Trade Finance Bank in Western Europe, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2023.

 

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Enquiries:             

Media Relations: e-mail: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu

Investor Relations: e-mail: InvestorRelations@unicredit.eu

 

• Personalized offer, less paperwork and faster processes for the benefit of small business owners;
• The pre-approved loans will empower current and new clients to grow their business by spending more time on what they value most – their clients.

Milan, February 3, 2023 - UniCredit launches new pre-approved loans to support small businesses in seven countries in Central and Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. With the introduction of this faster and simpler lending solution, clients of UniCredit will have access to higher limits for sustaining or increasing their operations, with less documentation and no need for additional collateral. The amount and period of the pre-approved loans is tailored to meet the specific local needs in each country.

"We are excited to launch the new pre-approved loans for small businesses in Central and Eastern Europe and help them unlock their potential to grow and thrive," said Pierre Yves Guegan, Head of Retail for CE&EE at UniCredit. "We understand the unique challenges that small business owners face today, and we are committed to giving them the support they need to succeed. With the introduction of pre-approved loans, we are able to provide our customers with fast and simple lending solutions, so they can focus more time on their business and their clients.”

This new lending solution is designed to address the common needs of small business owners and their concerns about managing finances. This is possible by reducing the paperwork for the pre-approved loans and speeding up the process of approval through enhanced automation.

"This new client-driven initiative demonstrates the power of UniCredit as an international group," comment the CEOs of Central Europe and of Eastern Europe of UniCredit Gianfranco Bisagni and Teodora Petkova. "By bringing together our resources and expertise across multiple countries, we are able to offer a comprehensive solution that addresses the specific needs of small businesses in Central and Eastern Europe. This pre-approved loan program is a prime example of how we are able to create value for our customers by utilizing the strengths of our international network and a clear risk framework."

UniCredit is dedicated to supporting local communities and is committed to helping small businesses unlock their potential, grow and succeed. 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

Milan, December 14, 2022 – Euromoney has recognized UniCredit’s leadership in its 2022 European Markets Leaders Survey, an independent global assessment of the leading financial service providers conducted across 100 markets.

UniCredit's banks in 9 different countries across its four key regions in Europe (Italy, Germany, Central and Eastern Europe) were named as market leaders, in categories ranging from Corporate Social Responsibility to Digital Solutions. This is evidence of UniCredit’s presence across the whole continent and of its commitment to all the markets in which it operates.

UniCredit rankings, in detail:

• Italy: Market Leader in Corporate Banking, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Digital Solutions

• Germany: Highly Regarded in Corporate Banking and CSR and Notable for Digital Solutions and Investment Banking

• Central Europe:

  • Austria – Market Leader in Corporate Banking, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Digital Solutions

  • Slovakia – Market Leader in Corporate Banking

  • Hungary – Highly Regarded in Corporate banking and CSR and Digital Solutions

• Eastern Europe:

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina – Market Leader in Corporate Banking, CSR, and Digital Solutions

  • Bulgaria – Market Leader in Corporate Banking and CSR

  • Romania – Market Leader in Corporate Banking

  • Serbia – Highly Regarded in Corporate Banking and Digital Solutions

 

Commenting on the Survey, Andrea Orcel, UniCredit CEO, said, “We are proud of these achievements, recognizing the bank’s relentless work to offer the best possible service to its customers in Europe. We continually invest in research to develop innovative solutions for our individual and corporate clients: digitalisation and our commitment to ESG principles are key enablers for our service, helping us to deliver excellence to our stakeholders and creating a sustainable future for our clients, our communities and our people.”

Markets Leaders extends Euromoney’s world-renowned awards programmes to further provide a comprehensive global ranking of banking and finance brands across specialisms at a national level. Euromoney Markets Leaders rankings combine banks’ submissions with its own proprietary data, peer feedback, editorial expertise, and independent research to determine the best brand across the industry each year.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

Pan-European partnership across seven countries

Empowering communities through Youth & Education

 

UniCredit and Teach For All are proud to join forces to advance education for children in a foundational pan-European partnership reaching across seven UniCredit core countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, and the partnership will also shortly be extended to Teach For Serbia, which is working to join the Teach For All global network in the coming months. This new alliance will leverage on a common approach, focusing on innovation and inclusion to achieve results and to unlock the full potential of European youth.

To date, Teach For All has positively impacted more than 300 000 students in Europe, involving more than 4000 teachers in their programmes and seeing over 9000 alumni continue to work in sectors like school leadership, public policy and social innovation. The collaboration with UniCredit will significantly reinforce these efforts and results, providing resources and support in training the teachers involved to further empower local communities to reimagine education systems in under-resourced areas, and helping to build more inclusive school environments that offer quality instruction for all children, year after year.

With the help of these dedicated educators, students will gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they need to navigate a changing society and the new world of work. With the right mindset and skills, they will be better positioned to attain financial security and become informed, contributing citizens. By creating better opportunities for them to realise their full potential, this innovative programme is developing a new generation of European leaders.

Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit, said: “There is no one single factor that will determine the future success of our continent more than the education and development of our young people. To do so, we need to upskill and support teachers, arming them with all the tools they need to be the best educators possible. UniCredit’s commitment to empowering communities to progress goes beyond providing financial support, which is why I am thrilled to announce our work with Teach For All. Our partnership with this fantastic organisation will help us deliver on our commitment to Social improvement, in line with our ESG strategy, and we will leverage UniCredit’s presence across the continent to ensure we reach those communities where there is greatest need. I am excited to see the results of this partnership: results which will impact the whole of Europe for decades to come.”

Wendy Kopp, CEO and Co-founder of Teach For All, said: “Education plays a vital role in the economic and social wellbeing of any region. While some European students are served well by the current systems, there are large numbers of children, particularly from marginalised communities, who are not attaining a quality education. For Europe to meet the challenges of this century, there is an urgent need to work in partnership with schools, governments, and families to ensure that every child has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”

Jakub Dusílek, CEO of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, a.s., said about the future cooperation with Teach For Slovakia: "I am very pleased that our employees will also have the opportunity to actively participate in helping educate young people in Slovakia as volunteers. It is important that children and young people from disadvantaged groups have the same conditions and access to education as the majority of society. Through our partnership with Teach for Slovakia we want to shed some light on this sensitive area. This idea has found support among our employees who are already preparing to help in their communities. I believe that they will inspire not only other education ambassadors, but also children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, who together we can help create the conditions for a better life and better employment for them, and perhaps find future great bankers among them."

Stanislav Boledovič, founder and CEO of Teach for Slovakia: "I am very thankful for the trust and the partnership with UniCredit. UniCredit Bank have decided to invest their energy to make an impact not only through their financial support, but above all through the direct engagement of their employees at schools. We have jointly identified financial literacy as a key area of the cooperation. The activities on financial literacy will take place directly in schools, especially in regions where the activities will be very valued and welcome."

UniCredit will support the Teach For All network with a donation of nearly €2m to fund activities for the 2022-2023 school year, as well as engage employees as volunteers to drive change by contributing their time, knowledge and skills. Having positive role models is one of the key levers for students to thrive, through inspirational talks and workshops, as well as the experience of real-world working conditions.

The alliance will leverage the pan-European networks of both organisations, working across borders with local partners for an immediate impact in classrooms and a long-term collective impact in communities. By strengthening the education systems and building an environment that is flexible and innovative, we ensure that the children in classrooms today can shape a better tomorrow. This will be achieved by empowering the students, cultivating global activism, engaging the community, sharing progress and building awareness. The partnership includes a set of tailored local KPIs in each of the countries.

Slovakia

The reading, mathematics, science and literacy skills of students in Slovakia have deteriorated as measured by the OECD PISA tests. This is even more the case for children in socially deprived and underdeveloped communities with the situation dramatically worsening over the last two years due to school lockdowns. For seven years, Teach For Slovakia has been training teachers to teach in classrooms across the country, impacting over 17.000 students. Today, 78% of their 76 alumni work in roles contributing to a long-term impact on Slovakia’s education system. This year, more than 41 fellows taught in 26 schools in the regions of Eastern Slovakia and Bratislava. UniCredit will work closely with Teach For Slovakia to significantly increase the number of students reached and extend its fellowship program.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a pan-European Commercial Bank with a unique service offering in Italy, Germany, Central and Eastern Europe. Our purpose is to empower communities to progress, delivering the best-in-class for all stakeholders, unlocking the potential of our clients and our people across Europe. We serve over 15 million customers worldwide. They are at the heart of what we do in all our markets. UniCredit is organized in four core regions and two product factories, Corporate and Individual Solutions. This allows us to be close to our clients and use the scale of the entire Group for developing and offering the best products across all our markets. Digitalisation and our commitment to ESG principles are key enablers for our service. They help us deliver excellence to our stakeholders and create a sustainable future for our clients, our communities and our people.

About Teach For All

Teach For All is a global network of 61 independent, locally led and governed partner organizations and a global organization that works to accelerate the progress of the network. Each network partner recruits and develops promising future leaders to teach in their nations’ under-resourced schools and communities and, with this foundation, to work with others, inside and outside of education, to ensure all children are able to fulfill their potential. Teach For All’s global organization works to increase the network’s impact by supporting the development of new organizations; fostering network connectivity and learning; providing coaching and consulting; and enabling access to global resources for the benefit of the network.

Teach For All impact to date in Europe

• 4000+ teachers in classrooms
• 9000+ alumni working in sectors like school leadership, public policy and social innovation
• 300 000+ students impacted

Recent facts and figures on the state of Europe’s educational system

Approximately 250 million youth in Europe lack basic reading, writing and mathematics skills. Meanwhile more than 33% of European pupils from the bottom quartile do not reach the basic level of competence in science, compared to 7% of those among the top quartile showing that economic disadvantage can often correspond to an educational achievement gap, which has only widened during the pandemic. The first wave of lockdowns due to Covid-19 impacted over 150 countries and 1.6 billion students. While the response of implementing remote learning was intended to reach all students, this was not always the case, as ensuring equity in distance learning requires huge investment, not only in digital infrastructure but also in teacher training.

There are significant challenges facing school systems in Europe, including budgets allocated for education remaining stagnant while the number of students, particularly in more disadvantaged communities, continues to rise, which leaves ever-fewer resources per pupil and creates overcrowded classrooms. It is also becoming increasingly difficult to recruit and retain teachers due to non-competitive employment conditions. This is reflected in the low numbers of young (less than 30 years) teachers, who make up only 12% of primary school teachers, 11% of lower secondary school teachers and 8% of upper secondary school teachers in the OECD.

In Belgium, economically disadvantaged students have a three-year achievement gap compared to peers from more affluent backgrounds. In Austria, this gap is two years. Furthermore, Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece) have very low rates of school completion at 57% in Italy, 54% in Spain, 38% in Portugal and 66% in Greece. This compares to a completion rate of 88% in the US. At the same time, completing secondary education is often insufficient to secure employment with EU individuals who graduate from secondary school only having a 58.3% employment rate versus 83.7% among those with university degrees.

Source: Teach For All Euro

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

Bratislava, 30 May 2022 – UniCredit Bank's survey has shown that the principles of sustainability (ESG) are often an integral part of corporate culture today. Ecological waste management (64%), reduction of carbon emissions (50%) and the use of renewable resources (50%) are a matter of course for companies. Domestic companies perceive a sustainable approach as their future competitive advantage for customers and potential employees.

 

ESG, which stands for environmental, social and governance, represents a philosophy for Czech and Slovak companies that they have adopted to a greater or lesser extent and are introducing in their business. For 82% of companies, sustainability is part of their corporate culture – both their own and the one created by the parent company.

 

ESG as a competitive advantage or pressure from competitors

An overwhelming majority (68%) of the companies surveyed consider the application of the ESG principles to be a competitive advantage and they assume that companies that do not pay attention to sustainability will have difficulty obtaining financing in the near future. Almost a fifth (18%) of companies mentions that they are motivated to adhere to the principles by pressure from below, whether from suppliers, business partners, customers or job seekers. A similar number (21%) of respondents stated that they were mainly driven by legal obligations towards greater sustainability. “Failure to comply with the basic principles may have significant negative effects on companies in the future – on their reputation and financing, as well as on their relationship with customers and suppliers,” said Jaroslav Habo, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of UniCredit Bank Branch Slovakia. 

 

 

 

Question No. 1: Do you think that companies applying ESG tools/principles gain a competitive advantage as a result? Both in the short term and in the medium and long term.

 

 

Emissions and energy play a major role

Unsurprisingly, ecology-related topics resonate across companies the most. Today, companies routinely provide environmentally friendly waste management, reduce carbon emissions and promote the use of renewable resources. The current energy crisis and the associated energy price hikes are now an issue for all companies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. If a company is trying to save energy, it is best to invest in greener energy sources in the long run.

“It is the financing of green renewable energy that forms a significant part of ESG loans in our portfolio.

In the last year, we have financed, for example, projects of wind and photovoltaic power plants or energy-efficient buildings. Thanks to ESG loans, which we offer at more favourable interest rates, we are also able to help with investments in projects aimed at reducing energy consumption, reducing emissions or sustainable agriculture,” explained Habo.

ESG is not just ecology, it is people as well

Although according to the bank’s survey, ESG is still primarily about environmental issues in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, companies are increasingly addressing the other two pillars. Four out of ten companies (39%) are committed to maintaining an inclusive corporate culture and the same number are promoting support for education and learning. Equally important is the support of local communities.

At the same time, companies are aware that the topic of sustainability is becoming increasingly important for potential employees and the general public. Slovaks care about how companies treat employees and their surroundings. Based on the UniCredit Bank’s December survey, adherence to the principles of social responsibility in a corporate environment and at the same time sustainability (ESG) is considered important by 97% of people.

 

Question No. 2: In which of the following areas do you already apply the ESG principles and tools or do you plan to apply them in the near future?

 

 

In companies, the ESG issue is often addressed by the top management, there is a lack of specialised people

The survey pointed out that in companies, the company’s management (55%) is most often in charge of implementing the ESG principles, but only a few have a specialised employee (10%). In some cases, the ESG is handled by the marketing or HR departments. This fact does not only apply to Slovakia – according to a Deloitte survey from the end of 2021, the situation is similar in companies in the U.S. Only 21% of companies there had a specialised team for addressing ESG topics last year.[1]

Companies obtain ESG information mainly from the media (55%) and social networks (39%). At the same time, information and advice can be offered professionally to companies by banks themselves. “Our ESG Barometer will help any company evaluate its strengths and weaknesses in their approach to ESG in a structured way. Based on the answered structured questions, bankers are able to advise and help with financing the company's relevant projects,” added Habo. For almost a third of companies, the regulation of the government and public institutions, or the recommendation of non-profit organisations is the crucial indicator.

 

[1] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/audit/us-esg-preparedness-disclosures-reporting-requirements.pdf

 

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About the survey  

In April 2022, UniCredit Bank conducted a survey on social responsibility and sustainable projects of companies in the Czech and Slovak markets through an online survey of selected companies that already have experience in the field of ESG. Almost 50 companies from the Czech Republic and Slovakia took part in the survey.

Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

The "Call for Europe" initiative awards social projects in 12 Group countries

 

Bratislava, 20 May 2022 - The third edition of the “Call for Europe” initiative of UniCredit and its Foundation aimed at supporting non-profit organizations focused on children in the 12 different European countries where the Group operates, has come to an end.

52 social projects dedicated to young people and children have been rewarded with a total amount of 500,000 euros, distributed across four specific focus areas: education (238,500 euros), social inclusion (104,500 euros), disability (94,000 euros) and health (63,000 euros).

Silvia Cappellini, Head of UniCredit Foundation, said: “UniCredit Foundation has a long history of supporting our communities in the different countries of our Bank, which we continue to build on and enhance through dedicated activities. Thanks to the “Call for Europe” initiative, we have been able to support 144 projects for children and young people in our different European countries over the last three years with a total of 1,360,000 euros. This is testament to our continued strong social commitment and high attention to the needs of all our communities with a special focus on supporting children and young people to foster inclusion and build a more sustainable, better society for all”.

The third edition of the “Call for Europe” initiative was launched in November 2021 inviting the Group's local banks to identify and share a short-list of up to five outstanding social projects of particular local relevance focused on children and young people. A dedicated Committee appointed by the UniCredit Foundation was responsible for selecting the winning initiatives across 12 Group countries: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
Each country was awarded 40,000 euros to be divided among the winning local projects. Furthermore, additional 20,000 euros were awarded by the Committee to a further select number of projects deemed as particularly impactful.

SLOVAKIA
• NDS – OSF Open society foundation – Open Schools: a steppingstone to building a democracy (workshops on democracy and human rights for children)
• Na trati, o.z. – Project: ABA therapy (Applied Behaviour Analysis) and hippotherapy for children with autism spectrum disorder
• IPčko – Helpline for young people (free, anonymous and non-stop assistance for young people; aid and support in borderline situations)
• Klub detskej nádeje (KDN) – Robotic cottages (camps for children with cancer)
• Kolobeh života – Educating grieving children in loss, grief and self-help with a tool “4 tasks of mourning”

CZECH REPUBLIC
• Studentský klub Katolického gymnazia HALAHOJ, z.s. –Training Centre for Children and Youth Strojatín
• Konto Bariery - Nadace Charty 77 – School without Barriers (reimbursement of education cost for disabled students)
• Foundation of Paediatric Oncology Krtek – Education and assistance support for children treated for cancer
• Chance4Children – Springboard to Life (support for young adults leaving children’s Home)
• Lata – Two heads are better than one (mentoring for young people at risk)

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

Leading status in over twenty categories reflects the strength of the bank’s unique pan-European network

 

UniCredit has been confirmed once again as the Best Global Trade Finance Bank for customer service in this year's Euromoney Trade Finance Survey, which saw the bank consolidate its market-leading position picking up 22 awards across various categories and geographies.

 

The survey, now in its eleventh year, collates feedback from over 11,000 corporates and financial institutions, providing compelling evidence of UniCredit's product expertise, market-leading customer service and deep understanding of its core European markets.

The results benchmark banks under two headings - 'Best Service', which assesses levels of customer service, and 'Market Leader', which combines penetration, percentage of business and turnover data to create an overall ranking of the best trade finance banks.

In the 'Best Service' rankings, UniCredit retained top global honors for another consecutive year, in addition to securing success in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia in the same category. These all indicate UniCredit’s exceptional customer service across its different markets.

UniCredit was also highly successful in the 'Market Leader' category, securing the top spot in CEE, alongside a further nine countries – namely, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.

On the recognition, Luca Corsini, Head of Transaction and Payments at UniCredit, said: “Over the last year, our commitment to bringing clients the highest-quality service and solutions has remained unwavering as we continue to adapt to new market trends and approaches. This year’s Trade Finance Survey reaffirms these efforts and speaks to our ability to offer the best products available in the market.”

Riccardo Madinelli, Head of Transactions and Payments CE & EE at UniCredit, also commented: “These awards highlight our expertise in providing leading trade finance solutions across our markets and witness our hard-working colleagues not only in CE & EE, but around the Group. We look forward to continuing to provide our clients with market-leading services and innovative products throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.”

The Euromoney Trade Finance Survey adds to an increasing list of successes for UniCredit's trade finance platform. It follows recognition in 2021 as The Banker’s Best Transaction Bank in Western Europe, Euromoney's Best Bank for Transaction Services in Western Europe, and Best Bank for Advisory Services in CEE, and Global Finance’s Best Trade Finance Bank in Central and Eastern Europe for the 15th year running. 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

Tomorrow, Saturday 26 March at 8.30pm local time, UniCredit will turn off the lights in 50 of its buildings across all 13 Group countries for sixty minutes marking the bank’s 15th consecutive year of taking part in Earth Hour. Organised by the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), this global movement unites people to take action on environmental issues and protect the planet.

Fiona Melrose, Head of Group Strategy and ESG at UniCredit, said: "Our annual participation in Earth Hour is part of UniCredit’s strong efforts to support sustainability and take action against climate change. During 2021, we signed up to the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, publicly declaring our commitment to a more sustainable future and we have also recently enhanced our polices across Coal and Oil & Gas, reinforcing the principles that shape how we operate. We continue to progress on our net zero commitments and embed ESG in all areas of the business while strengthening corporate culture under our common purpose of Empowering Communities to Progress.”

UniCredit puts its clients and communities at the heart of all activities and decisions, with a constant commitment to always serve their needs and be the bank for Europe's future. To concretely showcase how ESG values are embedded in our business and culture, both our Annual and Integrated Reports this year include a series of stories about our clients and people across the different countries of the Group, working together to empower communities and unlock their potential. These highlight UniCredit’s strong ESG ambitions and continued focus on supporting the transition to a more sustainable, better society for all.

Furthermore, our Integrated Report showcases how we are unlocking the potential of our stakeholders across our five capitals (financial, human, social and relationship, intellectual and natural capitals), committing to creating a positive environment based on respect, acting as engines of individual and collective growth, empowering communities to progress and help people, communities, and countries to unlock their potential. Protecting natural capital by delivering sustainable financing solutions to clients and reducing the environmental impact of our direct operations is also fostered by our commitment to a Net-Zero future. To find out more, please see here.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

• UniCredit is the first bank to undertake an operation of this scale in Italy
• The agreement will allow the bank to map 'green' and 'brown' real estate for reporting purposes, environmental risk management and green bond issuance
• The collaboration further strengthens the partnership between RE Valuta and the Italian banking group

 

UniCredit and RE Valuta, a Tinexta Group company specialised in real estate appraisals, today announce a cooperation agreement for collecting the energy performance data of the buildings used as collateral for mortgages granted by the bank. UniCredit is the first bank to undertake an operation of this scale in Italy.

