International cooperation
General Strategy
Securing of bank’s leading role on the market
Reengineering of banking business processes
Implementation of modern core banking IT-system
Expansion of product range and increase of their quality
Improvement of profitability
Development of cards business
International cooperation development
- Expansion of presence on international financial markets
- Attraction of the new sources of financing from Europe and Asia
- Development of new international financial instruments
- Expansion of cooperation with Export Credit Agencies
- Increase of long-term and short-term financing limits
- Improvement of international rating
For any large financing institution presence in the international financial market is one of the key factors of effective functioning and developing. International financial relations are one of the most complicated and multi-sided spheres of banking business which combine traditional for a country banking and "supranational" features of world finance market.
Expansion of Belarusbank's international presence is one of the major strategic objectives and is being realized in several directions.
First steps in the market of long-term international borrowings Belarusbank made in 1996. Currently, Belarusbank has financed about 200 investment projects of Belarusian enterprises with foreign loan facilities.
The largest projects with attraction of international financing realized in last years are acquisition of modern equipment for enterprises of the agricultural complex, modernization of manufacturing equipment of semiconductor producer "Integral" and pharmaceutical producer "Belmedpreparaty", reconstruction of food processing enterprises, reconstruction of wood-processing enterprises "Ivacevichdrev" and "FanDOK", supply of technological equipment for "Belarusian Metallurgical Plant ", "Minsk Tractor Plant" and "Grodnohimvolokno", construction of the hotel Victoria in Minsk and reconstruction of the hotel Minsk, purchasing of electric trains for Belarusian Railway and others.
Also Balarusbank is acting as an agent-bank in realization of investment project "BeST" as well as in the projects of cement works construction. These projects are financed be Chinese banks with the total amount of financing about USD 800 m.
At present Belarusbank actively cooperates with number of national export credit agencies such as Euler Hermes Kreditversicherungs AG (Germany), KUKE SA (Poland), SERV (Switzerland), OeKB (Austria), ONDD (Belgium), SACE (Italy), EGAP (Czech Republic), Sinosure (China), GIEK (Norway) and others. In December 2009 Belarusbank and Nippon Export and Import Insurance (NEXI) signed the Memorandum of Understanding. This fact is an evidence of activation of Belarusian and Japanese relationship and will contribute to the implementation of joint projects and increase of the trade turnover between our countries.
The Bank also actively works on large international debt capital markets borrowing projects by using new financial instruments. Starting from the 2006 Belarusbank attracted 6 syndicated loans totaling $363 m. in equivalent. The last of six syndicated loans Belarusbank attracted in January 2010. The total amount of the loan reached USD 60 million while the announced preliminary syndication was USD 30 million. This fact evidences the permanently high interest of foreign investors to Belarusian economy as well as the perfect credit history of Belarusbank.
2007th year was memorable for Belarusbank due to realization of the biggest in the bank's history international borrowing project: issue of Loan Participation Notes (LPN) and distribution among international investors. The amount of transaction was USD 125 m. VTB Bank Europe plc (Great Britain) and Banco Finantia (Portugal) became the banks-arrangers of the borrowing. The securities were bought by investors from Great Britain, continental Europe and Asia.
Currently, Belarusbank actively works on the project of realization of the minority share to foreign investors.
Belarusbank's international credit ratings contribute to developing of the cooperation with foreign financial institutions. Since 1999 the international rating agency Fitch Ratings has been assigning international credit ratings to Belarusbank, and in 2007 Moody's Investors Services started to assign credit ratings to the Bank.
One to active increase of bilateral economic cooperation between Belarus and People's Republic of China and relations' development with Chinese finance-and-credit organizations, in 2007 Belarusbank opened its Representative Office in People's Republic of China in Beijing. This step became a logical continuation of realization the bank's strategy of raising the level of its presence in the international finance markets. The presentation "Belarusbank - a financial bridge between Belarus and China" where the representatives both of Belarusian and Chinese enterprises and organization participated took place in Beijing on April, 11th in 2008 year. The Representative Office opening in China essentially contributed to the growth of our bank's cooperation with Chinese financial institutions.
Significant contribution to expanding and strengthening our positions in the international financial markets is made by the Bank's representative offices abroad. Presently Belarusbank has representative offices in Russia, Poland, Germany and China.
Belarusbank is constantly expanding the geography of its cooperation. Besides "traditional" business relations with financial institutions of Germany, Poland, China, Russia, Austria, Great Britain Belarusbank has established business relations with financial institutions of Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Korea, Cyprus, Turkey, Slovenia, Croatia, Norway and other.
Investment forum of Belarusbank and Goodmorning Shinhan Securities in Seul - "Belarusbank with perspective investment projects" - became one of the significant events of the year 2008. More than 50 representatives of Korean companies, banks, state organizations, including Shinhan Bank, Korea Development Bank, Korea Eximbank, Daewoo E&C, Hyundai Development Company, Taegu Tec, Deltamedical Corp., POSCO, SK took part in Forum.
International economic editions Global Finance, Euromoney, EMEAFinance awarded Belarusbank the best bank in the Republic of Belarus in 2010.
According to the data of the international financial edition "The Banker" in 2010 Belarusbank is on the 544 place among the Top-1000 of the largest world banks.
We aim to realize a set of specific measures to further develop international cooperation in order to enhance confidence in the Bank and to shape its positive image in the international banking community. Targets have been set to increase the existing and to open new foreign credit lines both with and without insurance cover.
A significant emphasis will be placed on expanding cooperation with export credit agencies, forfeiting, financial and non-financial organizations from Western and Central Europe, Asia and CIS countries.
With aim to further expanding the cooperation with international financial institutions and increasing of volume of foreign investments Belarusbank will be realizing on continuing basis studies of internal markets, conducting bank's presentations, cooperating with international rating agencies.
Prospects of International Cooperation as Viewed by Belarusbank
Long – term ECA covered financing
Short-term trade financing without cover
Attraction of syndicated loans
Placement of Belarusbank's bonds and other securities in the European market
