London, 1 December 2011 – Gruppo Intesa Sanpaolo received the 'Bank of the Year 2011 in Italy' award from the influential London economic-financial monthly THE BANKER (Financial Times Group) during the prize-giving ceremony held yesterday evening in Park Lane.
The award, which the world of finance considers the “standard for banking excellence”, was assigned for the Group's solid performance in terms of economic results, assets and liquidity; the numerous initiatives in support of Italian SMEs operating in Italy and abroad were also taken into account.
In addition, THE BANKER awarded Intesa Sanpaolo the following prizes: ‘Bank of the Year in Serbia’, thanks to the results of Banca Intesa Beograd, ‘Bank of the Year in Bosnia and Herzegovina’ for Intesa Sanpaolo Banka Bosnia i Hercegovina and  'Bank of the Year in Croatia' for PBZ.
“We are very proud of this award,” commented Andrea Beltratti, Chairman of Intesa Sanpaolo's Management Board, “and it is not a coincidence that it has been assigned to a bank that places the real economy at the centre of its strategy. The increase in our assets, achieved in the first part of 2011, allows us to face this very difficult moment for all European banks with confidence. We wish to continue pursuing our mission, which places our customers right at the heart of our efforts, in order to enable savers and businesses to achieve their aims. The awards assigned to Banca Intesa Beograd, Banka Bosnia i Hercegovina and PBZ (Croatia), reinforce our belief that we have been able to build a successful model, which is well adapted to the different realities in which we operate.”
Intesa Sanpaolo has a selective presence in central eastern Europe and in the Middle East and North Africa, thanks to over 1,700 counters and to the 8.3 million customers of the subsidiaries operating in retail and commercial banking in 12 countries. The Group also boasts an international network specialized in supporting corporate clients, which is present in 29 countries, especially in the Middle East and North Africa and the areas in which Italian businesses are most dynamic, such as the United States of America, Russia, China and India.

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