The agreement further strengthens the collaboration between UniCredit and RE Valuta, which in partnership with the real estate portal Immobiliare.it, will support UniCredit in the recovery of EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates) leveraging a database of 8 million EPCs and advanced machine learning models for their assessment as well as to estimate the average energy consumption and CO2 emissions for buildings without an existing EPC registration.

Luciano Chiarelli, Head of Portfolio Actions & Securitisation at UniCredit Italy, said: "The partnership just signed with RE Valuta - is part of the green and sustainable transition that UniCredit has been working towards for years. ESG is embedded in our corporate culture and decision making, and we continue to collaborate with various industry players to enrich and improve our ESG offering across sectors. We are working to support the green transition and our new strategic plan, 'UniCredit Unlocked', targets €150 billion of cumulative new ESG volumes through environmental loans, ESG investment products, sustainable bonds and social finance ".

Luke Brucato, Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer of RE Valuta added: "Environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives are changing the dynamics of the real estate industry and in the mortgage sector the focus is now on the energy performance of the buildings used as collateral, as required by the EBA in the LOMs [1]. This is also important for responding to the climate stress test, for Pillar III reporting and for green bond issuance. RE Valuta has established a partnership with Immobiliare.it for the development of advanced real estate analysis services and last year we launched our ESG Data Remediation service to retrieve ESG data on all collaterals of new mortgages and on properties already pledged as collateral for loans. Thanks to the assets made available by Immobiliare.it and to the hundreds of thousands of appraisals completed with all the qualitative data on these properties, we are able to provide a complete overview of the energy classification, kw/h consumption and C02 emissions data on over 700 thousand properties under analysis for UniCredit."

The service will cover - after careful analysis of preliminary data quality - UniCredit's entire Italian collateral book (list of real estate collateral for mortgage and loan disbursement) and the collateral books of five of 11 Central and Eastern European countries where UniCredit operates: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. This will allow UniCredit to immediately distinguish between the so called 'green' or energy efficient properties and those that are considered 'brown' or non-efficient from an energy standpoint across its mortgage collateral portfolio, helping to meet the bank's Pillar III reporting requirements and supporting green bond issuance.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

The annual benchmark survey has elected UniCredit as Best Private Bank and ESG/Sustainable investing in Romania, Best Philanthropic Advice in Italy for the second year in a row as well as Best Serving Business Owners, and Best Capital Markets and Advisory in Slovakia

 

UniCredit reconfirms its status as a leading private bank by claiming a number of awards in Euromoney's 2022 Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey, picking up top rankings in the following categories:

Italy - Philanthropic Advice, Italy Serving Business Owners, Technology (a) Innovative or Emerging Technology Adoption

Romania - Best Private Bank/Wealth Manager Overall, ESG/Sustainable investing

Slovakia - Capital Markets and Advisory,  Domestic Slovakia Technology (b), Data Management and Security in Private Banking and Wealth Management 

 

Conducted on an annual basis, Euromoney's Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey provides a qualitative review of the best services in private banking by region and by area of service. This year, the survey was completed by private banks and wealth managers from a wide range of private banking institutions across 87 countries who were asked to identify the firms that they consider to be their top competitors.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

For the sixth year in a row, UniCredit has been officially certified by the Top Employer Institute for its extraordinary commitment to the well-being of its employees and for providing an innovative, rewarding and inclusive workplace.

The European level Top Employer Certification was awarded thanks to the local Certifications achieved by UniCredit in: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Russia.

The Top Employers Institute programme recognises organisations based on the results of their HR Best Practices survey. This survey covers six domains consisting of twenty topics, including People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Well-being, and Diversity & Inclusion.

Commenting on the recognition, Andrea Orcel, Chief Executive Officer of UniCredit, says: “I am incredibly proud of this recognition and the reflection that it has on UniCredit as a place to work. Our people are the most important element of our business. They are the reason we are able to be successful, serve our clients and impact our communities. Creating an environment that supports and challenges them, ensures they unite behind a common ambition and thrive in all they do, is a critical priority for us. We can and should always do more, but this award demonstrates that we are working from a strong foundation.”

In line with the new business strategy, the Bank will be investing heavily in the digital evolution of the organisation over the next three years, and will also be focusing on upskilling digital competences, continuing to retain best digital talents and experts as well attracting new ones.

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

UniCredit has ranked first in Italy as well as coming in second in its global peer group (751 companies) in the Corporate Knights’ 2022 ranking of the World’s Most Sustainable Corporations. The bank’s overall rank in the Corporate Knights’ Global 100 Index for 2022 is 59.

Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit, commented: "We are proud of these results which are testament to our continued commitment to ESG. This commitment is to have our actions match our principles, not only leading by example within our own business, but also supporting our clients and the communities in which we are present through the various stages of their own transitions. This requires us to balance decisive environmental actions, with societal impact, navigating a path that will deliver, over as fast a time as possible, the sustainable society that we are striving to build for all.”

This is the first time for UniCredit to be included in the Corporate Knights’ Global 100 Index, which provides an annual ranking of the World’s 100 Most Sustainable Corporations based on key environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. The ranking draws on a rigorous assessment of 6,914 companies with more than US$1 billion in revenues. It also sheds light on the evolution of ESG priorities and outcomes, and on the extent of the gap between leading sustainability performers and their global corporate peers.

Sustainability is a key lever of the new UniCredit Unlocked business strategy the bank presented in December 2021 with several ambitious ESG targets for 2022-2024. This includes a target of €150 billion in new cumulative ESG volumes across environmental lending, ESG investment products, sustainable bonds and social lending. UniCredit will also invest €100 million to ensure equal pay for equal work and is committed to a net-zero target on own emissions by 2030 and on financed emissions by 2050.

A digital version of the Corporate Knights’ ranking, select national scorecards, and further contextual and methodological information is available at corporateknights.com/global100.

Global 100 Methodology

All companies are scored on applicable metrics relative to their peers, with 50% of the weight assigned to Clean Revenue and Clean Investment. Nine of the indicators have fixed weights; the rest are assigned weights according to each industry’s relative and total impact in relation to the overall economy. After quantitatively analysing data for 23 key performance indicators, this year’s overall scores were converted to letter grades.

About Corporate Knights

Corporate Knights Inc. includes the sustainable-business magazine Corporate Knights and a research division that produces rankings and financial product ratings based on corporate sustainability performance.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

Your banking services at your fingertips anytime, anywhere, on any device, taking care of your financial needs.

UniCredit Bank’s new digital platform provides a customer experience that puts clients and their needs first. UniCredit Bank enables three key retail products – current accounts, consumer loans and mortgages – offering them in an easy, quick, efficient, and paperless manner. Digitisation and customer experience are among the strategic pillars of UniCredit Bank, on which the bank will build its long-term success to be one of the digital leaders in the Central European region.

 

Digitisation changes client’s view of banking and significantly transforms the customer experience. “Our customers are open to the possibilities that digitisation brings. We want to grow our client base, leveraging a new integrated digital platform that enables an online, personalized and seamless interaction across all sales channels” says Gianfranco Bisagni, Head of Central Europe at UniCredit. “After its successful implementation initially in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, we intend to gradually extend the model in all countries in which our Group operates, serving all channels with a superior experience for our clients. This is only the beginning of our strategic plans. Currently, we are planning to invest about 2.8 billion euros in digitisation within the UniCredit Group”.

Launched as a pilot in the Czech and Slovak markets, the new OPEN digital platform has been developed by a dedicated multi-disciplinary team consisting of product, process, and IT structures, collaborating with Compliance and Legal functions across UniCredit Group.

A bank available at any time and from anywhere

OPEN reveals new possibilities within the banking world for all clients. It brings a new concept of customer experience and customer journey that provides a complete service through all available channels – in a digital and paperless manner within a few minutes whether at a branch, online, through a special client centre or digitally through third parties. It will provide clients with quick and convenient services anytime and from anywhere. The new era of banking is no longer dependent on opening hours. With services available around the clock, clients can start the process of opening a current account, a consumer loan or mortgage at a branch, completing it later on their mobile phone from the comfort of their home.

 

“Simple settings, optimisation, and autonomy of processes, as well as greater product flexibility are key elements of our bank’s digitisation. Thanks to them, we can react flexibly to the constantly changing market, bring a better customer experience, a higher return on investment and efficiently use our resources. This gives us a clear competitive advantage" comments Jakub Dusílek, CEO of UniCredit Bank, “on the digitisation of key retail products”.

"In a truly customer journey- focused approach, we are one of the leaders in the Czech and Slovak markets. We offer clients the opportunity to choose the channel they prefer and manage their finances whenever they need. We are significantly reducing the time needed to access our products to a few minutes only and at the same time we can devote more time to our clients, who are always our priority" added Marco Iannaccone, General Manager of UniCredit Bank.

For more information, see the video "UCB Smart Banking".

About UniCredit
UniCredit is a pan-European Commercial Bank with a unique franchise in Italy, Germany, Central Europe and Eastern Europe and a Corporate & Investment Banking across all group geographies. We meet real client needs with real solutions. We offer local and international expertise, providing unparalleled access to market leading products and services in 13 core markets through our European banking network. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 15 countries worldwide.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 907 780 218

Client-led survey names UniCredit as either the ‘Best Service Provider’ or a ‘Market Leader’ in Central and Eastern Europe and a further ten countries

UniCredit has been recognised as the Best Provider of Cash Management Services in eight countries, including Italy, Germany and Austria, in Euromoney's 2021 Cash Management Survey.

Moreover, the bank was once again endorsed as the Market Leader in Central and Eastern Europe, improving on a second placed finish last year – whilst also retaining its market-leading status in a further nine countries.

Euromoney’s annual Cash Management Survey canvasses the leading cash managers, treasurers and financial officers worldwide and is considered the benchmark survey for the global cash management industry – this year collecting in excess of 27,000 responses from non-financial institutions.

Commenting on the rankings, Luca Corsini, UniCredit's Head of Global Transaction Banking, said: "We have always sought to equip our clients with innovative digital solutions that simplify their everyday payment operations. This year’s survey not only reflects the pan-European coverage of our platform but also our teams' collaborative spirit, expertise and commitment to providing best-in-class cash management services.”

Full results breakdown as follows:

UniCredit voted Best Service Provider in:

• Austria
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Germany
•  Hungary
• Italy
• Romania
• Slovenia

 

UniCredit voted Market Leader in:

• Austria
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Central & Eastern Europe
• Croatia
• Hungary
• Italy
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia

The results follow a strong year of investment across UniCredit's cash management platform – including recent innovations such as the IBAN check solution for pre-validating payments, SWIFT Go for instantaneous cross-border payments, and digital document signing architecture – whereby the Group has sought to spearhead industry trends and optimise digital tools whilst remaining agile around clients' ever-changing needs.

The bank's commanding performance in this year's survey adds to a burgeoning list of award wins within Global Transaction Banking, with recent recognition including: 'Best Transaction Bank in Western Europe' in both Euromoney’s 2021 Awards for Excellence and The Banker’s 2021 Transaction Banking Awards. On the product side, UniCredit was also named Global ‘Best Bank for Liquidity Management in CEE in 2021’ and ‘Best Treasury & Cash Management  Bank in Germany and Italy in 2021’ by Global Finance.

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) across all Group geographies, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise.

UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its thirteen core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another sixteen countries worldwide.Starting 1 December 2021, Jaroslav Habo will be appointed new Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Foreign Branch UniCredit Bank in Slovakia. Jaroslav Habo will replace Miroslav Štrokendl who will retire at the end of his term.

Miroslav Štrokendl, who joined in 1990 the Slovak Agricultural Bank, which became - after several mergers - the current UniCredit Bank, is one of the most renowned and longest-running bankers on the current Slovak market. His entire professional career is associated with banking at UniCredit Bank and its predecessors... “We would like to sincerely thank Miroslav for his extraordinary contribution to our bank, in which he worked for more than 30 years.  Throughout his tenure, he achieved quality results in all the managed areas and ran the bank, which is one of the key players in the Slovak market. Under his leadership, UniCredit Bank has always significantly and fervently supported local communities,” said Jakub Dusílek, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO at UniCredit Bank.

Jaroslav Habo, who is a well-known banker mainly in corporate banking, is also ready to follow up on these accomplishments and principles. He began his career in banking 25 years ago in Slovenská sporiteľňa. From 2002, he started working at HVB Bank as a project financing specialist. Later, he occupied several positions within UniCredit Bank in the sectors of large corporates and real estate. In 2017, he became Market Director of Corporate Clients Slovakia at UniCredit Bank.

“Jaroslav Habo has a very successful business track record and I am convinced that owing to his wide professional experience he will boost the further development of our bank on the Slovak market,” added Jakub Dusílek, Chairman of the Board of Directors at UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Starting 1 December 2021, Jaroslav Habo will be appointed new Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Foreign Branch UniCredit Bank in Slovakia. Jaroslav Habo will replace Miroslav Štrokendl who will retire at the end of his term.

Miroslav Štrokendl, who joined in 1990 the Slovak Agricultural Bank, which became - after several mergers - the current UniCredit Bank, is one of the most renowned and longest-running bankers on the current Slovak market. His entire professional career is associated with banking at UniCredit Bank and its predecessors... “We would like to sincerely thank Miroslav for his extraordinary contribution to our bank, in which he worked for more than 30 years.  Throughout his tenure, he achieved quality results in all the managed areas and ran the bank, which is one of the key players in the Slovak market. Under his leadership, UniCredit Bank has always significantly and fervently supported local communities,” said Jakub Dusílek, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO at UniCredit Bank.

Jaroslav Habo, who is a well-known banker mainly in corporate banking, is also ready to follow up on these accomplishments and principles. He began his career in banking 25 years ago in Slovenská sporiteľňa. From 2002, he started working at HVB Bank as a project financing specialist. Later, he occupied several positions within UniCredit Bank in the sectors of large corporates and real estate. In 2017, he became Market Director of Corporate Clients Slovakia at UniCredit Bank.

“Jaroslav Habo has a very successful business track record and I am convinced that owing to his wide professional experience he will boost the further development of our bank on the Slovak market,” added Jakub Dusílek, Chairman of the Board of Directors at UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

UniCredit introduces a new app for merchants looking for an elegant solution for their business. Thanks to UniCredit Bank SoftPOS, you can easily turn your mobile phone into an intelligent payment terminal. All you need is an account with UniCredit Bank and a smartphone using Android version 5.0 or higher.

 

During October, UniCredit Bank introduced a new application called SoftPOS, which will be appreciated by any merchant looking for simple payment solutions for their business. The merchant will not only have access to the payment terminal, but also to all payment card transactions made in the last 30 days, which can be easily exported to CSV, XLSX or PDF formats. The possibility of evaluating the success of a particular day based on saved transactions or the possibility of issuing electronic receipts that can be sent via email, SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, and other communication platforms is also useful. Transactions made are credited to your UniCredit Bank account the next day.

“We will help clients who prefer cashless payments to acquire new customers. Whether small or medium-sized businesses or sole traders, everyone can benefit from our payment solutions," says Jiří Flegl, Director of Global transaction banking at UniCredit Bank.

Visa's Tap to Phone has completely changed the way small businesses accept payments. Merchants simply download an application with which they can start accepting contactless payments and allow their customers to pay securely, easily, and contactless.

"More and more people expect to pay with their card anywhere, but in many places today they still fail. It is found, for example, in outdoor markets, at food stalls and in various family businesses. Millions of sole proprietors and small businesses around the world also face barriers to the normal acceptance of cards. That is why Visa is working hard to make the much-needed digital payments available to consumers," said Marcel Gajdoš, Visa's CEO for the Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia.

UniCredit Bank SoftPOS accepts payment cards - Maestro, Mastercard, VISA and VISA Electron, and meal and benefit cards - Benefit Plus, Estravenka, Gusto Karta and Ticket Restaurant. The application is designed primarily for sole traders, small businesses and merchants who are often on the road or want to expand their existing terminal equipment.

How to get UniCredit Bank SoftPOS:

In order to start using card acceptance via mobile, you need to conclude an agreement with UniCredit Bank on payment card acceptance. You will then receive a text message about the prepared app and an email with additional information for installing and launching UniCredit Bank SoftPOS.  The app is available for download on Google Play.

More information on payment cards and terminals can be found at:

https://www.unicreditbank.cz/cs/podnikatele-a-mensi-firmy/ucty/karty-a-terminaly.html#platebniterminaly

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

In line with its commitment to a climate-positive future, UniCredit joins the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), an industry-led, UN-convened alliance of banks worldwide, committed to aligning their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, in line with the most ambitious targets set by the Paris Climate Agreement.

Representing more than a third of global banking assets, with over 76 members from 35 countries and $54 trillion in total assets, the Alliance is a critical step in the mobilisation of the financial sector for climate. It recognises the vital role of banks in supporting the global transition of the real economy to net-zero emissions, encompassing both operational and attributable emissions, including Scope 3 emissions.

 

Alliance members commit to:

• Set scenario-based interim targets for 2030 or sooner for priority sectors
• Prioritise areas of most significant impact, i.e. the most greenhouse gas-intensive and emitting sectors
• Annually publish emissions and emissions intensity
• Take into account the best available scientific knowledge
• Set first target(s) within 18 months of signing and report annually thereafter
• Disclose progress against a board-level reviewed transition strategy

 

The NZBA is convened by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and is the banking element of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, chaired by Mark Carney, UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance ahead of COP 26.

 

UniCredit is proud to join leading peers from the banking industry in these collective efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. We look forward to engaging with our clients to support them in their transition plans and accelerate action on climate. Further details on our ESG strategy will be disclosed at our forthcoming investor day as part of the new business plan for the Group.

 

Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit, commented: "UniCredit is proud to have signed up to the Net-Zero Banking Alliance and is committing to aligning our lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050. This is an important moment in our journey to a more sustainable future and is a necessary action to focus attention and ultimately make significant progress in this area.”

 

"We exist to support our clients through any challenges they face and this includes helping industries adapt to a changing world. In the short-term, this will mean working with companies who may only be at the start of their path to sustainability. We will do so if - and only if - we believe this path is both realistic and ultimately beneficial for all stakeholders, including the environment. To do otherwise would be irresponsible and would work against the customers and clients we serve and our commitment to empowering societies across Europe.”

 

"We are focused on delivering a positive and sustainable transition to green energy which does as little harm to both the planet and its people as possible. Our signing of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance is a commitment to helping society make this change. It will not be an overnight process, but I believe 2050 is the right target for our industry to commit to and I am looking forward to the changes that will come."

 

About the Alliance:

The industry-led, UN-convened Net-Zero Banking Alliance brings together over 50 banks representing more than a third of global banking assets, which are committed to aligning their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050. Combining near-term action with accountability, this ambitious commitment sees banks setting an intermediate target for 2030 or sooner, using robust, science-based guidelines. The Alliance will reinforce, accelerate and support the implementation of decarbonisation strategies, providing an internationally coherent framework and guidelines in which to operate, supported by peer-learning from pioneering banks. It recognises the vital role of banks in supporting the global transition of the real economy to net-zero emissions.

www.unepfi.org/net-zero-banking

 

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About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

UniCredit has been named by Capital Finance International magazine (CFI.co) as the Best Social Impact Bank in Europe in 2021. For the second year in a row, the magazine has selected UniCredit as the leading institution for making a strong contribution towards positive social impact to support the real economy across Europe. 

The judges highlighted UniCredit’s commitment to a robust value system and significant efforts in integrating sustainability across its capital strategies. Furthermore, the bank’s offer of concrete solutions for sustainable development, including financial education for the youth and capacity-building programmes for female entrepreneurs were commended as well as UniCredit’s clear progress on several ambitious ESG targets.

Commenting on the award, Roberta Marracino, Head of Group ESG Strategy & Impact Banking, said: "We are extremely proud to once again be acknowledged by CFI as the Best Social Impact Bank in Europe. We continue to work hard towards our ESG goals with a strong commitment to support our clients and communities in the current transition phase, ensuring a just pathway for all towards an increasingly inclusive and sustainable economy and society.”

Since first launch in Italy at the end of 2017, UniCredit’s Social Impact Banking (SIB) programme has provided over 5270 loans, including impact finance and microcredit, across 11 UniCredit markets to support social entrepreneurs and initiatives with a measurable positive social impact amounting to a total of more than 295 million euros disbursed (figures as at end of June 2021).

The success of the SIB programme has also been reflected at the local level. As a great example of this, UniCredit bank in Hungary was recently recognised with the EFFEKT 2030 Community Investment Award in the Opportunity Business category for Best Social Impact Banking as testament to its local sustainability efforts in line with UniCredit Group’s ESG commitments and targets.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

UniCredit Bank and the European Investment Bank signed an agreement in Bratislava to kick off a new guarantee programme for medium and large enterprises to support the economy in the context of the impact of the pandemic. The guarantee programme is part of the Pan-European Guarantee Fund and the guarantor is the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union bank. UniCredit Bank is the only bank on the Slovak market to offer this programme. Owing to the newly signed programme from the EIB and in relation to the EIF programme launched this spring, UniCredit Bank becomes one of the key leaders in terms of the scope of the portfolio of guarantee programmes for companies of all sizes.  In practice, this means that it will be possible to extend favourable loans to even more companies which are currently in a complicated situation due to the external circumstances.

