Raiffeisen, Budapest Leasing, UniCredit, CIB and K&H have been awarded - in seven categories - one of the most prestigious awards for financial institutions, the EXIM Awards 2020.

As the Hungarian export credit agency, EXIM cooperates with 40 financial institutional partners in financing the corporate segment of the export sector, including commercial banks, leasing companies and financial enterprises that disbursed new EXIM loans or leases in the value of nearly HUF 400 billion in 2020 under refinancing schemes. The award ceremony was opened by Levente Magyar, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Gergely Jákli, CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors at EXIM Hungary.

EXIM products play an increasingly important role in enabling financial institutions to contribute to the presence and growth of exporting, supplier-exporter enterprises or companies with export potential in foreign markets through a wide range of subsidised financing schemes. Today, more than 2,300 enterprises - 90% of which are SMEs - use export credits or export leasing predominantly through the financial institutional partners of the Bank. This successful cooperation has also significantly contributed to the rapid response to the economic shock caused by the pandemic: the EXIM Compensation Loan Program was the second most requested corporate loan product last year.

"The domestic banking system plays a vital role in the development and growth of businesses and thus in the continued strengthening of the Hungarian economy as a whole. As an export-oriented economy, Hungary is a country where support for foreign trade players is of paramount importance. EXIM Hungary is a stable partner in this regard: 10% of the corporate loan portfolio in 2020 derived from EXIM funding", said Levente Magyar, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in his opening speech.

Raiffeisen Bank PLC. won the Bank of the Year 2020 title for managing the largest refinanced EXIM loan portfolio in 2020, and the bank also received two other awards out of the seven categories: the SME Financier of the Year 2020 and the MEHIB (Hungarian Export Credit Insurance)Award 2020. The former prize was awarded to the Bank for the disbursement of the largest number of loans to the SME segment that is also a key focus of EXIM's strategy, and the latter for the joint implementation of an export insurance transaction of outstanding size and structure. The Leasing Company of the Year award was again presented to Budapest Leasing PLC., which had the largest leasing portfolio refinanced by EXIM also in 2020. The Most Active Bank of the Year became UniCredit Bank Hungary PLC., which had the largest number of EXIM refinanced customers at the end of 2020. The winner in the Transaction of the Year 2020 category is CIB Bank PLC. with its Export Stimulation Investment Loan to Óvártej PLC. This year, the Zoltán Urbán Export Banker of the Year Award, established in memory of the CEO of EXIM, who passed away in 2017, was presented by Gergely Jákli to Andrea Erdei, Senior Corporate Business Development Advisor at K&H Group for her outstanding work.

“Without the work of our financial partner institutions, our efforts would not have been so effective: last year alone, we completed nearly 1,700 transactions with them", Gergely Jákli added at yesterday's event.

The plaques were received by Ferenc Kementzey, Deputy CEO of Raiffeisen Bank PLC.; Attila Medgyesi, CEO of Budapest Lízing PLC.; Giacomo Volpi, Deputy CEO of Unicredit Bank Hungary PLC.; Balázs Szabó, Deputy CEO of CIB Bank PLC.; and Andrea Erdei, Senior Corporate Business Development Advisor of K&H PLC. 

(From left to right: Giacomo Volpi, Deputy CEO - Unicredit Bank Hungary PLC.; Ferenc Kementzey, Deputy CEO - Raiffeisen Bank PLC.; Levente Magyar, Deputy Minister - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Andrea Erdei, Senior Corporate Business Development Advisor - K&H.; Gergely Jákli, CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors - EXIM Hungary; Attila Medgyesi, CEO - Budapest Lízing PLC.; Balázs Szabó, Deputy CEO - Head of Corporate - CIB Bank PLC.; Attila Szabó István, Deputy CEO - EXIM Hungary.)

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