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UniCredit Shines Bright: Crowned Global Bank of the Year 2024 by FT's The Banker for the Second Straight Year
PRESS RELEASE
05 December 2024
For the second consecutive year, FT's The Banker named UniCredit Global Bank of the Year 2024, Bank of the Year in Europe, Bank of the Year in Italy
Bank also named Bank of the Year in Croatia, and Bosnia Herzegovina 2024
The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards has recognized UniCredit global leadership for the second year, naming it the overall Bank of the Year and Best Bank in Europe during its annual ceremony in London. Additionally, UniCredit was honored with the titles of Bank of the Year in Italy, Croatia, and Bosnia Herzegovina.
Regarded as the industry standard for banking excellence, The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards evaluates the world's leading financial institutions based on their ability to deliver returns, gain strategic advantage, and serve their markets. The Banker magazine, part of the Financial Times Group, provides economic and financial intelligence for the world's financial sector and has built a reputation for objective and insightful reporting since its inception in 1926.
Commenting on the Awards won by UniCredit, Silvia Pavoni, editor in chief of The Banker, said: "The Banker rarely awards the same lender two years in a row, but UniCredit’s sustained performance and growing ambition were just too compelling to overlook. Its financial results – for 2023 as well as the first part of 2024 – are clearly impressive, as are its astute partnerships and investments across Europe. Efforts to simplify the bank processes and improve its digital offering were additional reasons to recognized UniCredit as the global winner of our Bank of the Year award”.
Over the last years, UniCredit has relentlessly worked on its cultural and industrial transformation, committing to fundamental change to redefine its future, with the ambition of becoming the bank for Europe’s future.
Commenting on the Awards, Andrea Orcel, UniCredit CEO, said: “We are proud of these achievements, acknowledging, for the second year, the success of UniCredit Unlocked which moved the bank from laggard to winner within a three-year period, setting a new benchmark for banking in Europe. We take this opportunity to thank all the people at UniCredit who through hard work and dedication to delivering for our clients and their communities have and will continue to make it all possible."
Serving 15 million clients in 13 markets across Europe, UniCredit remains focused on supporting its clients, employees, and communities to progress and facilitate clients in a just and fair green transition, delivering lasting growth and prosperity for the long term.
Milan, 5 December 2024
For further information, please contact: mediarelations@unicredit.eu
UniCredit expands partnership with Blackstone to bring institutional-quality private equity to its wealth clients in Italy
PRESS RELEASE
04 December 2024
Pan-European lender continues to enhance offering for individual clients
UniCredit has partnered with Blackstone, a global leader in alternative asset management, to distribute the Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund (BXPE) to its wealth clients in Italy.
BXPE is an actively managed semi-liquid open-ended alternative investment fund which provides qualified investors with broad exposure to the entire breadth of Blackstone’s private equity platform across a diversified portfolio of high-growth companies.
The strategy encompasses the asset manager’s investments across corporate private equity, tactical opportunities, secondaries, life sciences, and growth investing.
At the same time, the partnership seeks to lower the private equity market’s historically high barriers to entry by providing access to Blackstone’s diverse platform through a single fund, which aims to deliver robust returns through a flexible structure.
UniCredit's Wealth Management clients in Italy can subscribe to BXPE from December 3, 2024.
Renato Miraglia, Head of Wealth Management at UniCredit Italy, said: “We are delighted to broaden our partnership with Blackstone, with BXPE providing our wealth clients with the opportunity to diversify their portfolios through direct exposure to private equity investments. We will continue to build our business around clients – striking the best possible partnerships to improve their options.”
Andrea Valeri, Chairman of Blackstone Italy, said: “We have already observed significant interest from individual investors in Italy looking to diversify their investment portfolios into asset classes that were once exclusive to institutional investors. By expanding our partnership with UniCredit to include private equity, we can further expand our distribution capacity via a trusted partner to meet this demand.”
Rashmi Madan, Head of EMEA for Blackstone Private Wealth Solutions, added: “This is the next step in the expansion of Private Wealth Solutions in Italy, as we continue to execute against our strategy to provide individual investors across Europe with greater access to institutional quality solutions. The fund leverages our extensive experience and expertise in private equity investing, allowing investors to access a diversified portfolio of high-growth companies while aiming to deliver attractive returns.”
Milan, 4 December 2024
For further information, please contact: mediarelations@unicredit.eu
UniCredit notes the announcements made today by the European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Central Bank (ECB) regarding the information of the 2024 EU-wide Transparency Exercise and fulfilment of the EBA Board of Supervisors’ decision.