The EIB programme is intended for medium-sized and large enterprises with a group-wide turnover of over EUR 50 million per year and a balance sheet of EUR 43 million in all regions.  Companies may apply for favourable operating and investment loans of up to EUR 50 million. Thanks to the guarantee programme from the EIB, UniCredit Bank is ready to provide financing in the total amount of EUR 200 million with a 50 % EIB guarantee. This means that the European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide UniCredit Bank in Slovakia with guarantees of EUR 100 million from its European Guarantee Fund (EGF), making it possible for UniCredit Bank in Slovakia to offer more affordable financing for companies to recover from the pandemic.

 

“UniCredit Bank is a leader in corporate financing. “Since the onset of the pandemic, we have helped more than 500 small, medium and large enterprises through guarantee programmes and favourable financing for a total volume of loans exceeding several hundred million euros,” said Miroslav Štrokendl, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Foreign Branch Slovakia at UniCredit Bank. “This is why I am pleased we are part of the new EIB guarantee programme, which aims at helping companies overcome the effects of the pandemic. This step makes UniCredit Bank definitely one of the main players on the Slovak market in terms of scope and variety offer of European and domestic guarantee programmes.  We offer solutions in cooperation with EIB, EIF, SIH or EXIMBANKA for companies of all sizes and in all regions. It is important for us that we can collaborate in supporting Slovakia’s economic recovery.”

 

Lilyana Pavlova, Vice President of the EIB, who is in charge of operations in the Republic of Slovakia, said: “The EIB is extremely glad to see that concrete, tangible, and multi-million support for Slovak companies is on the way to accelerate their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This operation will provide affordable financing to Slovak companies so they can weather the crisis, protect jobs and income for Slovaks and continue to contribute to Slovakia`s economic and social development. The fact that EIB`s EGF continues to deliver on its pledge to accelerate the recovery of the European economy from the devastating impact of the pandemic is a source of much pride at the EIB.  In this context, I would like to thank our long-term partners at UniCredit for the opportunity to once again invest in a sustainable, green and prosperous future for all Europeans.”

 

UniCredit Bank offers comprehensive solutions in terms of guarantee programmes. Companies of all sizes, from small and medium-sized enterprises to large multinational companies in all regions and a wide range of sectors, will find solutions at UniCredit Bank as part of the guarantee programmes.

 

At the same time, UniCredit Bank cooperates with international and domestic state institutions in order to offer its clients the widest range of favourable loans.  Companies can contact the UniCredit Bank corporate advisor, who will go through all the details of the programme with each client individually and make sure the application is processed.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

 

UniCredit Bank is coming up with big news in its current account offer, introducing three entirely new current accounts START, OPEN and TOP. All accounts are simple, transparent and designed to meet the clients’ individual needs. They will replace the bank's previous offer and, besides the basic parameters, they will also offer benefits in the form of travel insurance, as well as popular free withdrawals from ATMs at home and abroad. In addition, clients get not only banking services, but also a sense of freedom, security and a welcome gift with their chosen account. Accounts can be opened at the branch or online via Internet Banking or mobile Smart Banking.

Having recently introduced its new digital OPEN concept, UniCredit Bank has come up with three brand new accounts that will offer clients exactly what they are looking for.  The START account is intended for everyone who is looking for a simple current account for basic banking operations. It is completely free of charge and with no conditions. Compared to the current offer, the OPEN and TOP accounts are upgraded to include special benefits - travel insurance or insurance of cards, personal belongings and shopping on the Internet. The introduction of the new packages was preceded by interviews with potential clients and extensive market research aimed at finding the best possible offer for all customers.

“We are constantly improving and expanding our range of products and services to meet the changing needs of our clients. The new offer of accounts meets the expectations of our clients, i.e., simplicity, transparency and emphasis on individual client needs,” points out Tomáš Drábek, Head of Retail and Private Banking, Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

 

UniCredit Bank is coming up with big news in its current account offer, introducing three entirely new current accounts START, OPEN and TOP. All accounts are simple, transparent and designed to meet the clients’ individual needs. They will replace the bank's previous offer and, besides the basic parameters, they will also offer benefits in the form of travel insurance, as well as popular free withdrawals from ATMs at home and abroad. In addition, clients get not only banking services, but also a sense of freedom, security and a welcome gift with their chosen account. Accounts can be opened at the branch or online via Internet Banking or mobile Smart Banking.

Having recently introduced its new digital OPEN concept, UniCredit Bank has come up with three brand new accounts that will offer clients exactly what they are looking for.  The START account is intended for everyone who is looking for a simple current account for basic banking operations. It is completely free of charge and with no conditions. Compared to the current offer, the OPEN and TOP accounts are upgraded to include special benefits - travel insurance or insurance of cards, personal belongings and shopping on the Internet. The introduction of the new packages was preceded by interviews with potential clients and extensive market research aimed at finding the best possible offer for all customers.

“We are constantly improving and expanding our range of products and services to meet the changing needs of our clients. The new offer of accounts meets the expectations of our clients, i.e., simplicity, transparency and emphasis on individual client needs,” points out Tomáš Drábek, Head of Retail and Private Banking, Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

 

Since July, UniCredit Bank has been gradually deploying artificial intelligence - UniCredit chatbot - in its recruitment process in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It's a smart recruitment chatbot that interviews candidates for the first round and provides valuable data not only to the company but also to the candidates. UniCredit Bot can do more than any other chatbot on the Czech and Slovak market. It not only talks to candidates, but also analyses their data, tests them, and sorts them according to their suitability for the position.

 

“Digitisation is primarily to save people's work where technology can do it, “Hana Čitbajová, Head of People and Culture (Human Resources) presents the strategy behind the unique smart recruitment chatbot project. “We want to do more of the work that machines will never replace us for. Thanks to the chatbot, we get more space to engage in consultancy, advice and direct contact with employees. This is where I see the future of care and human development. “

UniCredit Bot knows how to know how a person fits into our bank. This profile fit, i.e. the ability to succeed in a position based on core competencies, commitment and mindset, helps recruiters from operational blindness. By identifying mainly, the approach to the job, even candidates who would not otherwise have a chance are given the opportunity. There are some skills that you can't get into a position without, but at UniCredit we can teach candidates quite a lot of skills in practice. The chatbot makes recruitment faster, more flexible and more open to different candidate talents.

“We see strategic work with data as the future and want to be market leaders in it. The chatbot project that we have launched is so unique that we plan to use it not only for recruitment, but also for the development of existing employees.  Chatbot is also an important part of UniCredit Bank's overall digital strategy “, says Jakub Dusílek, CEO of UniCredit Bank.

“We are gradually digitising our main retail products; we are constantly innovating our mobile and internet banking as well as we launched a new application for private clients. Chatbot demonstrates that we can fully leverage artificial intelligence and data analytics to attract quality colleagues who will strengthen our team, not only in the area of digitisation, “describes General Manager, Marco Iannaccone.

The intelligent chatbot doesn't just ask common HR questions. Candidates will have their personality profile created and emailed to them, even if they do not meet the requirements for the position. UniCredit wants to reward the candidates' time and interest, and at the same time motivate them for further growth. The profile also includes tips on how to continue to improve, for example when sharing information with the team or your own motivation. But it is important to add that there is certainly not universally good or bad profile. It always depends on the needs of the position or team.

Data future

Recruitment chatbots that collect basic candidate information already exist on the market, but none of them can work with the collected data like UniCredit Bot. Ordinary chatbots can only interview candidates according to a pre-prepared script that asks mainly about professional experience. UniCredit Bot goes much further, measuring how candidates fits a position, their approach to work, but also logical thinking. The data is then analysed in detail and the UniCredit Bank recruitment team uses the personality profile, which is part of the output from the chatbot, to find out not only what the candidate can do, but more importantly, how they will fit into the team, how satisfied they will be with the position and what their performance will be. The chatbot can measure whether a candidate is better suited to be an analyst or a salesperson, how motivated they are for their own growth and whether they have managerial potential. Moreover, its predictions will only get better: the more candidates it recruits, the smarter it gets.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Leading European business and finance magazine names UniCredit the Best Bank for Transaction Services in Western Europe and the Best Bank for Advisory in Central and Eastern Europe.

 

UniCredit has been named Western Europe’s Best Bank for Transaction Services and Central and Eastern Europe’s Best Bank for Advisory at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2021. The wins come as part of a clutch of awards that also includes Best Bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the same set of awards and separate recognition for several categories of Best in Service in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) in the Euromoney FX Survey 2021.

Established 19 years ago as the first awards of their kind, the Euromoney Awards for Excellence recognise corporate and investment banks that are role models in how they deliver market-leading products and services to meet client needs.

“We are delighted to receive these awards, which are further recognition of both our continued hard work and strength of approach” says Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit. “As ever, we continue to put clients at the very heart of what we do. My thanks go out to those clients for their trust and loyalty, as well as to our committed teams who have helped them with a range of different tools – from transaction banking services to tighten up everyday operations through to trusted advisory on capital raising and financing needs.”

With the accolade for Best Bank for Advisory in Central and Eastern Europe, UniCredit further cemented its leadership in the region, with Euromoney saying “UniCredit once again leveraged its regional network, sectoral approach and careful market positioning to notch the largest number of announced deals in the 12 months to March 31, 2021.UniCredit’s expertise in a range of sectors was amply demonstrated,” highlighting deals across financial institutions, infrastructure, renewable energy and technology.

The Western Europe’s Bank for Transaction Banking award comes as part of a growing recognition of UniCredit’s services in the field, with Euromoney noting that “the bank has emerged as a leading provider of vital cash management products, such as virtual accounts" while also praising other cutting-edge services such as IBAN check and high-speed international payments.

This has been reflected in the bank’s awards success. In recent years, the bank has consistently picked up some of the most prestigious prizes available, including The Banker’s Best Transaction Bank in Western Europe in 2019, The Banker’s Best Bank for Supply Chain Finance in 2020, and Euromoney’s Best Bank for Transaction Services in CEE in 2020.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

UniCredit has been recognised as Best Private Bank for Use of Technology in Central Eastern Europe (CEE) for the fourth year running in Professional Wealth Management (PWM)'s prestigious Global Wealth Tech Awards 2021.

 

The awards, now in their fourth year, are based on the judgements of an expert panel, made up of 16 industry professionals based in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, who evaluates institutions on their business growth, performance and product development.

 

Daniela Croitoru, Head of CEE Private Banking at UniCredit, said: "I am very pleased that UniCredit's digitalisation journey has been recognised with this prestigious award. Our priority across all of the CEE countries we service is for our teams to continue adopting and refining innovative approaches to maintain and improve our client relationships, even through difficult times."

 

The judges were impressed by UniCredit's continuous enhancement of its digital tools, which have enabled the bank to maintain proximity to its clients and advisers in each of the European countries it operates in during the pandemic.

 

Guided by clients' needs, the bank has recently focused on further strengthening its digital capabilities. This includes developing the Private Invest mobile application in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary to make rapid advisory services available to clients on their mobile and tablet devices, one of a number of innovative products that ensure clients can carry out their banking activities quickly, efficiently and remotely. The latter point, in particular, has proven essential as CEE emerges from the pandemic and requires flexibility in the new ways they manage finances.

 

UniCredit CEE Private Banking serves eight countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Slovenia) across Central and Eastern Europe, with a unique service model rooted in a holistic understanding of its clients, offering them digital solutions and following the UniCredit Global Private Banking Investment Strategy.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Milan, June 14th 2021 - UniCredit is pleased to announce that it has been recognised as the Best Sub-Custodian Bank in Central and Eastern Europe for 2021 by Global Finance – continuing a winning streak that now runs into its twelfth consecutive year. Alongside these top regional honours, the bank also picked up the top prize in eight individual country awards, scooping the title of Best Sub-Custodian Bank in Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia.

 

The awards for each region and country are determined by Global Finance's editorial board, factoring in market research, input from expert sources and users of sub-custodian services, as well as entries from banks, in order to select the institutions that reliably provide the best services in local markets. 

The criteria included customer relations, quality of service, competitive pricing, smooth handling of exception items, technology platforms, post-settlement operations, business continuity plans and knowledge of local regulations and practices, with UniCredit’s expertise in the securities services’ market regulation setting the bank apart from other providers.

 

Julia B. Romhanyi, Global Head of Securities Services, added: "At UniCredit, we take great pride in our sub-custodian services so we are delighted to have confirmed our position as the best sub-custodian bank in Central and Eastern Europe, on top of leading in eight countries as well. These accomplishments underline the bank’s dedication, especially throughout the challenges brought about by 15 months of changes due to the pandemic, where we have nevertheless ensured a consistently high-quality service. At the core of our success has been the dedication of our excellent team and our continued focus on providing high-quality, tailor-made and digital solutions. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team for their hard work and, of course, our clients, who give us the platform to reach these achievements.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Bratislava, June 9, 2021 - In December 2020, UniCredit Foundation launched for the second year the “Call for Europe” initiative with the aim to identify and support social projects helping children in the different European countries where UniCredit operates outside of Italy. The Group’s banks were asked to provide UniCredit Foundation with a shortlist of relevant local projects in each country by the end of February 2021 and an expert jury appointed by the Foundation selected the winning initiatives to be granted a total of 30,000 euros per country split among the winning projects.

48 projects were selected to receive the Foundation’s support this time across 12 UniCredit countries: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Slovenia. This included initiatives focused on supporting children’s education and learning, fostering inclusion, and providing dedicated facilities for their activities and health needs.

Maurizio Beretta, Chairman of the UniCredit Foundation, commented: “The Call for Europe initiative allows us to continue to raise awareness of children’s needs in our territories across Europe further encouraging all our local banks to actively monitor and engage with relevant solidarity projects in their communities. This is in line with our shared goal of supporting the needs of all the local communities where we operate and constantly working to generate a positive social impact in our countries.”

 

The winning projects in 2021 were:

Slovakia

1.       Viera-láska-nádej

2.       Kolobeh života

3.       o.z. Návrat

Czech Republic

1.       Foundation of Paediatric Oncology Krtek (NFDO Krtek)

2.       Charity House of Ronald McDonald

3.       Nadační fond Zelený život

UniCredit Foundation stays committed to supporting the communities in all the markets in which UniCredit is present. Last year, in response to the coronavirus emergency, the Foundation made significant donations in the various markets of the Group to support hospitals as well as different non-profit organisations on the front lines in the fight against the virus. This included contributing a total of over 1.2 million euros alongside funds raised from UniCredit employees to support three of the Italian hospitals most involved in the battle against COVID-19, 1.2 million euros donated for coronavirus emergency initiatives in Italy and 190 000 euros donated in support of fundraising initiatives in other Group countries in Europe.

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

 

About UniCredit Foundation

UniCredit Foundation is a corporate foundation established in 2003 in order to contribute to the development of solidarity and philanthropy in the communities and regions where it operates, primarily in the geographical areas in which UniCredit is present. Through the transfer of financial resources and management skills typical of the company, UniCredit Foundation supports projects for significant social impact and innovation, by local non-profits.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

The measurement & evaluation system has been developed with the think tank Human Foundation, to drive greater outcomes of social impact finance projects

Milan, 12^th of May - In line with the mission of UniCredit’s Social Impact Banking (SIB) initiative, to concretely contribute to building a fairer and more inclusive society, SIB has developed a new measurement & evaluation (M&E) system together with the think tank Human Foundation, focused on advancing social impact finance measurement standards and maximising the related direct and indirect social outcomes.

The dedicated M&E system allows UniCredit SIB to consistently monitor and evaluate its social impact finance activities across all 11 Group markets where SIB is active: Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

The aim is to track performance and the impact generated by comparing expected and achieved results on a continued basis through a tailored framework that also accounts for the characteristics of the different beneficiaries of specific projects. The Human Foundation think tank was chosen as a partner for the development of the M&E system thanks to their work in promoting innovative solutions to societal issues.

Laura Penna, Head of Group Social Impact Banking at UniCredit, commented: “At UniCredit, ESG is part of our DNA and this includes a strong social commitment in all our markets. Our Social Impact Banking programme helps us drive tangible positive social change in our communities and in order to ensure we are always growing our impact and making a real difference, we need to be able to track and measure social impact finance outcomes in a concrete and uniform way. This new measurement & evaluation system has been designed to help us do this effectively as well as make an important contribution for increased transparency and common standards in the wider social impact finance sector.”

The purpose of social impact finance is to create tangible positive social benefits through the financing of projects and initiatives that have the potential to deliver such outcomes. The sector has significantly grown worldwide in recent years[1] and we expect this trend to accelerate driven by the effects of the Covid-19 crisis.

This context increases the need for clear and common measurement methods to ensure the credibility of impact finance activities and avoid the risk of “impact washing”[2]. It is also important for the beneficiaries of impact finance programmes to guarantee a level playing field, agreement on specific KPIs for each project and increase transparency in the selection process. 

UniCredit’s social impact finance offer is aimed at supporting social innovation as a driver of change through loans at advantageous conditions as well as providing financial training and access to relevant partnerships and networks. A “pay for success” mechanism is integral to the offer to allow for additional economic benefits to the project / initiative based on the successful achievement of agreed social impact goals. In addition, UniCredit’s Social Impact Banking programme is also committed to inclusive finance, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses through microcredit and to financial education to encourage greater financial knowledge and social inclusion that can empower active citizenship.

To find more information on the M&E system please refer to the SIB Position Paper here.

For more information on UniCredit Social Impact Banking, please see here.

About UniCredit
UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

 

[1] Total impact investing market value was estimated at USD 502 billion as of end of 2018 (GIIN, 2019).

[2] “Impact washing” refers to the process of any bank, firm or fund using the social / environmental impact narrative for reputational and market purposes, but not contributing to the achievement of any tangible positive impact (IDS, 2019).

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

• European Investment Fund (EIF) and UniCredit sign umbrella guarantee agreement under the Pan-European Guarantee Fund to support SMEs affected by COVID-19 in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia
• Guarantees fall under Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF), a EUR 25 billion guarantee fund established by the EIB Group to accelerate post-COVID recovery of European companies.
• The uncapped guarantee provided by the European Investment Fund covers 70% of the loan exposure up to a total of EUR 300 million, has been signed with local banks in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia to support working capital and investment finance under the EGF.

Milan, 13th of May - European Investment Fund and UniCredit entered into an umbrella guarantee agreement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, offering support to companies in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia under the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF).

The guarantee will allow UniCredit to offer working capital and investment loans to SMEs guaranteed by the EIF at a rate of 70%. The portfolio of such lending is expected to reach up to EUR 300 million.

Gianfranco Bisagni, CEO of Commercial Banking CEE for UniCredit said: "We are offering continuous support to businesses through this initiative in order to manage the liquidity issues caused by COVID-19. This new agreement seeks to guarantee cash flow availability to companies, especially SMEs, which are the backbone of the European economy and generally lack access to capital markets. We thus allow them to finance working capital and investment programs, ensuring proper functioning of production and supply chains. At UniCredit, we work with our countries and engage in decisive and concrete measures to be part of the solution, helping companies and the local economies especially in light of the emergency we are living".

Roger Havenith, Deputy Chief Executive of the EIF said: “The EIF operation with UniCredit is good news for SMEs in Croatia, Slovakia and Bulgaria as it unlocks urgently needed financing for COVID-19 recovery, the protection of jobs and livelihoods of European citizens. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the EIB Group created the European Guarantee Fund to mobilize up to EUR 200 billion in investments and accelerate the recovery of the European economy. Today, five months after its launch, the EGF is half way to meeting this ambitious goal and I would like to thank UniCredit for contributing and partnering with us in this effort to support European businesses.”

As of March 31^st 2021 UniCredit in the CEE countries had 37 established guarantee schemes from IFIs and local development banks in total capacity of about EUR 5,1 billion, out of which EUR 2,7 billion was already utilized, and EUR 2,4 billion available for lending support in the region within the next 2-3 years.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic UniCredit has been providing quick response to the market and doubled its risk sharing capacity, continuing to finance its clients in this unprecedented time. The main increase in the support solutions, about EUR 2 billion, was achieved thanks to the new local COVID-19 related governmental programs, that UniCredit successfully channeled through its network in CEE.

As for the cooperation with IFIs, UniCredit extended the support solutions with EIB Group, implementing upgrades to the existing facilities (InnovFin, COSME) and designing new ones, such as this new EGF uncapped guarantee umbrella facility. 

The UniCredit banks in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia will benefit from this new guarantee scheme, the protection shield for EU businesses and one of the financial pillars of the EU economy recovery.

About EIF

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment. More information on EIF's work is available here.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful Pan European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in Corporate & Investment Banking, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive and growing client franchise. Client needs are met with solutions which harness synergies between business divisions: Corporate & Investment Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management. The way in which these solutions are developed and provided is as important as the solutions themselves, which is why everything is based on two core values: ethics and respect.

By focusing on banking that matters, UniCredit offers local and international expertise, providing unparalleled access to market leading products and services in 13 core markets through our European banking network. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

About  the Pan-European Guarantee Fund

The Pan-European Guarantee Fund is established by EIB Group and participating EU member states in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its total capacity of EUR 25 billion will help businesses recover from the pandemic, hire employees and grow. By mobilizing extra finance from the private sector, EGF aims to generate up to EUR 200 billion for the EU economy.

The EGF provides guarantees to free up capital for national promotional banks, local banks and other financial intermediaries in order to make more financing available for small and medium companies, mid-caps and corporates.

The participating countries in the European Union provide guarantees proportional to their share in the EIB or other institutions. The EGF Contributors’ Committee, made up by representatives from these countries, decides on the availability of the guarantees.

