Belarus

A part of the RZB group since 2003, Priorbank is one of the two largest banks in Belarus, alongside last year’s winner, Belagroprombank. It is also the only privately owned bank in Belarus’s top six banks by size. It made significant strides forward in 2007: assets grew by 48%, loans by 44% and deposits by 32%. The bank gained more than 134,000 new customers last year, bringing its customer base above the 750,000 mark, while the number of branches grew from 61 in 2006 to 81 by the end of 2007. Return on equity was up by one-quarter, while profit after tax rose by one-third.