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Best Bank: Privredna Banka Zagreb |
Privredna Banka Zagreb (PBZ) maintains its position as best bank in Croatia thanks to a strong showing in retail and corporate banking, with the bank boasting more than 1.6 million clients, giving it an 18.2% market share by the end of 2008. As a result, PBZ boosted its net profit by 18% on the previous year. In retail banking it maintained its strong comparative advantage over its competitors with the most extensive network, consisting of 230 branches and regional offices.
Alongside its core banking services, PBZ also offers a diverse range of specialized services in the leasing, real estate and fund management fields, and is the leading fixed income and foreign exchange dealer in Croatia as well as a leading player on the Croatian syndicated loan market.
Zagrebacka Banka wins the best investment bank award on the back of strong performance. It arranged several landmark transactions in a variety of fields. In the debt market it closed a dozen bond deals with a total value of €1.5 billion for a range of sovereign, municipal, corporate and banking clients and five structured finance deals totalling €2.2 billion. In equity brokerage the bank boasts Croatia’s largest retail client base and it is the leader in custody services, with a 40% market share.