The guarantees will cover losses that may occur in the EGF operations of the EIB Group - including the EIB and its specialized SME-financing arm, the European Investment Fund.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Bratislava, 4. April – A detailed overview of your own assets and investment portfolio, market news or the opportunity to trade in securities, all available literally in a few clicks on your phone. UniCredit Bank introduces a new mobile app Private Invest for private banking clients.

“Digitisation is one of the strategic pillars of our bank’s development, on which our success in the market is built. As part of the digitisation of our services, we now introduce a new mobile app for our private clients. This app is an exclusive tool for managing clients’ finances and asset portfolio,” said Tomáš Drábek, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Retail & Private Banking at UniCredit Bank, adding that: “The app does not seek to replace important personal contact with the banker in private banking; instead, it aims to enable clients to have information and key services at hand literally anywhere.”

In addition to the portfolio overview, trading opportunities and market news, clients will also find portfolio performance, an overview of the transactions made and events planned, or information on other products and services of the bank in the app.

The app is available to clients in Slovakia and the Czech Republic in the Google Play and App Store. It can be used on both mobile devices and tablets. Before activating the app, a demo version is available on the splash screen, which guides clients through all available features, allowing them to try the app without the need to activate it.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

The initiative will be extended until end of September 2021

Milan, April 21, 2021 - UniCredit has supported around 37 thousand suppliers thanks to processing close to 4 billion euros of invoices significantly faster through a dedicated initiative first launched in April 2020 in response to the business impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Paying suppliers faster means paying invoices “at sight” rather than by standard contractual terms thereby considerably speeding up the payment cycle and helping businesses with their working capital needs.

Carlo Vivaldi, Co-Chief Operating Officer of UniCredit, said: “Businesses across our markets continue to face the many challenges from the Covid-19 emergency and we are committed to supporting them and providing liquidity to the real economy. The faster invoice processing initiative allows us to offer concrete support to thousands of suppliers across our Group, helping us be part of the solution and actively contribute to business recovery from this crisis.”

The initiative has so far allowed UniCredit to significantly speed up the payment of 300 000 invoices Group-wide compared to standard terms and will be extended until end of September 2021 to offer continued support in the current challenging market context, always in compliance with all standard local controls.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Bratislava, 26th March – Tomorrow, Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm CET, UniCredit will turn off the lights in 45 of its buildings across 14 countries for sixty minutes marking the Group's fourteenth consecutive year of taking part in Earth Hour. Organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), this is a global movement uniting people to take action on environmental issues and help protect the planet.

Giuseppe Zammarchi, Head of Group Sustainability, said: "Our annual participation in Earth Hour is part of UniCredit’s wider efforts to support sustainability and take action against climate change. We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our operations as well as assisting our clients in the transition to a low carbon and climate resilient economy. Sustainability is part of our DNA and core values as a bank and we continue to further integrate ESG across all areas of our operations and business. In 2020, UniCredit achieved a 60 percent reduction versus its 2008 GHG emissions with the long-term target of an 80 percent reduction by 2030."

A further example of the bank’s strong commitment to sustainability is the partnership with Treedom, an online platform which allows people to plant trees remotely and follow their growth online. This initiative was launched in 2020 and will create the UniCredit Forest consisting of at least 90,000 new trees, which will be planted across: Italy, Colombia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar and Tanzania. The UniCredit Forest will help reduce global CO2 by approximately 20,542,500kg over the next 10 years, equivalent to emissions produced by around 4,400 cars each year.

The main UniCredit buildings participating in Earth Hour this year are listed below:  

Country	City	Address
Austria	Vienna	Campus, Rothschildplatz 1
		Campus, Rothschildplatz 4
		UniCredit Sphere at the Danube Tower
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Mostar	Kardinala Stepinca bb
	Sarajevo	Zelenih beretki, 24
Bulgaria	Sofia	7, Sq. Sveta Nedelya
		14, Gyueshevo Str.
		8, Aksakov Str.
	Ruse	5, Sveta Troitsa Sq.
	Burgas	22, Alexandrovska Str.
	Stara Zagora	126, Simeon Veliki Blvd.
	Plovdiv	4, Ivan Vazov Str.
Croatia	Zagreb	Samoborska, 145
		Resellova, 4
		Prosenikova 5-7
		Francesca Tenchinija 2a
Czech Republic	Prague	4, Zeletavska 1 – Filadelfie
		1, Námesti Republiky 3a - Banking House
Germany	Munich	HVB Tower, Arabellastrasse, 12
		HHO, Arabellastrasse, 14
		KF14, Kardinal-Faulhaber-Str., 14
Hungary	Budapest	Szabadság tér 5-6
Italy	Milan	UniCredit Tower A - Piazza Gae Aulenti, 3
		Via Livio Cambi, 1
	Bologna	Via del Lavoro
	Reggio Emilia	Via Rivoluzione di Ottobre, 16
	Verona	Via dell'Agricoltura
	Rome	Largo Fochetti, 16
		Largo Anzani
	Genova	Via Dante, 1
	Palermo	Via Ruggiero Settimo, 26
Romania	Bucharest	UniCredit Tower, Expoziției Bulevardul 1F
		No. 23-25th, Ghetarilor Street Bucharest
		No. 2-4, George Constantinescu Street, Campus Globalworth, building C
	Iasi	No. 5C Palas Street
Russia	Moscow	Prechistenskaya emb., 9
		Boutikovsky lane, 9
		Andropova avenue, 18/1
		1-st Kazachy lane, 9/1
	Saint Petersburg	Fontanka emb., 2/48
Serbia	Belgrade	Rajiceva street, 27-29
		BBC, Jurija Gagarina, 12
Slovenia	Ljubljana	Šmartinska cesta, 140
Slovakia	Bratislava	Sancova, 1/A
United Kingdom	London	Moor House 120, London Wall

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

10th March 2021 - Annual industry awards underline strength of platform and distribution network

UniCredit has once again been recognised for its excellence in the distribution of structured retail products – retaining its market-leading status through a string of performance-related accolades at Structured Retail Products' 2021 Awards, including:

• Best Distributor, Austria;
• Best Distributor / Best Performance, Germany;
• Best Distributor, Eastern Europe

 

The bank also picked up two new awards, namely:

• Best Performance, Czech Republic;
• Best Distributor / Best Performance, Slovakia

The Structured Retail Products Awards are the only quant-driven, independent awards for the structured products industry, with the results based on sales and performance data[1].

Commenting on this year’s success, Guido Filippa, Head of Institutional Distribution and Private Investor Products, said: “In what has been a challenging context, these results reflect the intrinsic value of having a 'fully plugged-in' CIB across our core European markets, as well as the ability to innovate and adapt to client demand with best-in-class solutions.”

UniCredit's Private Investor Products division is responsible for the distribution of Markets products – across all asset classes – to the Group's extensive client franchise. Acting as a sales organisation and product manufacturer, it provides best-in-class tailored solutions to meet a wide range of investment needs.

Filippa added: "Looking ahead, we will continue to put clients at the core of our business – leveraging on the close synergies between our distribution networks to optimise our product offering and provide greater control over portfolios.”

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

 

[1] This year’s results cover the period 1st October 2019 – 30th September 2020.

Leading status in over thirty categories reflects strength of pan-European platform

Milan, 05 March, 2021 UniCredit has been recognised as the best global trade finance bank for customer service in this year’s Euromoney Trade Finance Survey, which saw the bank consolidate its market-leading position picking up 31 awards across various categories and geographies.

The survey, now in its tenth year, collates feedback from over 11,000 corporates and financial institutions, providing compelling evidence of UniCredit’s product expertise, best-in-class customer service and deep understanding of its core European markets.

The results benchmark banks under two headings – ‘Best Service’, which assesses levels of customer service, and ‘Market Leader’, which combines penetration, percentage of business and turnover data to create an overall ranking of the best trade finance banks.

In the ‘Best Service’ rankings, UniCredit not only retained top global honours in the ‘All Services’ category, but also for its ‘Advisory’ and ‘Product’ capabilities, whilst picking up two new global titles for ‘Support & Advisory’ and its ‘Digital Offering’ – the latter a nod to the bank’s ongoing push to develop innovative solutions tailored to clients' evolving needs.

At a regional level, UniCredit was once again recognised as the best provider of ‘All Services’ in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), as well as leading the region’s ‘Digital Offering’ and ‘Product’ categories. The depth of the bank’s geographical coverage was further underlined by number-one rankings for ‘All Services’ in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.

Notably, UniCredit was also highly successful in the ‘Market Leader’ category, securing both the top spot in CEE, alongside a further eleven countries – namely, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Slovakia.

Commenting on the recognition, Luca Corsini, UniCredit's Co-Head of Global Transaction Banking, said: “We strive to deliver the highest-quality products to our clients – with the shift to remote working prompting increased interest in our burgeoning range of digital solutions. This year’s Trade Finance Survey recognises our ongoing efforts in these areas as we continue to support and finance the real economy.”

Giovanni Solaroli, also Co-Head of Global Transaction Banking, added: “This set of truly pan-European results are testament to our teams' collaborative spirit, expertise, and commitment to providing best-in-class services in a challenging environment.”

The Euromoney Trade Finance Survey adds to an increasing list of successes for UniCredit’s trade finance platform. Recent honours include ‘Best Trade Finance Bank in CEE’ and ‘Best Supply Chain Finance Provider in CEE’ at Global Finance’s 2021 Trade and Supply Chain Finance Awards. In 2020, UniCredit was also recognised as the ‘Best Bank for Transaction Services in Central & Eastern Europe’ at Euromoney's Awards for Excellence.

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About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

 

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Today, the Board of Directors of UniCredit SpA unanimously nominated Andrea Orcel as designated Chief Executive Officer (CEO), for inclusion in the list for the renewal of the Board of Directors, to replace the outgoing CEO, Jean Pierre Mustier. The list will be presented for approval at the upcoming AGM on April 15, 2021. Upon AGM approval of the list, the Board will confirm his appointment as CEO.

Chairman Cesare Bisoni said: “After an intense search and a thorough evaluation process, I am pleased to report that the Board has unanimously chosen Andrea Orcel as designated CEO of UniCredit. He has an impressive track record in bringing together talent and technology to transform financial organizations across multiple geographies. Also on behalf of the Board of Directors, I would also like to thank Jean Pierre Mustier for his years of dedicated service and outstanding contribution to our Group.”

Chairman Designate Pier Carlo Padoan said: “Andrea Orcel is a strong international leader, well-respected and committed to achieving results together with his teams. He has a vast breadth of experience and exceptional strategic judgement, which will be essential in leading UniCredit into the future. I look forward to working with him.”

In making the appointment, the Corporate Governance, Nomination and Sustainability Committee, supported by Spencer Stuart, considered candidates with extensive experience and an ability to inclusively lead an organization through change. The committee noted in particular Andrea Orcel's exceptional credentials, strong leadership and deep knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in international financial services.

In compliance with applicable regulations, the appointment of all board members will be submitted to the European Central Bank following the AGM for its fit & proper assessment.

In the selection of all candidates for the list of the new Board of Directors, including the CEO, the Board of Directors is proceeding according to the official process, which can be consulted in the governance section of the Group’s website.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Bratislava, 27 January 2021 - UniCredit Bank celebrates its thirtieth anniversary of operating in the Slovak market. During this period, it became a key player in the Slovak banking sector and a significant driver of the Slovak economy.

At the beginning of this year 2021, it will be exactly 30 years since UniCredit Bank kicked off its operation in Slovakia. However, it was established several months earlier. Its predecessor, the Slovak Agricultural Bank, was established at the inaugural general meeting held on 26 June 1990.

Four years later, the bank was renamed Poľnobanka. An important milestone was the change of the majority shareholder in 2000, the Italian group UniCredito Italiano. Two years later, Poľnobanka was rebranded as UniBanka, which also meant transforming a bank focused on the agricultural sector to a universal financial institution.

In 2007, UniBanka and HVB Bank Slovakia merged, which resulted in a much larger universal bank with a new name UniCredit Bank Slovakia.

In 2013, we carried out the first cross-border merger of UniCredit Bank in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Since 1 December 2013, it has become UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, a banking institution that operates in both Slovak and Czech markets. As a result, a cross-border bank has been established, being the largest bank in terms of the amount of capital and volume of assets as it leveraged on the synergies from both markets.

The bank represents one of the leaders in the Slovak corporate banking, having taken part in major local and international transactions and international business financing, keeping its strong position in agribusiness. In addition, the bank has always maintained strong position in both private and retail banking segments, as recognised by numerous local and international awards.

“UniCredit Bank as a financial institution represents one of key drivers of the Slovak economy, supporting local clients and communities and driving the innovation. Being a part of a leading pan-European banking group, we have always been able to face challenges head on and always support our clients’ business with the best services in the Slovak and Czech markets. As a result, we have generated value added for the country, our clients, employees and shareholders,” says Jakub Dusílek, CEO, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

„Digitisation and client satisfaction are and will remain one of our key strategic pillars.  As an answer to the fast-changing needs of our clients, throughout the years of our business operations in the Slovak and Czech markets, we significantly invested in innovative banking solutions and development of financial services. We have provided our clients with easy-to-deal-with mobile and internet banking, online sales of banking products, simplified processes in retail, corporate and investment banking, and we will continue to invest in digitisation,” says Marco Iannaccone, General Manager, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

 

“Our bank has always acted as a strong and committed supporter of local communities in which it operates.  In recent years alone, we have donated more than one million euros to charity and socially responsible activities. We have always represented a role model in dealing with the tax-relief mechanisms, at the same time, always demonstrating strong employee commitment and engagement from all our Group colleagues in local initiatives in Slovakia,” emphasised Miroslav Štrokendl, Head of Foreign Branch.

 

Just to list the most important ones, UniCredit Bank has helped build the Paediatric Day Oncology Clinic in Kramáre, so that children could be at home as much as possible during the most difficult period of treatment. In addition to this, we participated in modernising the rooms at the clinic. The bank supported financially numerous children’s associations with purchase of equipment, reuniting children with their families, rewarding talents and supporting children with different medical conditions.

During the pandemic, in cooperation with the UniCredit Foundation, the bank distributed 180,000 euros among five hospitals that urgently needed help, primarily to purchase protective equipment for their medical staff and equipment to fight COVID-19.

An integral part of the bank are its employees. Some of them have been with the bank right from the start and they have been working here since the beginning of the bank’s operation in Slovakia. Recently, in its main head office buildings, the bank gradually introduced the so-called Smart Office, a modern office space where employees can use a creative work environment in combination with working from home. The bank offers equal opportunities and supports its teams’ diversity and is a proud recipient of the Top Employers Institute certification as the Best European Employer in 2018 and 2019.

 

History of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, a. s., pobočka zahraničnej banky 1990 – 2020

• 1990: Establishment of the Slovak Agricultural Bank, which was, by the way, the first “private bank”, a joint-stock company in Slovakia.
• 1994: Slovak Agricultural Bank rebranded as Poľnobanka.
• 2000: Change of the majority shareholder to the Italian group UniCredito Italiano.
• 2002 Poľnobanka rebranded as UniBanka and transformation from an agricultural bank to a universal financial institution.

Bank Austria – Creditanstalt – HypoVereinsbank – HVB Bank Slovakia

• 1994: Bank Austria Slovakia, a. s., established itself in the Slovak banking market.
• 1999: Merger with the second largest Austrian bank Creditanstalt operating in Slovakia created a bank with the common name Bank Austria Creditanstalt Slovakia, a. s. (BACA).
• 2001: A year of further expansion of the bank. The Austrian Bank Austria Creditanstalt merged with the German HypoVereinsbank, which previously operated in the Slovak market under the name HypoBank. A new multinational bank HVB Bank Slovakia, a. s., was established.
• 2007: April 2007 is an important milestone when the Italian UniBanka and the German-Austrian HVB Bank merged to create the common UniCredit Bank Slovakia, a. s.
• 2013: Merger of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and UniCredit Bank Slovakia. Since 1 December 2013, the bank has been operating under the common business name of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, a. s. In Slovakia, the business name of the new bank is extended by the addendum “pobočka zahraničnej banky”.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European commercial bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Milano, 27 January 2021 - UniCredit is proud to be included for the second time in Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index – GEI. The 2021 GEI includes 380 companies across 44 countries and regions, and 11 sectors.

Sara Gay, Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion at UniCredit, commented: “Whilst we remain conscious of the journey ahead, we are proud to say that UniCredit is making concrete progress in increasing female representation in its senior management as well as executive management roles. We will continue to focus on diversity and inclusion with a strong commitment and are further encouraged by the inclusion in this year’s Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index alongside other companies that are setting a clear example to advance women in the workplace. This is an important acknowledgement for us that shows our commitment to ensuring that we strengthen our Group-wide pipeline of talented women in line with our pledge for a more diverse leadership team.”

UniCredit is committed to ensuring a fair and positive work environment for all employees with a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. In 2018 the bank joined the Women in Finance Charter setting itself the target of 20 per cent of women in senior management by 2022. Last year UniCredit strengthened this important pledge with a further target of 30 per cent of women in senior management by 2023.

The bank’s commitments are supported by concrete Group-wide initiatives with ongoing monitoring. In 2019 the first ever cross-country, cross-industry International Mentoring Program WeFly was launched to support female middle manager colleagues in their professional growth. Dedicated Inclusive Leadership Programs as well as Unconscious Bias training have been rolled out to all managers across the Group to ensure they have the right tools to help continually create a more inclusive working environment.

UniCredit has also introduced policies on Harassment and Anti-Retaliation to promote an environment where all employees feel comfortable in open and honest communication. Furthermore, since 2017, all top managers have a specific set of KPIs related to “People” covering gender balance and gender diversity initiatives as tangible proof of the strong commitment and accountability of our senior executives to diversity and inclusion.

The GEI brings transparency to gender-related practices and policies at publicly listed companies increasing the breadth of environmental, social and governance (ESG) data available to investors. The comprehensive, transparent GEI scoring methodology allows investors to assess company performance and compare across industry peer groups.

The reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brand.

Through disclosure of gender-related metrics using the GEI framework, the firms included in the 2021 GEI have committed to provide a comprehensive look at their investment in workplace gender equality and the communities in which they operate, raising the bar of what should be expected from other companies within the same industry. UniCredit was included in this year’s index for scoring at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect a high level of disclosure and overall performance across the framework’s five pillars.

Both the framework and the GEI are voluntary and have no associated costs. The GEI is a reference index and is not for use as a financial benchmark. The index is not ranked.

To learn more please visit the GEI website.

About UniCredit
UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 16 countries worldwide.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Local Certifications were achieved in five European Countries: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Russia

 

UniCredit has been officially certified by the Top Employers Institute for the fourth year running for its exceptional employee offering, reaffirming the Group's status as a great place to work.

The European level Top Employers Certification was awarded thanks to the local Certifications achieved by UniCredit in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Russia.

Each year, the Top Employers Institute certifies organisations who are focused on putting their people first through their exceptional HR policies.

The organisations are certified based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey, which covers six HR domains consisting of 20 topics such as People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Wellbeing and Diversity & Inclusion.

“Receiving the Top Employers Europe Certification again this year shows how, even in very complex and difficult times like the current period, UniCredit continues to focus on supporting the development of its people and ensuring a positive working environment where all employees feel engaged and can actively add value to the Group,” commented Paolo Cornetta, Head of Group Human Capital.

Milan, 25 January 2021

 

Contacts

UniCredit Media Relations

e-mail: mediarelations@unicredit.eu   

Country level awards for the bank also in Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Austria (Schoellerbank)

 

UniCredit is pleased to announce that it has been recognised as the Best Private Bank in Central and Eastern Europe for 2021 by Global Finance, for the 6^th year in a row. Alongside this regional award, the bank also took home other individual country awards as best Private Bank 2021 in Bulgaria for the first year, in Czech Republic for the second year in a row and, for the 6^th consecutive year, in Austria with Schoellerbank.

 

The awards for each region and country within the sixth annual World’s Best Private Banks Awards for 2021 were determined by Global Finance’s editorial board, factoring in inputs from executives and industry insiders, information from entries submitted by banks as well as independent research, in order to evaluate a series of objective and subjective factors to select the banks that best serve the specialised needs of high-net-worth individuals as they seek to enhance, preserve and pass on their wealth.

 

Commenting these achievements, Gianfranco Bisagni, Niccolò Ubertalli, Francesco Giordano and Olivier Khayat, respectively Co-CEOs Commercial Banking, Central Eastern Europe and Co-CEOs Commercial Banking Western Europe, said: “we’re extremely proud of these results, accomplished thanks to a very talented team of people. We’re confident that together as One Bank, One UniCredit we will keep delivering the best value proposition to our clients”.

Milan, 9 December 2020 - UniCredit is partnering with Treedom, an online platform which allows people to plant trees remotely and follow their growth online. The initiative will create the UniCredit Forest, consisting of at least 90,000 new trees which will be planted across Italy, Colombia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar and Tanzania. The UniCredit Forest will help reduce global CO2 by approximately 20,542,500kg over the next 10 years, equivalent to emissions produced by around 4,400 cars each year ^[1].

 All employees of the Group will have the opportunity to get involved in the project, also by planting their own, personal tree in the UniCredit Forest for free. In addition, colleagues will get a special discount if they want to plant more trees.

Jean Pierre Mustier, CEO of UniCredit commented: "We are proud of this initiative, another example of our strong commitment to sustainability, which is part of our Group's DNA. The partnership with Treedom, closely followed by our Millennial Board, allows us to support the environment whilst also raising awareness and engaging our employees in the important mission to fight climate change. Our UniCredit Forest will consist of trees dedicated to all our employees, with everyone getting their own tree, showing that we are One Bank."

