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ALBANIA |
Best Bank: OTP Bank Albania | |
Robust growth, best-in-class profitability and a commitment to digital development earn OTP Bank Albania the award as Albania’s best bank for a second year in succession.
Despite a challenging operating environment, the Hungarian subsidiary – led by chief executive Bledar Shella – posted a return on equity of 17.1% last year on the back of a 10.7% expansion in the loan portfolio that boosted its share of the market by 40 basis points.
Combined with a tight focus on efficiency, this made for a sector beating cost-to-income ratio of 48.7% despite continued investment in digitalization, which included holistic upgrades of the bank’s mobile and online platforms, as well as the introduction of multifunctional ATMs.
A prudent approach to risk management kept non-performing loans (NPLs) to below 6% of the total at the end of 2020. Coverage remained healthy at 77.1%, while a capital adequacy ratio of 17.1% provided protection against further economic turmoil.
This strong performance continued into the first quarter of 2021, when returning consumer and business confidence boosted OTP Bank Albania’s new loan production by 63% year on year, contributing to an annualized return on equity of 18%.