Over its 14-year existence The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards ceremony has developed into a gala occasion and the receipt of an award has become a globally acknowledged badge of recognition.
While the black-tie awards dinner takes place in London at the end of November or early December, the long road to winning an award begins six months earlier when the applications forms are sent out. Or to be more accurate it begins several years earlier, when a bank’s strategy is first cast.
As always, and this year has been no exception, there are many challenges along the way to gaining an award and to receiving the adulation of peers and colleagues at the ceremony.
Regulation continues to challenge banks and makes delivering decent shareholder returns that much harder. At the same time, the economic outlook in many countries is at best mixed and in some parts of the world (the eurozone in particular) recovery is proving elusive. Against that backdrop, the pressure is on from customers to deliver competitive products and services along multi-channels and with the all the latest apps.
It is a tough number but the editorial judging committee at The Banker is delighted to report that the high standards we have come to expect in applications was more than maintained this year. The banks awarded have truly excelled and are outperforming their competitors on numerous fronts.
We received a total of 483 entries this year and made awards in 146 countries. On top of this we have the global award, the five regional awards and a lifetime achievement award.
We do not always make a lifetime achievement award – only when the judges feel that someone in global banking really deserves it. That was definitely the case this year.
Finally, a word to those banks which entered but failed to triumph. Please do enter again next year. The Banker has an even-handed approach to awards and considers all types of banks on the same basis whether public sector or private, old or new, large or small, universal or more focused. If 2013 was not your year, then 2014 could be. In the meantime, we offer hearty congratulations to all our winners.