The project follows the 2019 Global Week of Climate Action when the Group encouraged employees to exchange ideas amongst themselves and with clients about what UniCredit can do to make a difference. The creation of the UniCredit Forest was one of the projects to emerge from this exchange and was closely followed by our Millennial Board ^[2].

UniCredit
UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

 

[1] Source: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

[2] The UniCredit Millennial Board consists of employees ranging from 22-32 years of age, working to challenge pre-conceived patterns and raise awareness on the views of new generations (on banking topics), proposing innovative ideas and solutions.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Client-led survey names UniCredit as either Best Service Provider or Market Leader for Cash Management in twelve countries.

UniCredit has been recognised as the Best Service Provider in ten individual countries, including two of the bank’s core markets – Austria and Germany – in Euromoney’s 2020 Cash Management Survey.

In addition, the bank also retained its longstanding position as Market Leader in Austria and Italy – alongside eight CEE regions – for a second consecutive year.

Conducted annually, the Euromoney Cash Management Survey identifies the leading providers of cash management products and services – this year collecting over 32,000 responses from non-financial institutions.

Commenting on the results, Luca Corsini, UniCredit’s Co-Head of Global Transaction Banking, said: “We are very proud of these achievements, which reflect both the pan-European coverage of our platform and the ability to help clients of all shapes and sizes navigate the unprecedented challenges we’ve seen this year.”

Giovanni Solaroli, also Co-Head of Global Transaction Banking, added: “This recognition is testament to our teams’ collaborative spirit, expertise, and commitment to providing best-in-class cash management services.”

The results follow a strong year of investment across UniCredit’s cash management platform – including innovations such as virtual accounts, instant payments, SWIFT gpi, and digital document signing – whereby the Group has sought to spearhead industry trends and optimise digital tools, remaining agile around clients’ ever-changing needs.

 

Full breakdown as follows:

Best Service Provider in:

• Austria
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Germany
• Hungary
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia

 

Market Leader in:

• Austria
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Hungary
• Italy
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia

 

The bank’s standout performance in this year’s survey adds to a burgeoning list of award wins within Global Transaction Banking, with recent recognition including: ‘Best Bank for Supply Chain Finance’ at The Banker's 2020 Transaction Banking Awards; ‘Best Bank for Transaction Services in Central & Eastern Europe’ at Euromoney's 2020 Awards for Excellence; and ‘Best Transaction Services Provider in Western Europe’ at The Banker's 2019 Transaction Banking Awards.

 

Milan, 04 December, 2020

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Contacts:

UniCredit Media Relations

mediarelations@unicredit.eu

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

Bratislava, 26 November 2020 – UniCredit Bank meets the needs of all its clients and installs 60 ATMs with a deposit function at its points of sale. Besides the current ten, the bank will install another 9 by the end of the year and 41 by March next year. Deposit ATMs will be installed across the entire network of the bank’s points of sale.

Owing to the installation of deposit ATMs, the bank’s clients – individuals, as well as entrepreneurs – will be able to deposit cash at any time during the day free of charge, and their money will appear instantly in their account, either their own or foreign, within UniCredit Bank.

“We record long-term interest of clients in the possibility of depositing cash through ATMs. They especially appreciate the immediate availability, speed and the possibility of depositing money even after closing time of the respective point of sale. The data provided by our deposit ATMs show that more than a third of all deposit transactions take place on a regular basis outside the opening hours,” says Tomáš Drábek, Head of Retail & Private Banking at UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Clients can deposit up to 200 pieces of banknotes per deposit up to a maximum of EUR 10,000.

At present, clients can use deposit ATMs at the following points of sale: Myjava, Pezinok, Senec, Šamorín, Hlohovec, Lučenec, Kežmarok, Bardejov, Trebišov and Humenné. By the end of the year, the bank will make available another 9 deposit ATMs: Levoča, Žiar nad Hronom, Rožňava, Bánovce, Prešov Hlavná, Košice Rooseveltova, Nitra Štefánikova, Zvolen Nám. SNP and Trnava. 

By March 2021, deposit ATMs will be installed at another 41 points of sale, covering the entire network of the bank.

 

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Milan 21 October 2020

UniCredit and the UniCredit European Works Council (UEWC) have signed the first joint declaration on remote work. This will allow the Group to extend the opportunities offered by technological advances, enabling new ways of working to support a better work-life balance and greater efficiency.

At UniCredit, the safety of our employees and clients is our top priority, so we take decisions based on data. At the same time, we are building on insights gained during the pandemic to prepare for the future, focusing on the evolving needs of our employees and clients, to ensure an increasingly inclusive environment.

The joint declaration was signed by UniCredit CEO Jean Pierre Mustier and UEWC Chairman Luciano Malvolti. Together, they have built on experiences from the ongoing pandemic to strengthen remote work solutions, integrating them in combination with work in physical premises. The document defines the guidelines, principles and future minimum quality standards for remote work, in line with UniCredit’s goal of building a positive and engaging work environment for all employees.

UniCredit CEO Jean Pierre Mustier commented: “Covid-19 has significantly changed our clients’ mindset and behaviours, encouraging us to accelerate our digital and remote banking transformation. We are also leveraging on this new reality for our colleagues, because we believe that remote work can increase their quality of life. This is fully in line with our social commitments and ambition to be the best place to work.”

UEWC Chairman Luciano Malvolti said: “This is another positive step forwards in our ongoing investment in social dialogue with UniCredit. It is crucial to our joint progress that, in challenging times such as these, we are still able to plan for the future and define concrete solutions to meet the needs of employees as well as of the company.”

The new joint declaration aims to develop a global approach to offer all our colleagues access to remote working in the future, with a progressive local implementation plan which targets the following Group standards:

• Headquarters and central offices: 40 per cent of remote working time, to be distributed on a weekly or monthly basis (i.e. on average 2 days per week)
• Network: 20 per cent of remote working time, to be distributed on a weekly or monthly basis (i.e. on average 1 day a week).

The implementation of this agreement will be jointly monitored by representatives of both parties. It complements several other joint declarations, such as on Training, Learning and Professional Development, Equal Opportunities and Non-Discrimination, Responsible Sales and Work-Life Balance.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

Enquiries: mediarelations@unicredit.eu

UniCredit has been recognised by Capital Finance International (CFI.co) magazine as the Best Social Impact Bank in Europe in 2020. The judges highlighted UniCredit’s determination to “make a difference and have an impact” as well as its redoubling of efforts considering the Covid-19 pandemic, to engage with stakeholders, map their concerns and needs, and adjust policies and product offering accordingly. UniCredit’s commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace was further highlighted as well as its “strong and meaningful corporate social responsibility policies”.

Commenting on the award, Roberta Marracino, Head of Group ESG Strategy & Impact Banking, said: “We are very proud to be acknowledged by CFI as the Best Social Impact Bank in Europe. This tells us that our strong efforts through our Social Impact Banking programme, UniCredit Foundation and the Group’s overall approach to ESG are noticed and valued by our stakeholders. Acting in a socially responsible way continues to be a priority for UniCredit. The Covid-19 crisis has made all of us much more aware of the role of corporations in driving positive social change. We will continue to do the right thing and work in this direction in line with the needs and interests of all our stakeholders.”

Winners were selected by the Capital Finance International judging panel of industry experts seeking to identify individuals and organisations that contribute significantly to the convergence of economies and truly add value for all stakeholders.

UniCredit’s Social Impact Banking has since launch supported more than 4,000 beneficiaries through Microcredit and Impact Financing as well as providing various financial education programmes to the benefit of around 50.000 young people and disadvantaged individuals.

In 2020 UniCredit has confirmed its continued strong social commitment by providing more than 6.4 billion euros to European SMEs[1] to help them mitigate the unprecedented Covid-19 emergency whilst also making significant donations in the various markets of the Group through UniCredit Foundation to support hospitals and different non-profit organisations on the front lines in the fight against the pandemic.

For more information on UniCredit SIB, please visit: https://www.unicreditgroup.eu/en/a-sustainable-bank/social-and-relationship-capital/social-impact-banking.html

ENDS

UniCredit
UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

Enquiries: mediarelations@unicredit.eu

 

[1] As at 30/06/2020

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Bratislava, 15 October 2020 - UniCredit is the Main Partner of the Finance 4 Social Change (F4SC) project through its Social Impact Banking (SIB) programme in line with the Bank’s strong commitment to building a fairer and more inclusive society by promoting initiatives that can have a positive social impact.

The F4SC project, which is funded through the EU Transnational Danube Program, aims to scout, support and award social entrepreneurs through a well-structured selection process, involving about 250 participants. It provides the perfect platform for UniCredit SIB to directly support social entrepreneurship as a driver of social development and progress across the Bank’s different countries, including: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

The project has been designed to support the economy that inspires positive change in the Danube region thanks to carefully designed activities with the main aim of paving the way for more social innovation and the development of investment-ready social enterprises.

UniCredit colleagues will participate in the workshops of the Social Impact Business Plan Competition, a core part of the F4SC project, to offer their expertise and mentorship to the participants.

In addition, they will also take part in the jury that will select the four winning projects in the pitching sessions in 2021.

Roberta Marracino, Head of Group ESG Strategy & Impact Banking at UniCredit, commented: “At UniCredit, ESG is a core part of our DNA and the business strategy of the Bank. This includes a strong commitment to social issues where we have a growing ambition to help drive change by offering concrete support to entrepreneurs and initiatives with a significant positive social impact. The Finance for Social Change project is one such example, helping us do our part and offer tangible and meaningful support to the different communities where we operate.”

UniCredit SIB was first launched in Italy at the end of 2017. In 2019, the programme was rolled out in 10 additional Group markets, including: Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia and Hungary. Since launch, SIB has supported more than 4,000 beneficiaries through Microcredit and Impact Financing as well as providing various financial education programmes to the benefit of around 50.000 young people and disadvantaged individuals.

In addition, in 2020 UniCredit confirmed its continued strong social commitment by providing more than 6.4 billion euros to European SMEs to help them mitigate the unprecedented Covid-19 emergency whilst also making significant donations in the various markets of the Group through UniCredit Foundation to support hospitals and different non-profit organisations on the front lines in the fight against the pandemic.

For more information on UniCredit SIB, please visit:

https://www.unicreditgroup.eu/en/a-sustainable-bank/social-and-relationship-capital/social-impact-banking.html  

To find out more about the F4SC project please visit:

http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/finance4socialchange  

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

UniCredit has won six awards at this year’s Euromoney Awards for Excellence, achieving recognition across the following categories.

 

• Best Bank in Central & Eastern Europe
• Best Bank for Transaction Services in Central & Eastern Europe
• Best Bank in Austria
• Best Bank in Bulgaria
• Best Bank in Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Best Bank in Germany

 

Alongside the CEE regional accolade, the results also see UniCredit retain its crown as the ‘Best Bank for Transaction Services in Central & Eastern Europe’, with Euromoney commenting: “As well as maintaining leading transaction services, advisory and markets franchises, the Italian group has shown consistent appetite for putting its balance sheet to work across the region”.

 

The Euromoney Awards for Excellence were established in 1992 and are widely regarded as the definitive awards programme for the global banking industry, identifying ‘the best of the best’ in all countries offering banking services.

 

As in previous years, the judging criteria include profitability, demonstrable growth, relative outperformance compared with peers and the ability to adapt to changing market conditions and client needs.

 

Jean Pierre Mustier, CEO of UniCredit, said: “Being recognised by Euromoney as the best bank across these markets is clear testament to the tremendous work our teams are doing and to our continued efforts to support clients across the Group. I am very proud of these awards and would like to personally thank each of our employees across Europe who continue to work tirelessly to help us deliver on our commitments.”

 

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Contacts

Media Relations

Tel +39 02 88623569

e-mail: mediarelations@unicredit.eu

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

In December 2019, UniCredit Foundation launched the “Call for Europe 2019 – Supporting Childhood” initiative with the aim to identify and support social projects helping children in the different European countries where UniCredit is present outside of Italy. The Group’s banks were asked to provide UniCredit Foundation with a shortlist of relevant local projects in each country by the end of February 2020 and an expert jury appointed by the Foundation selected the winning initiatives to be granted a total of 500 000 euros split among the winners.

44 projects have received the Foundation’s support across 12 Group countries, including: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Slovenia.

Maurizio Beretta, Chairman of the UniCredit Foundation, commented: “In line with our shared belief of always doing the right thing, the different banks of UniCredit Group in Europe have worked together with UniCredit Foundation to identify deserving local projects focused on children and their needs. The role of our banks of different Countries has been key in this initiative to select the right projects to be rewarded in line with the needs and circumstances of each community.”

UniCredit Foundation stays committed to supporting the communities in all the markets in which the Bank is present. In response to the coronavirus emergency, the Foundation has made significant donations in the various markets of the Group to support hospitals as well as different non-profit organisations in the front line in the fight against COVID-19.

All projects selected for the “Call for Europe 2019 – Supporting Childhood” initiative are run by non-profit organisations and have a focus on supporting children and adolescents (0-18) in line with the priorities of each specific local community and with the aim of generating a positive social impact in the medium/long term.

 

The winning projects are

Slovakia

• Naruc – Help for Children
• Malicek, o.z.
• Hospic Plamienok

Czech Republic

• Nave Italia
• Domov Laguna Psary
• Deti Upinku

 

About UniCredit
UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

 

About UniCredit Foundation
UniCredit Foundation is a corporate foundation established in 2003 in order to contribute to the development of solidarity and philanthropy in the communities and regions where it operates, primarily in the geographical areas in which UniCredit is present. Through the transfer of financial resources and management skills typical of the company, UniCredit Foundation supports projects for significant social impact and innovation, by local non-profits.

 

Enquiries:

UniCredit Media Relations

email: mediarelations@unicredit.eu

UniCredit is pleased to announce that the Bank has been recognised as the Best private bank for use of technology in Central Eastern Europe (CEE) by Professional Wealth Management (PWM) for the third time in a row within prestigious PWM Global Wealth Tech 2020 Awards.

UniCredit CEE Private Banking won this coveted award thanks to its continued efforts in improving client digital experience and empowering relationship managers through comprehensive use of technology.

Commenting on the awards, Daniela Croitoru, Head of CEE Private Banking at UniCredit, said: ”I am very pleased that our efforts to improve our digital experience within CEE were recognized by this prestigious and independent jury of PWM and I strongly believe that our teams will be able to maintain our innovative approach for the relationship managers as well as for our clients and this is a priority across all CEE countries in our perimeter.”

UniCredit CEE Private Banking serves 8 countries (BG, CZ, HR, HU, RO, RU, SK, and SI) across Central and Eastern Europe with a unique service model rooted in the holistic understanding of our clients, offering them digital solutions and following the UniCredit Global Private Banking Investment Strategy.

In line with specific clients’ needs, UniCredit CEE Private Banking more recently focused on further improving the digital experience of wealthy clients as part of continuous strengthening client relationships via improved and refreshed advisory tool for private bankers as well as

brand new wealth management application for end customers in order to serve them.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise.

UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia,

Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

 

Enquiries:

UniCredit Media Relations:

email: mediarelations@unicredit.eu

UniCredit Bank joins Slovak Investment Holding and Eximbanka and starts providing advantage loans to corporations through the new state guaranteed programmes passed by the Slovak Parliament to support the Slovak economy.  In addition to small and medium enterprises, the programmes have now opened up also for large corporate clients which may apply for advantage loans as well. The measure also applies to the self-employed and entrepreneurs claiming lump-sum expenses.

The guarantee programme aims to improve liquidity and give corporations access to funding in relation to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic in the Slovak Republic. 

"We expect to help hundreds of corporate clients thanks to our active engagement in the new guarantee programmes," said Slavomír Beňa, Director of Corporate and Investment Banking Division.  UniCredit Bank has been focusing on small and medium enterprises on a long-term basis. They are the backbone of the entire economy and we are a stable leader in this segment also because we offer the most complex solutions," notes Beňa. “The most important now is to start up the economy. It is also a commitment resulting from our being one of the largest providers of corporate loans on the Slovak market. With this measure, we expand the portfolio of advantage loans which already is one of the largest in Slovakia," adds Slavomír Beňa.

Corporate clients can contact their their Relationship Managers or the nearest Centre for Corporate Clients or apply using our web sites UniCredit Bank. 

By stepping in the guarantee programmes, UniCredit Bank makes use of the whole package of guarantee programmes and advantage loans. The Bank was one of the first to start providing them during the COVID-19 crisis. With this step, UniCredit Bank joins the banks which provide the most complex solutions in the area of advantage loans and long-term leaders on the corporate banking market.

UniCredit Bank became an active member of the new SIH Anti-Corona guarantee as early as in May, and has already received hundreds of applications from corporate clients within this programme. Furthermore, it was the only bank on the Slovak market which launched the new SZRB programme in 2018 relating to advantage loans for small and medium enterprises. The portfolio also contains the EIF's InnovFin programme which is one of the largest guarantee programmes in the EU focusing on the support of innovative companies and projects and now even covering the digitization area.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

UniCredit is pleased to announce that it has been recognised as the Best Sub-custodian Bank  in Central and Eastern Europe for 2020 by Global Finance for the eleventh year in a row. Alongside this regional award, the bank also took home gold in several individual country awards, scooping the title of Best Sub-custodian Bank in Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia.

The awards for each region and country are determined by Global Finance’s editorial board, factoring in market research, input from expert sources and users of sub-custodian services, as well as bank submissions, in order to select the institutions that reliably provide the best services in local markets.

The criteria included customer relations, quality of service, competitive pricing, smooth handling of exception items, technology platforms, post-settlement operations, business continuity plans and knowledge of local regulations and practices.

Julia B. Romhanyi, Global Head of Securities Services, added: “We take great pride in our sub-custodian services at UniCredit and are delighted to have confirmed our position – not only as the best sub-custodian bank in Central and Eastern Europe, but as the leader in many individual countries as well. Our continued focus on providing high-quality, tailor-made and digital solutions has been central to our work over the past years and it is a pleasure to see the recognition of our continued efforts and our strong positioning in the region. This also underlines our dedication, throughout the recent pandemic, where we ensured a continued high-quality service. I am very proud of the dedicated teams across all of our countries who make it possible to keep our leading role and deliver excellence in the client, post-trade, securities servicing space.”

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

• InnovFin Umbrella facility is already established in nine local banks and six leasing companies to sustain working capital and investment finance 

• Approximately EUR 600 mln out of the initial amount of 1bn InnovFin Umbrella is now available with the special COVID-19 conditions

UniCredit has entered into a COVID-19 support package offered by the European Investment Fund (EIF) allowing the bank to provide working capital loans to CEE SMEs and mid-caps guaranteed by the EIF at a rate of 80% (previously 50%) under simplified eligibility criteria. The new measures extend the application of the InnovFin guarantee also to large mid-caps, widening the range of eligible companies in addition to already covered small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small mid-caps.

Furthermore, in order to further support the uptake of digital technologies and the digital transformation of enterprises, the InnovFin guarantee has also been extended to cover the financing of digital transformation. This transaction benefits from the support of Horizon 2020, the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) – the heart of the Investment Plan for Europe.

These new measures allow UniCredit to provide extensive support for companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

"We are offering continued support to businesses through this initiative in order to manage the liquidity issues resulting from the COVID-19 emergency," said Gianfranco Bisagni and Niccolò Ubertalli, Co-CEOs Commercial Banking CEE at UniCredit. "This concrete step seeks to guarantee cash flow continuity for companies in the current exceptional and difficult circumstances as well as supporting working capital. At UniCredit, we are engaging in decisive, concrete measures to support companies and pledge our full support to the real economy."

They added: "We're ready to play our part in the wide-ranging measures envisaged by European Institutions and Countries and this agreement with the EIF allows us to guarantee CEE entrepreneurs the support they need in facing the consequences of this emergency, ensuring continuity for the production chain and laying the foundations for the recovery of their economies”.

As of June 2020 UniCredit in CEE countries has 30 established guarantee schemes from IFIs and local development banks, supporting the financing of SMEs and mid-sized companies with up to 3,8 bln EUR, out of which 1,2 bln has already been utilised.

The remaining EUR 2,6 bln also include new local guarantee schemes dedicated to COVID support in the amount of EUR 1,2 bln as well asthe above mentioned InnovFin guarantee with COVID package for EUR 0,6 bln, aimed to facilitate lending activities in the region within the next 2-3 years.

About EIF

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment. More information on EIF's work under EFSI is available here.

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 13 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

 

About the Investment Plan for Europe

The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is the main pillar of the Juncker Plan and provides first loss guarantees, enabling the EIB to invest in more projects that often come with greater risks. EFSI has already yielded tangible results. The projects and agreements approved for financing under EFSI are expected to mobilise more than EUR 458.8bn in investment and support more than 1 million SMEs in the EU Member States.

More information on the results of the Investment Plan for Europe is available here.

 

About InnovFin

The InnovFin SME Guarantee Facility is established under the “EU InnovFin Finance for Innovators” initiative backed by Horizon 2020. It provides guarantees and counter-guarantees on debt financing of between EUR 25,000 and EUR 7.5m in order to improve access to loan finance for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-caps. The facility is managed by EIF, and is rolled out through financial intermediaries – banks and other financial institutions – in EU Member States and Associated Countries. Under this facility, financial intermediaries are guaranteed by EIF against a proportion of their losses incurred on the debt financing covered under the facility.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Within an open Call for Europe, UniCredit Foundation will distribute almost EUR 79,000 through UniCredit Bank in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic.  This amount will go to six non-profit organisations, which help children and minors up to an age of 18 years in both countries..

