Starting off as an export agency – an organisation financing the trade done by national companies engaged in international activities – in the meantime, EximBank has enlarged its scope of activity so that today the bank is in a position to support, though its financial instruments – focused on three directions of action: financing, guarantees, insurance – any type of company be it SME or major enterprise, conducting international transactions or addressing exclusively to the local market. Now, upon the anniversary of twenty years of activity, the bank’s business card looks like this: Total exposure (financing, guarantees and insurance) at the end of 2011 went up to RON 2.9 bn, over three times higher than the level recorded at the end of 2008. This evolution was primarily supported by the growing volume of guarantees. In the course of 2011, the bank registered a rise in its lending activity in its own name and on its own account – the exposure on the segment being almost 57 per cent higher than on December 31, 2010. The portfolio of customers for credit has undergone substantial changes – the main beneficiaries now being the SMEs and large companies – with a weight of 80 per cent, evenly distributed. State-owned entities have constantly reduced their share from 44 per cent at the end of 2008 to almost 20 per cent in 2011 – which is an indication of the fact that EximBank fulfils its mission of supporting the projects of local business. Guarantees in 2011 had the most accentuated dynamic. The volume of guarantees granted went up by 68 per cent since the end of 2010, at the same time being almost nine times higher than in 2008. The economic operators who were beneficiaries of such guarantees could access loans needed for growing their business both for the working capital and for important investment projects. EximBank’s gross profit in 2011 was RON 69.6 M, higher by 109 per cent than the planned profit. The result was due both to a better capitalisation on resources and to administrative savings. The profitability of EximBank (asset efficiency indicator) was 1.4 per cent at the end of 2011, compared to a negative rate of 0.10 per cent in the banking system, which indicates the combined loss of all 42 banks. For its activity in the last year, EximBank has received awards and distinctions from various organisations, representing a recognition of the fact that the bank has made notable progress in the direction of making its work dynamic and that its business model is both robust and efficient:
The award for the best return on assets and most efficient employees – the Top Bankers Gala organised by ‘Piata Financiara’ magazine; The ‘Bank of the Year 2011’ award – The Men of the Year 2011 Gala Awards organised by ‘Nine O’Clock’;The ‘Best banking strategy in 2011’ award – the ‘Financial Leaders Hall of Fame’ Gala Awards organised by the ‘Business Arena Magazine’ publication;The award for the ‘Best Banking product’ – the Top Bankers Gala Awards organised by ‘Piata Financiara’ magazine in December; EximBank was awarded by the National Association of Romanian Exporters and Importers (ANEIR) the ‘Petru Crisan’ Big Trophy – an annual award of the association to economic operators with exceptional results and, at the same time, was selected as ‘The most dynamic bank in the post-crisis period’.
