Desktop Zar: One bank, one market, one leader
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Opinion

Desktop Zar: One bank, one market, one leader

Anyone who is anyone in the FX market wants to put up a good showing in the annual Euromoney survey – it is widely accepted as the most accurate gauge of how a bank’s business is doing. In some cases, it is rumoured that success in the poll is even more important than growth in revenues.

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So it is no surprise that many banks make such a big effort to get their clients to vote for them. Deutsche Bank, which has done consistently well in the poll over the past few years, is among them and the bank clearly takes nothing for granted. This year, it rolled out a new secret weapon to garner votes – the Desktop Zar.

While the survey was live for voters, whenever Deutsche’s sales staff logged on to their systems, an animated version of their illustrious leader, Zar Amrolia, more formally known as the bank’s global head of FX, appeared on their screen. Insiders say that one version had Zar parachuting down the screen. Another showed him walking slowly from the distance, apparently exhorting his troops to go out and get votes. Apparently, Zar could be clicked and turned off, at which point he walked away into the distance. Few Deutsche staff had the courage to do this, fearful that a log of their actions would be kept somewhere.

The bank declined to provide Euromoney with a Desktop Zar. But we did manage to get an image sneaked out from under the noses of Deutsche’s guards. This was done at great danger to our mole, who took the picture on a mobile phone. Sadly, it fails to show Zar in all his true glory.

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