When submitting projects, the bank tried to support its long-term partnerships with organisations helping children, as well as organisations that are repeatedly nominated within the Gift Matching employee programme, where employees present organisations. The entities in selection also included organisations proposed by customers in the Wishes Fulfilled campaign, where they sent their dreams to help children, and the bank provided finances for the most touching ones.

“We believe that thanks to the UniCredit Foundation support we helped lighten difficult fate and at least partially create conditions for better life of many children and minors. With our financial support to organisations we met half way our partners,  but more we listened to voices of our employees and wishes of our customers, and helped create more beautiful living conditions for those with unfavourable fates,” says Jakub Dusílek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In Czech Republic, the Nave Italia long-term project for children after cancer treatment and from socially disadvantaged families will be supported in cooperation with the Italian Embassy in Prague and Chance4Children.  The Laguna Psáry Home is the other organisation receiving support; it provides home to children with mental disabilities so that they can live in decent conditions; it provides them with pedagogic care and education as a normal human approach and conditions for satisfactory life. Last but not least, we will also help the association of parents called Full Moon Children, who try to create conditions for decent life of children with various autism spectrum disorders or mental handicaps using the form of so-called home-sharing – regular relief stays of children at trained hosts’ places. This programme helps family rally and the child can get new social contacts and skills.

Thus, in Slovakia, UniCredit Bank along with UniCredit Foundation will support the Plamienok Hospice providing palliative care to critically ill children and sorrow therapies to children, who have lost their close relatives. The “Náruč – help for children in crisis” civil association helping children experiencing abuse, maltreatment or neglect, and providing advice to domestic violence victims, is another beneficiary. Help for pre-term infants and their families will flow through the Malíček civil association.  

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

UniCredit Bank is to support its suppliers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia by accelerating how quickly they get paid, executing ‘at sight’ payments of invoices. This will considerably speed up the payment cycle and ensure payments are done immediately. The acceleration of payments will further support businesses in their working capital management.

 “This decision will have a concrete impact on the thousands of suppliers to our Group. By anticipating payments, we are adding liquidity to the real economy at a time when it makes a real difference. As ever, we want to act as reliable partner to our suppliers and would encourage them to act similarly as regards their own supply chains.” Ranieri De Marchis and Carlo Vivaldi, Co-COOs at UniCredit, said.

“We at UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia  immediately joined this important initiative to be  close to our suppliers and  business partners that helping us to serve our clients and support our employees in this challenging times,” said Jakub Dusílek, Chairman of Board of Directors UniCredit Bank.

UniCredit Bank will immediately execute the bank transfers to its suppliers, after having received the invoice and having complied with all standard controls.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Together with UniCredit Foundation, UniCredit Bank and its employees provided considerable financial support to two Slovak and three Czech hospitals in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

In cooperation with UniCredit Foundation, the Bank launched an employee fundraising initiative in both countries in early April. Owing to this initiative, it will today distribute over EUR 180 thousand among five hospitals which are in urgent need of these funds and will use it mainly for purchasing protective equipment for medical personnel and equipment to combat COVID – 19.

In less than two weeks of this initiative, the Bank’s employees raised more than EUR 30 thousand. UniCredit Foundation increased the funds raised by EUR 40 thousand and UniCredit Bank and UniCredit leasing itself contributed additional EUR 110 thousand.

“The health of us all, our clients and our employees, is our top priority. Everyone at UniCredit Bank is doing everything they can to help effectively where it is needed during this difficult period. Together with our employees, we have, therefore, decided to support our hospitals, doctors and nurses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and confirm again that we are doing the right thing,” says Jakub Dusílek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

“I am very pleased to have the opportunity to join, together with our colleagues, the call for support of hospitals as soon as I came to this market. Although I have come in the most difficult times, participating in a strong wave of spontaneous solidarity and commitment of all employees means a lot to me. It is a unique feeling that we managed to provide immediate help to hospitals in such a short time," says Marco Iannaccone, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

 

Together with UniCredit Foundation, UniCredit Bank supported:

• University Hospital in Bratislava
• University Hospital in Košice
• Hospital in České Budějovice
• St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno
• University Hospital in Brno

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Dear clients,

 

The health and well-being of employees and customers is UniCredit Bank’s top priority.

UniCredit Bank has taken decisive action to guarantee nation-wide service coverage for its clients while protecting the health of both, clients and staff.

From March 17, 2020, the opening hours of branches, on working days will be from 10:00 to 14:00 hours.

We kindly ask you to access the branch individually as directed by our  staff. Please also respect the distance of at least two meters both between customers and staff and clients themselves. Please kindly follow this measure both inside and outside the building to protect you and your surroundings.

 

UniCredit Bank is working actively to ensure that all banking services are available through remote channels.

 

UniCredit Bank clients can retrieve all relevant information on products and services and perform all main banking activities in a simple, fast and secure way from the comfort of your home through multiple remote channels including: Online Banking and Smart Banking. We also recommend using our Apple Pay, Google Pay mobile payments to minimize cash handling. More informations HERE.

 

If you need advice from your banker, make an appointment by phone or contact customer service at 0800 14 00 14, available from Monday to Sunday from 7:00 to 20:00.

 

We will continue to actively monitor the situation, always act in everyone's best interests and do the right thing vis a vis all our stakeholders!

 

The information on this page is continuously updated.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Local Certifications were achieved in eight European Countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Russia and Serbia

 

 

UniCredit is proud to announce that it has been officially certified by the Top Employers Institute for the

third year running for its exceptional employee offering, reaffirming the Group’s status as a great place to work.

 

The annual, international research undertaken by the Top Employers Institute recognises the leading

employers around the world: those that provide excellent employee conditions, nurture and develop talent throughout all levels of the organisation and strive to continuously optimise employment practices.

 

The European level Top Employers Certification was awarded thanks to the local Certifications achieved by UniCredit in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Russia and Serbia.

 

The Top Employers Certification is based on a thorough research process and a set of required standards. All the data was independently audited, verifying UniCredit's outstanding employee conditions and earning the Bank its spot among the select group of certified Top Employers.

 

The Top Employers Institute assessed UniCredit's employee offering based on the following criteria:

• Talent Strategy

• Workforce Planning

• Talent Acquisition

• On-Boarding

• Learning & Development

• Performance Management

• Leadership Development

• Career & Succession Management

• Compensation & Benefits

• Culture

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

• Mobilising EUR 500m of new funds to support innovative companies in nine CEE countries
•  Funds will be allocated through nine local banks and six leasing companies
• 1,300 SMEs are expected to be supported

 

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and UniCredit have agreed to increase the InnovFin SME guarantee aimed at improving access to finance for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small mid-caps in nine countries. This new agreement will allow UniCredit to offer, via its nine banks and six leasing entities across Central and Eastern Europe, additional financing worth EUR 500m  to innovative companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. This means that SMEs and mid-caps across these countries will have access to a total of EUR 1bn via UniCredit’s extensive network in the CEE region.

This transaction benefits from the support of Horizon 2020, the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) – the heart of the Investment Plan for Europe.

The banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Serbia and the leasing company in Serbia will benefit from the support of a guarantee provided by the EIF and backed under Horizon 2020, while the guarantee agreements with the banks and leasing companies in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia will be backed by EFSI, the financial pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe.

Lilyana Pavlova, EIB Vice-President said: “This second increase of the UniCredit Umbrella transaction is a testament to the successful cooperation between EIF and UniCredit. Going forward, we hope that by leveraging on our existing relationship, together we will continue to design efficient ways to offer support to those in need of it and thus fulfil our policy objectives. This is of even higher importance when tackling market gaps in the CEE region.” Alessandro Tappi, EIF’s Chief Investment Officer continued: “The operation signed today will increase the overall portfolio from EUR 500m up to EUR 1bn for the benefit of some 1,300 SMEs and small mid-caps. This growth is proof of EIF’s and UniCredit’s dedication to enhancing access to finance for SMEs operating in Central and Eastern Europe”.

Gianfranco Bisagni and Niccolò Ubertalli, Co-CEOs of Commercial Banking, CEE, at UniCredit, said: “Over the last eight years, UniCredit has launched more than ten initiatives in cooperation with EIF across CEE with total capacity of more than EUR 1.7bn, including JEREMIE, RSI, the SME Initiative, COSME, the Microfinance Facility, WB EDIF, Fund of Funds under EAFRD, EaSI and, InnovFin SMEG. These instruments are already utilised above 50%, benefitting more than 5,000 clients in the region.

Thanks to InnovFin SMEG, more than 350 clients have already received support for the development of their innovative projects. With the doubling of our umbrella facility to EUR 1bn, we can further facilitate the development of innovative SMEs across the CEE countries, allowing easier access to finance and supporting local economies. It further highlights our strong commitment to serving our clients in the Central and Eastern European region”.

The transaction reflects the EU's commitment to rapidly launch concrete initiatives aimed at accelerating lending and guarantee transactions capable of boosting jobs and growth in the EU.

About EIF

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment. More information on EIF's work under EFSI is available here.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European commercial bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 14 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey.

Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in a further 18 countries worldwide.

About the Investment Plan for Europe

The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is the main pillar of the Juncker Plan and provides first loss guarantees, enabling the EIB to invest in more projects that often come with greater risks. EFSI has already yielded tangible results. The projects and agreements approved for financing under EFSI are expected to mobilise more than EUR 458.8bn in investment and support more than 1 million SMEs in the 28 Member States.

More information on the results of the Investment Plan for Europe is available here.

About InnovFin

The InnovFin SME Guarantee Facility is established under the “EU InnovFin Finance for Innovators” initiative backed by Horizon 2020. It provides guarantees and counter-guarantees on debt financing of between EUR 25,000 and EUR 7.5m in order to improve access to loan finance for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and small mid-caps (up to 499 employees). The facility is managed by EIF, and is rolled out through financial intermediaries – banks and other financial institutions – in EU Member States and Associated Countries. Under this facility, financial intermediaries are guaranteed by EIF against a proportion of their losses incurred on the debt financing covered under the facility.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

UniCredit is the best provider of all trade finance services globally, according to Euromoney's Trade Finance Survey 2020, which also saw the bank claim top global honours for Advisory, Financing, Overall Execution and Products, as well as for its services in Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

 

The survey, now in its ninth year, collates feedback from over 7,000 corporate banking clients, providing compelling evidence of UniCredit’s product expertise, best-in-class customer service and deep understanding of its core European markets.

The bank also landed numerous #1 positions in the individual country rankings for All Services, including recognition as the best provider in CEE, Western Europe, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Croatia – as well as globally.

The breadth and depth of UniCredit’s geographical coverage was further underlined by #1 Market Leader positions in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Croatia and Turkey.

 

“We are very proud of these results,” says Richard Burton, UniCredit’s Head of Corporate & Investment Banking. “We strive to continue delivering the highest-quality products and services to our customers – focusing on the development of innovative solutions tailored to our clients’ needs. This Euromoney survey recognises our ongoing efforts in these areas as we continue to support the real economy and forge strong client relationships. These relationships are central to everything we do, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients for their continued partnership and support."

 

UniCredit continues to invest in trade finance innovation – most notably through its award-winning client portal, Trade Finance Gate – and remains committed to meeting clients’ needs through tailor-made trade finance and working capital solutions.

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Contact details:               

Zuzana Ďuďáková, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

E-mail: zuzana.dudakova@unicreditgroup.sk

phone: +421 2 4950 2303

Bratislava, 16 December 2019 – UniCredit Bank continues its successful Fulfilled Wishes campaign launched last year before Christmas. The campaign is based on clients’ wishes sent to the Bank during the past year. Within the campaign, clients wished to support one of the Czech and Slovak charity organisations. The Bank selected three projects and will reward each project with EUR 4,000. Moreover, the Bank asked its clients and the public to help choose a project from among these organisations which will obtain a bonus of EUR 4,000. The vote at www.zalezinamnatom.sk will end on 31 January 2020.

 

Thanks to UniCredit Bank, clients in Slovakia can support ČERVENÝ NOS - Clowndoctors, whose mission is to make hospitalised children and elderly people happy, Skačany nursing home for elderly people or civic association Na trati, which operates a day centre for autistic children.

“We are a bank for everything that matters. During the past year, our clients showed us that what they care about the most is helping others. We want to actively share Fulfilled Wishes with our clients. Together we can help those who really need it. This year there are several really interesting projects to choose from, which concern, among others, elderly people or sick children,” says Tomáš Drábek, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Retail and Private Banking at UniCredit Bank.

The Bank will distribute EUR 12,000 among three organisations. The project with the most votes will get a bonus of an additional EUR 4,000.

Bank clients in the Czech Republic also have the possibility to choose from three organisations. Here, the Bank will grant CZK 100,000 to each charity organisation and a bonus of CZK 100,000 to the winning project based on votes.

UniCredit Bank clients and employees can vote on the overall winner at www.zalezinamnatom.sk.

List of charity organisations UniCredit Bank clients and employees can vote for:

• ČERVENÝ NOS – Clowndoctors
• IRIS –IV, n. o. – Skačany nursing home for elderly people
• Na Trati, o. z. 

Bratislava, 10 December – UniCredit Bank clients in Slovakia and the Czech Republic may start using the Google Pay service from 10 December for comfortable, fast and secure payments in shops and on-line using the premium, credit and debit Visa card. To activate the service, they only need to install the Google Pay application in any Android device or a Google account. Google Pay may also be used for contactless withdrawals from ATMs.

The installation and use of the Google Pay service is simple and completely free. The service operates on mobile phones running on the Android version 5.0 or higher with NFC technology for contactless payments.

Payments are simple and fast and are possible in any brick-and-mortar shop that accepts contactless payments. For amounts of less than EUR 20, the only thing clients need to do is to light up the phone display and touch it against the contactless terminal. For higher amounts, the phone needs to be unlocked with fingerprint, password or any other secure form. The transaction confirmation is displayed in the application immediately after payment. Google Pay™ puts great emphasis on payment security. The number of the debit card is not kept in the mobile device. The device only uses an encrypted and secure token.

Google Pay™ may be used for on-line payments also by clients who have a Google account. They only have to add a payment card to it and pay without the need to fill in the lengthy on-line payment forms. The service currently supports the following payment gates: Global Payments Europe, PayU and GoPay which are used by most Slovak e-shops. This means that clients may use Google Pay™ in more than 10,000 Slovak e-shops from electronic goods to travel tickets, books, on-line pharmacies or mobile operators.

How to start using Google Pay with a Visa debit card from UniCredit Bank?

1. In your mobile device, download the Google Pay application from the Google Play store.
2. When the installation is complete, simply add the card by scanning the card number and entering other payment data. Google will then send you the registration code you will enter in the application.
3. And that's it! You can immediately start using the service in shops labelled with the contactless payment logo.

Note: You may add more than just one card in your application and choose one of them as the main card. One card may be added to up to 5 devices running on the Android operating system.

Bratislava, 4 December – Searching for payment cards in your pockets or wallets is over. UniCredit Bank launches the Apple Pay service for Visa premium, credit and debit cards for its clients in Slovakia and the Czech Republic from 4 December. UniCredit Bank's Visa cards can be uploaded into your digital wallet (Wallet) in some of your Apple smart devices and used for making convenient and secure payments owing to the NFC technology.

Since its launch, the Apple Pay service enjoys widespread popularity. For the last month, UniCredit Bank clients spent nearly EUR 4 million in 225,000 Apple Pay transactions, i.e. around EUR 18 per payment and EUR 294 per each active client per month. Based on UniCredit Bank data, the number of users of this form of contactless payment is constantly rising, which means thousands of new clients a week.

The new service is available to UniCredit Bank clients with a Visa card who own an Apple device. With Apple Pay, clients can make contactless payments in shops and on the Internet.

Security and privacy is at the core of Apple Pay. When you use a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element on your device. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security code.

Apple Pay contactless payments can be made via individual Apple devices – iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or MacBook. If clients want to have their card uploaded into several devices, they need to upload it separately into the device to improve security. Apple Pay payments can be made at all contactless terminals, both at home and abroad, as well as by contactless payment cards – by putting the device near the payment terminal which allows for contactless payments. Moreover, the service can also be used for online transactions.

When paying for goods and services on the go in apps or Safari, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6 and later, iPhone SE, iPad Pro, iPad (5th Generation), iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 3 and later. You can also use Apple Pay in Safari on any Mac introduced in or after 2012 running macOS Sierra and confirm the payment with iPhone 6 or later or Apple Watch, or with Touch ID on the new MacBook Pro.

Bratislava, 28th November – To place your card, beep and contribute to a good cause? Starting from November, the charity kiosks from UniCredit Bank and SoNet, in cooperation with Payment4U and Mastercard, will enable contribution payments using contactless payment cards. Thus, the donation process speeds up, attracts attention of more donators and interconnects the charity and modern technologies. First kiosks will be tested in the Rusovce´s Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, TV Markíza Foundation, Children of Slovakia Foundation, ZRAK Foundation and Salesians of Saint John Bosco.

UniCredit Bank will buy ten kiosks in total and offer them for free to selected charity institutions in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic. The experience from abroad shows that the predefined amount of contribution connected with card payment option results in contribution increase by up to 30 %. The project was created with the support of SoNet, Mastercard and Payment4U.

“Our aim is to provide our services with a positive impact on the society. Charity kiosks which are definitely the step in the right way in the modern banking. They break down barriers and help Czech and Slovak non-profit organisations get more contributions for good causes even from those people who are used today to pay everything with their card. The project is fully in line with social impact banking,” says Paolo Iannone, General Manager of UniCredit Bank.

„All donations from the kiosks will be directed to our Hodina deťom grant programme, which has been helping children in need for more than 20 years,” adds Ondrej Gallo, Director of the Children of Slovakia Foundation.

“We are glad to participate, together with the company Payment4U, in the development of the charity kiosk that brings a universal solution of contactless payment across countries for organisations that are fully or partially dependent on contributions from third parties,“ says Lenka Bukalová, a representative of the company SoNet that provides banks and merchants with complex services within payment technologies and that cooperates in the project of charity kiosks.

Simple, safe and user-friendly

The charity kiosk will be appreciated by all organisations that are fully or partially dependent on the third-party support. It can be used in church institutions, charity and humanitarian organisations, associations for restoration of cultural monuments or in zoological gardens.

The contributions donation by contactless payment card is simple, quick, safe (no need to handle any cash) and transparent. The visitor can see the amount of donation and the performed transaction confirmation thanks to an intelligent LED system, including the final acknowledgement.

“We believe that thanks to new modern technologies we will help even more in the Markíza Foundation and implement other unique projects aimed at changing the quality of life of children, making them happy and helping them fulfil their dreams and goals,” says Marianna Trnavská, Chairwoman of the TV Markíza Foundation’s board. 

Július Marián Prachár, administrator of the Roman Catholic parish of Rusovce, where the kiosk was placed first, adds: " The Church should be open to the contemporary world and speak "its language". Especially the younger generation is accustomed to using credit cards.”

With their design the kiosks do not interfere with sites of destination, determined for example for contemplation or praying. Their operation is ensured by batteries that need to be recharged approximately every week.

This is not the first product within contactless payments for UniCredit Bank. The bank has always belonged among leaders in self-service payment terminals. Years ago, UniCredit has been first to launch payment with card for self-service parking automat machines.

• The UniCredit ELITE CEE Lounge supports fast-growing companies from Central and Eastern Europe
• ELITE facilitates business model upgrades and encourages corporates networking across UniCredit's CEE countries
• 2 companies from 2 CEE countries – Bulgaria and Serbia – have joined in the ninth cohort of the UniCredit CEE Lounge today; additional 4 SMEs joined ELITE thanks to the special cooperation between UniCredit Hungary and Budapest Stock Exchange

 

UniCredit CEE is pleased to announce 2 new companies joining the innovative the ELITE international ecosystem today. UniCredit CEE Lounge is part of ELITE, London Stock Exchange Group's international business support and capital raising platform and focuses on helping to accelerate the growth of promising companies.

The new joiners are companies from two Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries where UniCredit has active operations. To date, the UniCredit CEE Lounge has admitted 60 companies from 11 countries across UniCredit's CEE network.

The UniCredit CEE Lounge aims to help SMEs with their future growth, increasing their awareness of capital markets and of the available ways to attract funding. The programme also helps the companies to establish a direct dialogue with relevant investors. The companies that joined the previous cohort are currently in the process of their executive training.

This ninth cohort of the UniCredit CEE Lounge is comprised of the following companies:

• ASIGEST - I&G BROKERS, Bulgaria
• TERMOVENT, Serbia

 

Additionally, as a result of the special cooperation between UniCredit Hungary and Budapest Stock Exchange, four new companies joined this cohort:

• CORECOMME SI, Hungary
• SOMOGYI, Hungary
• VIA BERAUTO, Hungary
• GSV, Hungary

 

We are proud that our partnership with ELITE has proven to be very successful,” said Andrea Diamanti, Head of UniCredit Corporate and Investment Banking and Private Banking in CEE.

“This initiative underscores our strong belief in the potential of the most-ambitious mid-sized companies in CEE, and helps us to support them in upgrading their business models and boosting their growth. ELITE is also an innovative way for the companies to better understand their needs and strategies. It brings growing businesses together and gives them the opportunity to inspire each other, exchange ideas, share best practices and identify mutual business opportunities.”

