Gold Magazine February - March 2013, Issue 23 | Page 54

special supplement

W

hen the
founders
of FBME
Bank came
to Cyprus in
1977, they
took note of the fact that, while a
small number of offshore companies
operated on the island at the time,
there was a total absence of Offshore
Banks. They therefore approached
the authorities and convinced the
Central Bank and the Ministry of
Finance to accept applications from
offshore Banks to establish a presence in Cyprus. FBME is thus the
oldest International Bank on the
island whose roots go back to being
the oldest offshore licensed bank
still in existence, and it continues
to grow. FBME’s policy has always
been “growth by attraction” and, as
such, has welcomed other international banks to also set up in Cyprus, the object being to develop the
country as an international banking
centre in the region. This vision
has finally been realized, thanks to
the positive work that FBME bank
has done throughout the years of its
existence in Cyprus. The island has
become a financial banking centre in
the region as well as a major offshore
business centre, and all this prior to
Cyprus joining the European Union
and adopting the euro.
Today Cyprus is facing challenges.
The present situation calls for clear
minds and positive action. “Business
as usual” is not going to bring the
desired results. Cyprus should offer
such conditions to foreign investors
as to attract foreign direct invest-

ment to the island in a process of
“growth by attraction” rather than
expecting growth and development
to happen through “extraction”.
This year, FBME Bank is celebrating 30 successful years in Cyprus.
Celebrations commence with an
event that not many would have the
opportunity to attend, but also one
whose purpose will mark the launching of our new Corporate Responsibility programme, one of which
is centered on our most important
asset, our children.
At FBME Bank we firmly believe
that one should give back to the society in which one operates. And we
also believe that the time is always
right to do what is right! One of the
pillars of our Corporate Social Responsibility programme is improving
the lives of our children and helping
them to develop into healthy, caring
and educated individuals.
In pursuing this, we have recently
brought to Cyprus the world-famous
exhibition of the Da Vinci Machines.
Around 60 machines, created by the
team of Florentine artisans from the
Niccolai-Teknoart group based on
the Codices of Leonardo Da Vinci,
are currently on display at the Carob
Mill in Limassol until the end of February this year. Some of these are lifesize and most of them are interactive,
offering the visitor the possibility to
gain a first-hand appreciation of how
they work. Only 15 paintings directly
attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci
survive and these have been reproduced for this exhibition, including
the most famous and most valued of
all, the Mona Lisa.

WHY DID FBME BANK
CHOOSE LEONARDO
DA VINCI?

Well, if you venture into FBME’s
website – although it is not quite as
old as Leonardo da Vinci, it does
have some similarities! For example,
you will read our Vision, our Mission,
our Values and our Strengths. One of
FBME’s core values is teamwork – we
value people, encourage creativity and
cooperation and provide quality solutions. Leonardo da Vinci had the same
values. The entire cost of the exhibition
(or “the investment” as we like to refer
to it) has been undertaken by the Bank
and all proceeds from it will be donated
to the Makarios III Hospital for Children. This first action constitutes the
formal launch of a broader sustainability initiative that we intend to ingrain
within the cultural DNA of our Bank
and it is an opportunity to showcase
what matters to us most.
Leonardo Da Vinci once said that
“Learning never exhausts the mind.”
And it is that very same learning which
we at FBME bank are looking to
promote. Learning and creativity bring
about productivity, an arsenal that our
children can use to build the future and
make this a better world to live in. And
today, there is an even greater need to
focus on the future amidst the crisis
that the world is going through.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Gabriella Samara Paphitis
Head of Marketing & Public Relations
FBME Bank
Address: 90, Archibishop Makarios III
Ave., 1077 Nicosia