[ S U R V E Y | A G E N T B A N K S I N F R O N T I E R M A R K E T S ]
Central and Eastern Europe
The largest region in the survey by number of responses , accounting for just over a third of the total , Central and Eastern Europe excludes the Baltic countries , which are treated as a separate region . It is also the region where singlecountry service providers ( or at least those without a full regional offering ) still appear to account for a decent market share of inbound business . While regional providers are prominent , including Citi , UniCredit , SGSS and RBI , it is worth noting that Eurobank in Bulgaria and PBZ in Croatia stand out for their service provision in those individual markets . BRD , part of the Société Générale Group , stands out in Romania , though with insufficient scores for a full analysis . All three of these providers register category scores well above both regional and individual market averages for the most part . Of the 11 markets for which responses were recorded this year , five were responsible for the majority of these – Bulgaria ( 34 %), Romania ( 16 %), Croatia ( 14 %), Slovak Republic 12 % and Slovenia ( 10 %). Alongside these , Albania , Bosnia Herzegovina , Georgia , Macedonia , Serbia and Ukraine garner a handful of responses . Although their results are too few for full analysis , they nevertheless contribute to creating a regional average alongside the dominant markets . Scores for the Central and Eastern Europe region reflect the levels of
Regional scores Central and Eastern Europe 2021 Previous year Difference Account Management 6.02 5.35 0.67 Asset Safety 6.36 5.51 0.85 Asset Servicing 6.20 5.38 0.82 Cash Management and FX 6.05 3.92 2.13 Client Service 6.24 4.24 2.00 Liquidity Management 5.95 4.26 1.69 Pricing 5.49 5.25 0.24 Regulation and Compliance 6.10 5.46 0.64 Relationship Management 5.94 5.08 0.86 Risk Management 6.04 5.51 0.53 Technology 5.97 5.55 0.42
competition and are similar to what one might expect to see in European markets covered in the Agent Banks in Major Markets ( ABMM ) and Agent Banks in Emerging Markets ( ABEM ) surveys .
Eurobank Client comments for the most part relate to Eurobank ’ s offering in Bulgaria , which stands out as one of the best appreciated in the ABFM survey . “ The staff of the provider is well trained and very familiar with the market rules and conditions ,” says one European pension fund client . In an area where competitive differentiation is increasingly important , a European asset manager comments that , “ We always receive accurate and complete corporate actions notifications .”
Interestingly , in an area where clients are often reticent about offering thoughts : price , several respondents acknowledge that Eurobank provides value for money , with one commenting that the bank offers “ maintenance of commercial terms at very competitive levels .”
PBZ and SGSS Other banks coming in for plaudit include PBZ in Croatia – “ A reliable partner with in-depth market knowledge ; expertise of PBZ team is the reason why we choose PBZ ,” says one client –– and BRD , Société Générale ' s ’ subsidiary in Romania , which one large European client describes as “ providing a very high level of service , with very competent , reactive and efficient people .”
Provider scores ( Regional ) |
Central and Eastern Europe 2021 |
Eurobank |
Versus regional average |
PBZ ( Intesa Sanpaolo ) |
Versus regional average |
Account Management |
6.02 |
6.59 |
0.57 |
6.17 |
0.14 |
Asset Safety |
6.36 |
6.84 |
0.48 |
6.00 |
-0.36 |
Asset Servicing |
6.20 |
6.72 |
0.52 |
6.33 |
0.14 |
Cash Management and FX |
6.05 |
6.42 |
0.37 |
5.67 |
-0.39 |
Client Service |
6.24 |
6.68 |
0.44 |
6.00 |
-0.24 |
Liquidity Management |
5.95 |
6.64 |
0.69 |
5.75 |
-0.20 |
Pricing |
5.49 |
6.50 |
1.01 |
5.80 |
0.31 |
Regulation and Compliance |
6.10 |
6.82 |
0.72 |
6.00 |
-0.10 |
Relationship Management |
5.94 |
6.72 |
0.78 |
6.17 |
0.22 |
Risk Management |
6.04 |
6.50 |
0.46 |
6.00 |
-0.04 |
Technology |
5.97 |
6.75 |
0.78 |
6.00 |
0.03 |
58 Global Custodian Spring 2021