Luca Peyrano, CEO, ELITE:" “We are delighted to witness increasing interest in ELITE from companies across the CEE region, validating and highlighting the importance of partnerships like the consolidated cooperation with UniCredit CEE and Budapest Stock Exchange. ELITE is delighted to support CEE’s region most ambitious SMEs, connecting them to capital and supporting them to compete on a global stage, as well as working to develop a connected funding ladder for such businesses.”

Since its launch in 2012, ELITE has supported over 1100 international companies.  ELITE is a platform and ecosystem that helps private, ambitious companies grow, offering them access to education, business support and direct contact with the international financial and advisory community. Management teams are guided on how best to fast-track their development, how to access the most suitable funding for their needs, whether private equity, venture capital or the bond or equity markets, and given advice on building their profile and reach. ELITE is designed to meet the individual needs of each company selected for the UniCredit CEE Lounge, with UniCredit contributing to training modules and tutoring as well as providing access to its own tailored SME support services. Please read more at https://www.elite-growth.com/.

UniCredit Bank launches the Google Pay™ service for its clients, owing to which you will make convenient, fast and secure payments in shops and on the Internet. The Bank’s clients can now connect their Mastercard debit card in the Google Pay™ application on any device running on Android or to their Google account. Google Pay™ can also be used for cash withdrawals from ATMs with contactless technology.

 

„Almost every tenth Slovak pays by mobile phone today, while most mobile devices run on the Android operating system. Launching convenient and fast payments with Google Pay™ is a logical step for us. With the contactless payment service, clients can pay not only in brick-and-mortar shops, but also at thousands of online shops including the most popular ones,” explains Tomáš Drábek, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Retail and Private Banking at UniCredit Bank.

As of today, Google Pay™ is available to UniCredit Bank clients holding one of the Mastercard debit cards. Installation and use of the service is simple and completely free-of-charge. The service works on mobile phones running on Android 5.0 and higher with NFC technology for contactless payments.

You can make quick and easy payments in any brick-and-mortar shop that accepts contactless payments.

As regards amounts up to EUR 20, just turn on the phone's display and attach it to the contactless terminal. As regards higher amounts, you need to unlock your phone with your fingerprint, password or some other form of security. Confirmation of transaction will be displayed immediately after payment directly in the application. Google Pay™ also places great emphasis on payment security. The uploaded debit card number is not stored on your mobile device. The device uses an encrypted and secure token.

Clients with a Google account can also use Google Pay™ to make payments on the Internet. It is also possible to connect a payment card to your Google account and pay conveniently without having to fill in online payment forms. The service currently supports the Global Payments Europe, PayU and GoPay payment gateways, which are used by most Slovak online shops. You can pay with Google Pay™ in more than 10,000 Slovak online shops, from electronics to tickets, books, online pharmacies or mobile operators.

 

How to start using Google Pay™ with a Mastercard debit card from UniCredit Bank?

1. Download the Google Pay™ application from the Google Play store on your mobile device.
2. Once installed, simply add the card to the application by scanning the card number and typing in additional payment information. Google will send you the registration code you enter into the application.
3. Everything is done and you can start paying with the card immediately in places marked with the contactless payment logo.

Note: You can add more cards to the application and choose one to use as the main card. You can add a single card to up to 5 devices running on Android operating system.

 

Searching for payment cards in your pockets or wallets is over. Following the Czech Republic, UniCredit Bank introduces the Apple Pay service to its clients in Slovakia. UniCredit Bank’s Mastercard debit cards can thus be uploaded to your digital wallet (Wallet) in some of your Apple smart devices and used for making convenient and secure payments owing to the NFC technology. Moreover, 40 per cent of the Slovaks confirm that they want to or already use Apple Pay or another mobile payment and digital wallet.

 

The new service is available to UniCredit Bank clients with a Mastercard who own an Apple device. With Apple Pay, clients can make contactless payments in shops and on the Internet, as well as withdraw cash from ATMs using contactless technology.

“Introducing Apple Pay is another step towards the strengthening of our long-term relationship with clients,” says Tomáš Drábek, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Retail and Private Banking at UniCredit Bank. “More than 40 per cent of the Slovaks normally carry 2 or more payment cards. Owing to Apple Pay, clients no longer have to search for their plastic card in their wallet or write down card data when paying on the Internet. All they need to do to make payments is simply use their smartphone or smartwatch that are always at hand,” adds Tomáš Drábek.

A public survey made by the bank showed that 40 per cent of respondents use or want to use Apple Pay services or another mobile payment and digital wallet. The vast majority of respondents (85 per cent) said that the main reason for using pay-by-phone services is the convenience and speed of such services; 44 per cent of respondents further confirmed that they like to use modern services and almost 30 per cent want to have all their cards in one device.*

 

“We are really glad that another major bank introduces their clients to the Apple Pay payment service, which, following its kick-off in Slovakia in February, helped revive interest in payment innovations and paying by mobile phone substantially. Apple Pay’s benefits include speed, comfort and safety of transactions, which is ensured by the tokenization technology of Mastercard allowing for reliable connection of the mobile device with the payment card,” says Luděk Slouka, Director of Product and Innovation Development at Mastercard for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria.

Security and privacy is at the core of Apple Pay. When you use a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element on your device. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security code.

Apple Pay contactless payments can be made via individual Apple devices – iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or MacBook. If clients want to have their card uploaded into several devices, they need to upload it separately into the device to improve security. Apple Pay payments can be made at all contactless terminals, both at home and abroad, as well as by contactless payment cards – by putting the device near the payment terminal which allows for contactless payments. Moreover, the service can also be used for online transactions.

When paying for goods and services on the go in apps or Safari, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6 and later, iPhone SE, iPad Pro, iPad (5th Generation), iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 3 and later. You can also use Apple Pay in Safari on any Mac introduced in or after 2012 running macOS Sierra and confirm the payment with iPhone 6 or later or Apple Watch, or with Touch ID on the new MacBook Pro.

* Source: UniCredit Bank online survey of June 2019 made together with the IPSOS agency.

Hana Čitbajová became a new member of the Executive Committee and Head of Human Resources Management at UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia. Her appointment is effective from September 2019.

 

Being with UniCredit Group on various key positions in several countries since 2003, Hana Čitbajová gained experience in HR management, cost management, business development and mergers and acquisitions. She also managed several key processes related to performance, compensation and benefits policy.

Hana Čitbajová started in training and development at UniCredit Bank Slovakia. In 2009, she became Global HR Business Partner for CFO and Identity&Communication in Milan, Italy. From 2011, she worked as Senior HR Business Partner for CEE Division in Vienna, Austria, moving to similar position in UniCredit Bank Czech Republic two years later. From 2015, she posed as Head of Human Resources at UniCredit Bulbank in Bulgaria.

 

In Slovakia, UniCredit Bank unifies the mortgage interest rates for all fixed-rate periods, namely at 0.89 % p. a. Now you can get a housing loan on particularly advantageous terms for all the interest-rate types offered.

 

Starting from 1 September, UniCredit Bank introduces a unified interest rate for all fixed-rate types. At this time, clients are particularly interested in longer fixed-rate periods. Ten-year fixed-rate periods have literally become a hit in recent months. Moreover, clients can also take advantage of favourable monthly insurance of the ability to repay the loan from our bank.

Clients who take out mortgages up to 80 % of the property’s value with insurance of the ability to repay the loan shall be reimbursed the costs of appraisal of the property and they shall get their loan free-of-charge. Clients can also get an unrivalled U konto current account and get a free-of-charge account maintenance subject to a basic condition together with free-of-charge ATM withdrawals at home and worldwide. All you need to do is send at least EUR 400 a month to your account, which is a limit easily handled by people with regular income.

This current offer applies to purchases of new housing as well as to refinancing of existing mortgage loans.

 

Representative example:

The total amount of the loan is EUR 60,000, with a repayment period of 30 years and a 10-year fixed rate of 0.89 % p.a.* The monthly instalment amounts to EUR 189.97, the number of monthly instalments is 361, of which the first instalment is only an interest payment of up to EUR 44.50, the monthly commitment fee is EUR 0, the monthly fee for the U konto account keeping is EUR 8 where the conditions for a free-of-charge account keeping are not met** and the monthly fee for the insurance of the ability to repay the loan is EUR 18. The fee for registration of the pledge over the property with the land register is EUR 66. The annual percentage rate (APR) is 1.83 %. The total amount you have to pay is EUR 77,819.70. The total sum does not include the fee for insurance of the property.

 

* The interest rate applies to loans up to 80 % of the loan’s collateral value, provided the client meets the conditions for creation of the insurance of the ability to repay the loan, takes out the insurance of the ability to repay the loan, and credits his/her U konto account with at least 1.5 times the current amount of the instalment on a regular basis. In that case, the client shall be reimbursed the costs of appraisal of the property - up to EUR 150 for flats and up to EUR 210 for detached houses.

** The monthly fee for the U konto account keeping is EUR 0, provided the client credits such account with income of at least EUR 400 on a monthly basis.

 

Chart: Interest rates on mortgage loans by UniCredit Bank, valid from 1 September 2019

 

Fixed-rate period	Interest rate up to 80 % of the LTV
2 years	0.89 % p.a.
3 years	0.89 % p.a.
4 years	0.89 % p.a.
5 years	0.89 % p.a.
10 years	0.89 % p.a.

Do you know that you should save at least one tenth of your monthly income to create a sufficient financial buffer? Thanks to UniCredit Bank and the U invest Plus programme, you can start investing with just EUR 20 on a regular basis. You will create a necessary financial buffer and you will also be able to achieve attractive returns. Moreover, you will receive a reward of 2 per cent of your investment’s value from the Bank after one year.

 

UniCredit Bank guarantees the reward amounting to 2 per cent of the investment’s value for everyone who complies with the campaign’s terms and conditions. Join the U invest Plus regular investment programme from 15 August until 31 October 2019 and make your first regular monthly payment no later than 30 November 2019. If you can invest regularly throughout the year, you will get a reward amounting to 2 per cent of the value of the money you invested.

 

At a time of low interest on current, savings and term accounts, investments are a suitable instrument to make your dreams come true. Start making regular investments in just three simple steps. First you choose the monthly amount, starting from as low as EUR 20 a month. Then you choose between three investment strategies – conservative, balanced or dynamic. Conservative investments are generally less risky, but at the same time they yield lower returns; as regards dynamic investments, it's the other way around.  A balanced strategy combines both approaches. In the last step, you decide for how many years you want to invest.

 

With the U invest Plus regular investment programme from UniCredit Bank, you have your funds available at any time, you can interrupt your investment at any time, withdraw the required amount or renew your investment. All for free. A diversified portfolio, managed by experts of Amundi Asset Management, a leading European asset management company, as well as the periodicity and long-term investment help reduce the risks arising from possible market volatility.

 

More information about the campaign and regular investment possibilities is available on the UniCredit Bank website.

 

UniCredit has won five prestigious awards from Euromoney, a leading international business magazine. The 2019 Euromoney Awards for Excellence were formally presented in London last night.

 

UniCredit was awarded:

• Best Bank in Italy
• Best Bank in Croatia
• Best Bank in Serbia
• Best Bank for Wealth Management in CEE
• Best Bank for Transaction Services in CEE

Jean Pierre Mustier, CEO of UniCredit commented: “As a simple pan-European commercial bank, we receive these five awards as one team. I would like to thank all our employees, who are working hard to support our clients across Europe – this recognition is theirs.”

Euromoney’s awards for excellence recognise those commercial and investment banks that deliver market-leading products and services, swiftly adapting to changing market and regulatory conditions. The winners must be role models in the how they run their business, meeting client needs.

Euromoney's Awards for Excellence were established in 1992 and were the first of their kind in the global banking industry.

Dreams should come true and UniCredit Bank pursues banking that matters. Based on warm approach towards its clients, the “Fulfilling our clients’ wishes” initiative was born. The Bank dedicated up to EUR 80,000 for the most appealing client dreams and stories, which meant fulfilling the select wishes up to EUR 800 for fifty Czech and fifty Slovak clients. The Bank was all about peoples’ stories and entire teams worked on making dreams come true.

 

At the end of the last year, after announcing the “Fulfilling our clients’ wishes” challenge, UniCredit Bank started to receive thousands of wishes and inspirational stories. Many of them focused on helping others, either loved ones or animals. It was not only about a dream holiday, romantic dinner or household appliances. “We were impressed by originality and solidarity of people,” Tomáš Drábek, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Retail and Private Banking of UniCredit Bank. “Many wishes were related to children, vulnerable citizens or help in life’s distresses. It was really hard to choose and that’s why we increased the original lower number of fulfilled wishes to the current one hundred.”

 

All wishes were divided into five categories: support of charities, social gifts for others, practical gifts for others, original idea and health promotion for clients or their families. It was mostly originality of a wish that was among the criteria of the final selection. “Really candid stories described secret wishes, which was often beautiful and touching,” says Tomáš Drábek. “We are glad that we will support not only our clients but, through our clients, also other people who will get help or their dreams will be made come true. This mission is in line with our socially responsible business, when our Bank helps communities and people across our reach.”

 

A separate and unclassifiable category were wishes that cannot be fulfilled despite all efforts, which means making sure that others are healthy. Through our clients’ wishes, we managed to at least contact select institutions and arrange for the equipment and other aids that will help clients. Thus, many things were provided for non-profit organisations, such as Plamienok, Deťom s rakovinou and other.

Katarína Kősegiová, Head of Deťom s rakovinou non-profit organisation, says that they were “touched by UniCredit Bank’s clients who, through their own experiences and with compassion for people, dreamed things for small cancer patients to make their life easier and more enjoyable during their hospital stay.” And the patients themselves helped bring toys, new furniture and many useful things to the newly refurbished Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology. “I would hereby like to thank the bank and its clients,” adds Kősegiová.

 

Donors also paid attention to homeless people or animals in shelters. Even if for a short moment, the gifts brought joy everywhere. The original dreams that the Bank helped fulfil were an air trip to Rome for our client’s mother who never flew, a shoe voucher for a children's home, a gazebo for a family that could never afford it, new school benches and boards for a village school.

 

The responses of our clients whose wishes are to be fulfilled were strong. Some of them initially did not believe their own luck, but later they all expressed their tremendous excitement, shared also by the organisations that want to support our clients. The happiness is doubled in this case.

More information about the project, including video stories and pictures, can be found at www.zalezinamnatom.sk.

UniCredit is pleased to announce that the Bank has been recognised as the Best Sub-custodian in 2019 by Global Finance magazine's editorial board across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as well as winning country specific awards as the Best Sub-custodian Bank in Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia.

 

In determining the winners for each respective region and country, Global Finance’s editorial board considered market research, input from expert sources and entry information from banks to select the institutions that reliably provide the best services in local markets and regions. The criteria included customer relations, quality of service, competitive pricing, smooth handling of exception items, technology platforms, post-settlement operations, business continuity plans and knowledge of local regulations and practices. Global Finance also obtained input from users of sub-custody services. Performance was judged over the period covering January 1, 2018 through December 31,2018.

 

Andrea Diamanti, Head of CEE Corporate and Investment Banking and Private Banking at UniCredit, commented: "We are delighted to be recognised by Global Finance as the best sub-custody service provider across CEE region and in a number of local markets. We are dedicated to serving our clients and these acknowledgements testify the achievements of our teams in understanding client needs thanks to our unrivalled local presence combined with deep market knowledge, know-how and expertise. Our focus on security business is proven by our continuous effort to further enhance and harmonise our service and product offering, automate key processes across our markets and provide more efficient
servicing capabilities for our clients.”

UniCredit has been recognised in this year’s Global Finance Best Bank Awards, winning the following categories:

• “Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe”
• “Best Bank in Bulgaria”
•  “Best Bank in Croatia”

 

Gianfranco Bisagni and Niccolò Ubertalli, designated coCEOs of the UniCredit CEE Division commented : „We are pleased to have received this external recognition of our outstanding performance in the overall CEE region and, specifically, in Bulgaria and Croatia. These awards were earned thanks to the effort and commitment of our people to our customers, serving them through our simple, succesful pan-European commercial bank. We appreciate the opportunity to share this success with the UniCredit CEE population.”

 

These awards are based on a range of factors including:

asset growth, profitability, geographic reach, strategic relationships, new business development and product innovation as well as the opinions of equity analysts, credit rating analysts, banking consultants and others industry experts.

• Macro-economic outlook: CEE likely outperformer in emerging markets
• Corporates and SMEs: confirming growth potential
• Retail banking: human and digital capital driving growth
• Green, social and sustainability bonds: growing commitment to ethics
• CEE region confirmed as an important growth engine for UniCredit

 

MACRO-ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: CEE LIKELY OUTPERFORMER IN EMERGING MARKET

Growth in the CEE region will likely remain at a healthy pace in 2019 in most countries

 

External environment: A cyclical slowdown of global growth is expected in 2019 and 2020, mainly due to an expected technical recession in the US, where the current recovery period will likely be the longest on record. The slowdown in global trade has already materialised, with a short-term recovery expected this summer thanks to a probable rebound in German manufacturing, a potential trade deal between the US and China and looser global financial conditions once the Fed and the ECB have become more dovish. Later in 2019 and in 2020, the global slowdown will mainly be driven by the end of the cycle in the US. The euro area is expected to see economic growth slowing to 1.0 per cent in 2019 and 2020.

 

CEE likely outperformer in emerging markets: like the rest of the world, CEE will be affected by the global slowdown, however the region might be better placed than other emerging markets to face external headwinds thanks to the strength of domestic demand, supportive monetary policy and lower reliance on short-term volatile external funding. The economic environment is expected to remain favourable in 2019. After a peak in 2018, GDP in the EU-member CEE countries is expected to continue to grow above expected long-term rates with Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Serbia and Slovenia all above 3.2 per cent YoY. Russia is expected to grow close to 1 per cent while Turkey is undergoing its first recession since the global financial crisis but could return to growth in 2020. 

   

CORPORATE AND SMEs: CONFIRMING GROWTH POTENTIAL

UniCredit to leverage on expected CEE GDP growth in 2019 with the region reaping the benefits of being an open economy and Foreign Direct Investments and EU Funds playing a relevant role for the economy and ensuring growth potential for corporate sector and SMEs.

Corporate sector and M&A market: The CEE corporate sector remains conservative in terms of financing, focusing mostly on traditional bank lending. There is still room for growth in terms of debt and equity financing, although largely dependent on each country’s specific factors.
M&A in the region has seen the highest deal value of the last 5 years in 2018, though far below historical highs. There were 222 transactions in 2018 (254 in 2017), with the consumer sector being the most active, with 48 deals followed, by TMT and FIG. In 2018, UniCredit was involved in 20 transactions in the CEE region – more than any other investment bank. This positions UniCredit as the leader in M&A league tables in terms of number of transactions for the fifth consecutive year.

CEE shows dynamic corporates and SMEs supporting the economic growth: UniCredit offers a full range of banking products and services to Corporates and SMEs and is focused on further improving its offer, in order to anticipate and meet clients’ needs. The CEE SME sector employs 11.4 million people in 3.2 million enterprises, creating EUR 195 million of economic added value.
It is largely impacted by trends imposed by the fast changing environment, that are creating new needs to be addressed by banks – regulatory impacts, capital markets and digitalisation. Among other initiatives, in the SME sector UniCredit provides support through the dedicated UniCredit CEE Lounge - an exclusive partnership with the London Stock Exchange Group’s ELITE initiative, helping them better understand the various funding options available, as well as prepare them to interact with investors, which might be required to support their future growth. To date, the UniCredit CEE Lounge has admitted more than 60 companies from 11 countries across UniCredit's CEE network. UniCredit also continues to facilitate access to EU fund opportunities, that play a very important role in CEE (approx. 90 billion EUR in 2014-2017, 18% of EU budget).

 

Andrea Diamanti, Head of CEE Corporate and Investment Banking and Private Banking, UniCredit stated: “As the largest lender in the region and a strong partner of our clients and the communities in which we operate, we strive to support their development and growth. Our strength lies in our deep knowledge of local markets, our strong international network and our continued investments in digitalisation to meet and anticipate clients’ needs.”

 

RETAIL BANKING: HUMAN AND DIGITAL CAPITAL DRIVING GROWTH

Human capital, digital readiness and the technological footprint are the features that make CEE geographies the ideal ground for digitalisation, growth and development.

CEE Banking sector efficiency: CEE and Western European markets have similar populations of approximately 150 million citizens where convergence is occurring, pushing up incomes and nominal GDP to the levels of EU average. However, CEE markets in the Retail Banking business have room to grow thanks to:

• lower banking costs of CEE Banks that can serve similar populations with contained operative costs and greater efficiency in terms of employees, branches and ATMs
• less penetration in terms of volumes/GDP Retail loans market size (ca. 9 per cent vs ca. 14 per cent)
• a faster digitalisation rate, due to smaller technological legacy, resulting in higher speed of broadband coverage and in faster online  penetration growth (76,3 per cent)

 

Ivan Vlaho, Head of CEE Retail in UniCredit commented: “UniCredit serves more than 15 per cent of the CEE banking population with one of the largest networks in the region and a truly multichannel approach. We leverage on data analytics to really know our customers and to provide them with the best customer experience through every channel, thanks to our best practice sharing and competence centers, while simplifying our processes at the same time. This commitment is having positive results. The size of our customer base is growing and the number of mobile banking users also increased from 13 per cent in 2015 to 40 per cent today”.

 

GREEN, SOCIAL AND SUSTAINABILITY BONDS: GROWING COMMITMENT TO ETHICS

The growing interest to Green financing sources, like Green Bonds, shows evidence of businesses appreciating sustainability values and its commitment to being good corporate citizens.

Market development by outstanding volume: Issuance volumes are growing apace. Green bond issuance reached a peak of USD 167 billion in 2018 (increasing by 5.8% yoy) despite lower issuance volume in the global bond market. For 2019, we expect green bond issuance to increase further, to USD 170 billion (up by 1.7% yoy). Issuance volumes in Europe reached USD 66 billion in 2018, contributing 40 per cent to total new issuance in 2018. We expect European issuers to bring USD 72 billion into the primary market in 2019 (comprising 42 per cent of total new issuance of green bonds).

UniCredit a pioneer to bring green bonds to the market: UniCredit has been active in the market for Green, Social and Sustainability Bonds from the start, being the Joint Lead Manager in the European Investment Bank’s climate Awareness Bond in 2007. UniCredit has since underlined its expertise through numerous mandates in landmark Green Bonds. In CEE Slovenia's promotional and development bank SID Banka successfully priced in 2018 its  naugural Green Bond transaction (EUR 75 million) being the first Green Bond from an issuer in Slovenia. UniCredit acted as sole bookrunner & green bond structuring bank.

 

CEE region confirmed as an important growth engine for UniCredit

CEE continues to be an important growth engine for the Group with a further strengthened leadership position and continued strong client growth in 2018. UniCredit is the largest lender in the CEE region (EUR 65.33 billion) with 11.6 per cent market share in lending and solid growth in the last 5 years. UniCredit is ranked as #1 in CEE overall in terms of total assets, and in the top 5 in most individual CEE countries.

UniCredit’s customer base in CEE is constantly growing towards the target of 2.6 million net new customers by the end of 2019. The quality of the portfolio is also improving, with the ratio of gross NPEs reduced by 152 basis points (from 7.9 to 6.4 per cent) in FY18 when compared to FY17.

As a result, the return on allocated capital stood at 15.7 per cent in 2018, once again underlining the strong profitability of the CEE division.

UniCredit’s success in the region is based on its solid franchise - one of the largest and most diversified in CEE, 1663 branches in 11 countries - with strong local coverage and relationship management and the ability to leverage global product lines, “best-in-class” services and the know-how of the Group to best serve its customers. UniCredit’s market position in CEE provides local banks with a substantial competitive advantage thanks to strong brand recognition, access to international markets, sharing of best practice and significant economies of scale.

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise: 26 million clients.

UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 14 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in  another 18 countries worldwide.

For more information, please go to www.unicreditgroup.eu/en.

UniCredit Bank has changed the organisational governance structure of its top leadership team. Paolo Iannone, Deputy CEO and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors has become General Manager.

Apart from currently leading the business divisions of retail, private, corporate and investment banking, and Global Banking Services division, Paolo Iannone will also be newly leading the Slovak Branch and the business enabling functions – namely Human Resources and Identity & Communication. He will still hold his office of Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors with reporting line to the chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the bank, Jakub Dusílek.

 

Paolo Iannone has forty years of solid experience within UniCredit Group, of which twenty are in top leadership positions. Within the top leadership at UniCredit Bank in the Czech Republic for more than ten years, he initiated and was driving the bank’s transformation in a fully-fledged universal bank.

 

Before joining the Czech and Slovak markets, Paolo Iannone was Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Polish Bank Pekao. Previously he was responsible for the development of retail banking in New Europe Division of UniCredit.

 

Promoting energy efficiency is one of the key priorities of the global community. UniCredit Bank is one of four commercial banks in Slovakia which are part of the SlovSEFF III programme. In cooperation with the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) allocated funds to provide loans from the EBRD credit line to promote energy efficiency in the private sector in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

For its clients from among private companies, companies providing energy services, flat owners' associations and residential building management companies, UniCredit Bank introduces a financial product with a simple, easily available and quick process. The bank thus offers the possibility of obtaining a loan from the EBRD credit line (SlovSEFF III) to its corporate clients for the purposes of promoting energy efficiency and, with regard to such loan, clients obtain a grant amounting to 5 to 20 per cent of the disbursed loan amount. The entire project is implemented without public tender (without public procurement). A free-of-charge technical assistance which can be used by clients at any time during the project, including the identification of energy savings measures, is provided within the SlovSEFF programme.

 

Promoted fields where the SlovSEFF programme can be used:

 

Renewable energies

The bank offers loans starting from EUR 100,000 up to EUR 10 million to clients implementing projects in the field of renewable energies.

 

Energy efficiency in the industry

Projects for promoting energy efficiency in the industry may obtain loans of up to EUR 5 million.

 

Energy efficiency in housing

The amount of loans for projects promoting energy efficiency in housing is not defined.

 

Read more here.

 

Tomorrow, Saturday 30 March at 8.30pm, UniCredit will turn off the lights in 74 buildings across 14 countries (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom) for sixty minutes marking the Group's twelfth consecutive year of participating in Earth Hour, the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) global initiative which brings together citizens, institutions and companies in a common goal to give the world a sustainable future and combat the challenge of climate change.

 

Giuseppe Zammarchi, Head of Group Sustainability and Foundation, said: “We participate in Earth Hour every year as part of our wider efforts to support sustainable development and the conservation of the environment. In particular, UniCredit’s climate strategy calls for a major reduction in our operational emissions of greenhouse gases. The Group’s target is to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2020, and the long-term target is a reduction of 80 percent by 2030.”

 

In 2018, UniCredit achieved an overall reduction of 49 percent versus its 2008 emissions. The Group accomplished this by enhancing energy efficiency, reducing its office space by 172,000 square meters in Western Europe, offering smarter ways to use workspaces, and by increasing the digitalisation of its banking operations. We continue to use new technologies to reduce the environmental footprint, costs and emissions of our operations.

 

UniCredit’s Austria Campus, the new headquarters of UniCredit Bank Austria AG, opened last year is among the Group buildings to switch off their lights. Austria Campus unites UniCredit Bank Austria, the Bank’s CEE units and all the other Group companies based in Vienna in one location. Austria Campus has been one of the largest relocation projects in Central Europe, including 5,300 employees together with the IT infrastructure who were relocated to the new company headquarters without any interruptions to business. The Campus has its own system for extracting geothermal energy, which is one of the largest in Europe in terms of area. The energy it produces is used for basic heating in the winter and cooling in the summer, in compliance with all the relevant environmental regulations.

 

The main buildings participating in Earth Hour this year are listed below:

 

 

 

 

Country	City	Adress
Austria	Vienna	Campus, Rothschildplatz 1
		Campus, Rothschildplatz 4
		Danube Tower
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Mostar	Kardinala Stepinca bb
	Sarajevo	Zelenih beretki, 24
Bulgaria	Sofia	7, nám. Sveta Nedelya
		14, ul. Gyueshevo
		8, ul. Aksakov
	Ruse	5, nám. Sveta Troitsa
	Varna	1, ul. Petko Karavelov
	Burgas	22, Alexandrovska ul.
	Stara Zagora	126, Simeon Veliki Blvd.
	Plovdiv	4 Ivan Vazov Str.
Croaria	Zagreb	Samoborska, 145
		Resellova, 4
		Vlaška cesta
		Trg bana Josipa Jelačića, 10
Czech Republic	Prague	4, Želetavská 1 – Filadelfie
		1, Náměstí Republiky 3a - Bankový dům
Germany	Munich	HVB Tower, Arabellastrasse, 12
		HHO, Arabellastrasse, 14
		KF14, Kardinal-Faulhaber-Str., 14
Hungary	Budapest	Szabadság tér 5-6
Italy	Milan	UniCredit Tower A - Piazza Gae Aulenti, 3
	Cologno Monzese	Via Volta, 1
	Bologna	Via del Lavoro
	Reggio Emilia	Via Rivoluzione di Ottobre 16
	Rome	Via Tupini, 180
		Largo Fochetti, 16
		Largo Anzani
	Genova	Via Dante 1
	Palermo	Via Ruggiero Settimo, 26
Romania	Bucharest	UniCredit Tower, Bulevardul Expoziției 1F
		Fabrica de Glucoza, 5
	Iasi	Strada Palas Nr. 5C
Russia	Moscow	Prečistenskaja emb., 9
		Butikovského ul., 9
		Novočerkasského ul., 18/1
		1. Kazachská ul., 9/1
		1. Tversko-Jamská ul., 28/1
		Ul. Leningradská, 44
		Ul. Bolšaja Gruzinskaja, 58/60
		Ul. Komsomolská, 44
		Ul. Leninská, 70/11
		Ul. Ostoženka, 5
		Pjatnickaja ul., 14/1
		Zuborský bulvár, 29
	St. Pietroburgo	Fontanka emb., 2/48
		Novatotov blvd., 8A
		Moskovská ul., 193A
		Moskovská ul., 192-194
		Efimova ul., 4a
		Novočerkasského ul., 43/17
	Ekaterinburg	Ul. Nikolaja Nironova, 4
	Nižný Novgorod	Kostina ul., 20
	Novosibirsk	Ul. Maxima Gorkého, 53
	Chelyabinsk	Ul. Karla Marxa, 38
	Krasnodar	Stavropolska ul., 41
	Perm	Monastyrska ul., 41
	Samara	Čapajevova ul., 178
	Rostov-on-Don	Socialistická/ Serafimovičova ul., 58/51
	Kaluga	Puškonova ul., 1/20
	Voronezh	Komissarževská ul., 13
	Ufa	Kirova ul., 27
	Volgograd	Novorosijskaja ul., 11
	Stavropol	Dovatortsevská ul., 38A
Serbia	Belgrade	Rajiceva ul., 27-29
		BBC, Jurija Gagarina, 12
		Blue House Center, Spanskih boraca, 3
		Jurija Gagarina, 30
		Jurija Gagarina, 12
Slovenia	Ljubljana	Šmartinska cesta 140
Slovakia	Bratislava	Šancová 1/A
United Kingddom	London	Moor House 120, London Wall

 

UniCredit is joining the Global Week of Climate Action (20-27 September) in recognition that companies and the society at large need a new approach to build a sustainable future. The bank’s staff is encouraged to spend one hour on Friday 20 September 2019 focused on the topic of climate change. Employees are asked to exchange ideas with colleagues and clients about what is already being done to combat climate change and what else can UniCredit do to make  difference.

Staff has also been asked to share their best ideas through which the group can contribute to protecting the sustainability of the environment. Approximately 500 ideas have already been put forward by colleagues for evaluation.

Jean Pierre Mustier, UniCredit CEO, commented: “To take care of our world, we can no longer continue with ‘business
as usual’. We need a new approach to build a sustainable future. This is an important challenge for both people and businesses. It has an impact on current and future generations, which is why we need to create awareness on this and work together as One Bank, One UniCredit, to identify new, smarter solutions to protect our future.”

UniCredit’s support of the Global Week of Climate Action through employee engagement is part of the group’s wider sustainability efforts. This includes the ongoing review of current business policies to assess the need for updated or new guidelines with regards to climate change. Some of the bank’s wider sustainability efforts further include:

• Decreasing operational emissions – 60 per cent by 2020: In 2018, the bank decreased its operational emissions by 49 per cent compared to 2008 – on target for the 2020 goal (long term target is a reduction of 80 per cent by 2030).
• Increasing use of renewable energy: Last year, 78 per cent of the group’s total electricity consumption came from renewable energy sources.
• Make premises and data centres more energy-efficient: UniCredit has so far installed centralised, remote controlled heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in around 1000 branches and energy monitoring devices in 800 branches.
• Reduce the environmental footprint, operational costs and emissions of the group: In 2018, UniCredit reduced its office space by 172,000 square metres in Western Europe alone.
• Plastic-free project: The bank has launched a plastic-free project in line with the European Directive 2018/0172 in order to significantly reduce the use of plastic across UniCredit’s offices and branches by 2020.

 

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 14 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide. For more information on UniCredit’s sustainability, see here

Annual industry awards recognise UniCredit’s excellence both as a distributor in its core markets and as Europe’s best private bank

 

UniCredit’s retail and private banking networks have once again been recognised for their achievements in the distribution of structured products and certificates, coming away with a clutch of awards at Structured Retail Products’ SRP Europe Conference 2019, including:

 

• Best Distributor, Germany & Austria
• Best Distributor, Italy
• Best Distributor / Best Performance, Austria
• Best Distributor / Best Performance, Slovakia

 

Algis Pabarcius, UniCredit’s Head of Markets Sales, said: “We are delighted to have been recognised by SRP at this year’s conference, with these outstanding achievements the result of our fully plugged-in CIB. Our clients receive the highest standard of customer service, benefiting from close synergies with our distribution networks.”

 

UniCredit’s Private Investor Products team is responsible for the distribution of Markets products across all asset classes to the Group’s extensive client franchise. Acting as a sales organisation and product manufacturer, it develops best-in-class solutions to meet a broad spectrum of investment needs.

The SRP awards remain the only quant-driven, independent awards for the structured products industry and are based on sales volume and performance data. This year’s results are the culmination of a comprehensive data analysis performed by the publication covering the period of 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2018.

 

At the same event, UniCredit Private Banking was also recognised as the Best Private Bank Europe.

 

Pabarcius added: “Our primary focus is to help our clients gain greater control over their portfolios. The number of our private banking clients investing in structured products and certificates remains at a consistently high-level in Germany and across CEE. In addition, Italy and Austria have experienced 10% growth during the time surveyed.”

UniCredit Private Banking offers a full range of services and customisable products to over 260,000 clients in 14 European countries, addressing the complexity of markets with clear and transparent strategies to protect and optimize client wealth .

 

UniCredit

 

UniCredit is a simple, successful pan-European commercial bank, with a fully plugged-in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise of 26 million clients.

UniCredit offers local expertise and international reach, supporting its clients globally and providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 14 core markets as well as 16 other countries worldwide. UniCredit European banking network includes Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey.

 

Structured Retail Products

 

Structured Retail Products (SRP) is part of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, one of the largest media groups in Europe and a member of the FTSE 250. SRP was founded in 2001 in response to an increasing need from the derivatives and structured products market for the highest quality market intelligence.

SRP’s Mission is to educate by demystifying the industry, using data, news and events to showcase the value of structured products. SRP owns and maintains the specialist industry website

 

 

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Contact details:                

Petr Plocek, Press Spokesperson of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia

 

e-mail: petr.plocek@unicreditgroup.cz

 

tel: 606 694 156

 

 

 

 

The Euromoney Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey recognises the leading providers of private banking services and this year collected 2230 responses from across the industry.

 

UniCredit has been recognised as a leader across several categories of the survey, the winners of which were announced at a gala dinner in London last night.

 

 

UniCredit won in the following categories:

• Central & Eastern Europe
• Asset Management
• International Clients
• Net-worth-specific services
  
  • subcategory: Ultra High Net Worth clients (Greater than US$ 30 million)
• Net-worth-specific services
  • subcategory: High Net Worth clients (US$ 5 million to US$ 30 million)
• Net-worth-specific services
  
  • subcategory: Super affluent clients (US$ 1 million to US$ 5 million)
• Research and Asset Allocation Advice
• Succession Planning Advice and Trusts
• Technology

Austria

• Net-worth-specific services
  
  • subcategory: Super affluent clients (US$ 1 million to US$ 5 million)
   
   

Croatia

• Asset Management
• Net-worth-specific services
  • subcategory: Super affluent clients (US$ 1 million to US$ 5 million)
• Research and Asset Allocation Advice
• Succession Planning Advice and Trusts

 

Hungary

• Research and Asset Allocation Advice

 

Romania

• Best Private Banking Services Overall
• Net-worth-specific services
  • subcategory: High Net Worth clients (US$ 5 million to US$ 30 million)
• Technology

 

Slovakia

• ESG/Social Impact Investing

 

Andrea Diamanti, head of CEE CIB &PB said: We are very pleased to receive this recognition from the results of the 2019 Euromoney Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey and I want to congratulate all the colleagues who have contributed to this success. These awards confirm that we are recognised as leaders by our peers. In fact, more than 2000 private bankers took part in the 2019 survey. This also demonstrates that our clients in Western, Central and Eastern Europe appreciate our efforts to offer the best possible service and best investment solutions. We are constantly fine-tuning our service approach and investing in new technologies to continue meeting evolving client needs.”

 

The Euromoney Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey provides a qualitative review of the best services in private banking, by region and by area of service. It is an informative guide for high net-worth individuals on the range of professional wealth management service providers that are available.

 

 

 

 

 

Following the successful first year of operations in Italy with € 72.9 million of impact financing approved, SIB will be launched in ten additional markets in 2019. The roll out will be supported also through the sale of the art collections in Italy, Germany and Austria.

 

The Social Impact Banking (SIB) initiative of UniCredit in Italy has approved € 72.9 million of impact financing to date, including 31 impact financing loans amounting to € 32.6 million and 2,050 microcredit loans amounting to € 40.3 million. A total of € 47.8 million have been disbursed. See more details on the key achievements below.

UniCredit is extending the initiative on a gradual basis to the other markets of the Group in 2019, including: Germany, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The SIB model to foster positive social impacts will be adapted in each market according to local needs. The wider rollout of SIB in 2019 is fully in line with the initial ambitions of the project and with UniCredit’s strong commitment to helping to develop the communities in which the Bank operates. The further rollout will also be supported by a progressive sale of UniCredit’s local art collections in Italy, Germany and Austria, with initial proceeds of around € 50 million. Some art pieces will be donated to local museums. The proceeds will primarily be reinvested in SIB initiatives. The rest of the proceeds will be dedicated to other relevant projects, including the local support of young artists.

 

Jean Pierre Mustier, UniCredit CEO, commented: “At UniCredit, we are proud that all our actions are guided by a strong sense of ethics, based on clear values. One of these is the importance of supporting our local communities everywhere where the Bank is present. Our Social Impact Banking initiative has achieved great results so far in Italy and we are now extending it to other markets with the same core purpose of looking beyond economic returns in our investments to achieve a tangible positive impact on society. We will gradually sell our art collections to support this initiative, giving some of our art pieces to local museums and investing in younger artists.”

 

Social Impact Banking is UniCredit's commitment to building a fairer and more inclusive society. Its aim is to identify, finance and promote people and enterprises that can have a positive social impact. The approach seeks to generate both, economic returns of our investments and wider societal benefits. As well as continuously providing credit to projects and organisations that are generally excluded from traditional banking products and services, SIB allows UniCredit to share its financial and business knowhow through educational initiatives dedicated to micro-entrepreneurs, social enterprises and vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, including young people, the elderly and others at risk of social exclusion. The engagement of UniCredit’s employees is a key driving force behind the training and support activities provided through SIB, which help build valuable networks within the communities where the Bank operates, bringing people together to share positive experiences and raising awareness of relevant projects to increase their potential societal impact. SIB also has a strong focus on monitoring and the measurement of outcomes, which is essential for ensuring the sustainable growth of both the sponsored projects and the Bank’s investment returns. The aim is to measure not only the direct, but also the indirect positive impacts generated by the projects backed in terms of social and economic well-being within UniCredit’s communities.

 

Overview of Social Impact Banking achievements in Italy in 2018

• € 72.9 million of impact financing approved of which € 47.8 million have been disbursed
  
• This includes the approval of 31 impact financing loans amounting to € 32.6 million and 2,050 microcredit loans amounting to € 40.3 million
  
•  86 partners on-boarded
  
• 15,800 students involved in financial education programmes provided in the academic year 2017-18 and 14,900 students involved in the academic year 2018-19, including over 9,500 new students bringing the total number of unique participants served to more than 25,300 to date
  
• 1,245,000 certified training hours delivered, out of which 840,000 hours were dedicated to projectbased learning
  
• 76 per cent of students say they were satisfied or highly satisfied with the programme(s) and 85 per cent considered the contents either useful or very useful
  
• 370 UniCredit tutors involved in training delivery

 

About UniCredit
UniCredit is a simple successful pan-European Commercial Bank, with a fully plugged in CIB, delivering a unique Western, Central and Eastern European network to its extensive client franchise: 26 million clients. UniCredit offers both local and international expertise to its clients, providing them with unparalleled access to leading banks in its 14 core markets through its European banking network: Italy, Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. Leveraging on an international network of representative offices and branches, UniCredit serves clients in another 18 countries worldwide.

 

 

 

 

 

UniCredit Bank has been awarded as the best corporate bank in the Czech Republic by the international Global Banking & Finance review, which unveils a list of the best banks worldwide each year across several categories, including corporate banking.

UniCredit Bank was among the eighteen banks globally to receive an award in the corporate banking country category this year.

“We are honoured that UniCredit Bank has been awarded as the best corporate bank in the Czech Republic by the Global Banking & Finance review. This award is an acknowledgement of our leading position in the corporate banking market segment, our expertise and the professionalism of our relationship managers who are in day-to-day contact with companies and entrepreneurs on the Czech and also on the Slovak market, where we are present.The award also demonstrates our commitment to continuing to follow the path of our bank in the region, which has been to help boost the economy of both countries over several decades,” says Jiří Kunert, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of UniCredit Bank in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The results of the Global Banking & Finance review’s awards acknowledge business results, strategies and innovations as well as progressive and inspirational changes within the global financial community. With over 3.6 million readers (bankers and investors), the prestigious magazine has been publishing its list of awards on an annual basis since 2011. Within UniCredit Group, two awards were also given to the Croatian Banka Zagrebacka (Best Investment Bank Croatia) and to UniCredit Leasing Croatia (Best Leasing Company Croatia). Furthermore, Yapi Kredi also received two awards (Best Private Bank Turkey and Best Digital Payments Turkey).