Background 2024 EU-wide Transparency Exercise
The EBA Board of Supervisors approved the package for the 2024 EU-wide Transparency Exercise, which since 2016 is performed on an annual basis and published along with the Risk Assessment Report (RAR). The annual transparency exercise will be based solely on COREP/FINREP data on the form and scope to assure a sufficient and appropriate level of information to market participants.
The templates were centrally filled in by the EBA and sent afterwards for verification by banks and supervisors. Banks had the chance to correct any errors detected and to resubmit correct data through the regular supervisory reporting channels, and to add specific information as required for further clarify individual data.
The 2024 Transparency exercise covers four reference dates: 30th September and 31st December 2023, 31st March and 30th June 2024.
Milan, 2nd December 2024
Enquiries
Investor Relations
e mail: investorrelations@unicredit.eu
Media Relations
e mail: mediarelations@unicredit.eu
Fitch affirms UniCredit rating one notch above the sovereign following the offer on Banco BPM. Outlook remains positive
PRESS RELEASE
02 December 2024
PRICE SENSITIVE
Fitch Ratings has affirmed UniCredit SpA’s Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) and Senior Preferred rating at ‘BBB+’ with a positive outlook.
The rating therefore remains one notch above the Italian sovereign.
The rating action follows UniCredit’s exchange offer on Banco BPM. Fitch Ratings expects that a potential transaction with Banco BPM would not alter the group’s credit profile to an extent that would affect its ratings.
All other ratings on UniCredit SpA were also affirmed by the rating agency.
For further details please refer to Fitch Ratings’ corresponding press release on the website of the rating agency: www.fitchratings.com
Milan, 2 December 2024
Contacts
Media Relations: e-mail MediaRelations@unicredit.eu
Investor Relations: e-mail InvestorRelations@unicredit.eu
We need to be brutally realistic about the environmental scenario, agree panellists at UniCredit’s second ESG Day
PRESS RELEASE
28 November 2024
Against backdrop of COP29, pan-European bank urges collaboration on new solutions and alternative models, as it brings together colleagues, clients and leading ESG experts to tackle the challenges of the green transition
On 14th November, UniCredit hosted its second ESG Day – A challenged future: choosing the path ahead. The one-day event saw more than 13,000 participants join in either online or in person across ten different Group locations.
Attendees including clients, partners, employees and other stakeholders, alongside a host of renowned ESG experts, engaged in a series of impactful discussions covering the full spectrum of ESG topics.
The event spanned three roundtable panels and a joint interview, all moderated by CNBC’s Silvia Berzoni, and featuring appearances from UniCredit CEO and Head of Italy, Andrea Orcel, and Head of Group Strategy & ESG, Fiona Melrose. There were also keynote speeches from philosophers Andrea Colamedici and Maura Gancitano, Founders of the Tlon Project, and Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy University of Oxford.
One of the key takeaways was the need to be “brutally realistic” about the current environmental scenario. More than three decades on from the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, the global economy is still around 80% dependent on fossil fuels – and that 80% is of a much larger world energy demand. This problem is compounded by continued depletion of the world’s biodiversity and carbon sinks.
The introductory speech from Tlon saw a reprise of last year’s theme of “cathedral thinking”, whilst at the same time, encouraging a gardener’s mindset – understanding that everything is interconnected and every action has long-term consequences. We must move away from controlling nature to collaborating with it.
The first session focused on “The social dilemma: how climate change and technology are reshaping society?”, recognising the “S” component as a fundamental lever for a just and fair transition. The panellists also highlighted eco-anxiety as something that can be channelled into concrete community actions to build resilience. To harness this, companies must define clear ecological values that reflect those of their workers.
This was followed by a session entitled “A zero-sum game? Solving sustainability trade-offs”, which highlighted the need to manage conflicting interests as part of the transition, with meaningful action often requiring a delicate balancing act between environmental, social and biodiversity issues. There’s no silver bullet for this difficult situation; firms will have to take a nuanced approach, taking into account their own unique and complex contexts, to drive gradual progress with a clear governance. As the panellists noted, it’s important to be realistic about what is being sacrificed for what.
The next session was focused on practical steps forward in the face of these challenges: “The way forward: from responsibility to response-ability”, which focused on the importance of establishing alternative models and approaches in order to foster more sustainable ways of doing business. Examples included service providers tracking consumer behaviour and offering rewards such as better pricing for customers that demonstrate sustainable tendencies. Similarly, this approach could be applied to investors, with creditors who contribute to a company’s sustainability goals earning a better return.
The event also provided a moment for the bank to formally launch the workers’ stream of its Skills for Transition programme, which delivers strategic training to the workforce of companies expected to be impacted by the green transition – helping them to develop the skills they need to meet the demands of a changing environment whilst generating a measurable social impact. Fully funded by UniCredit, the programme spans six UniCredit Group countries: Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania, delivering specific learning paths via a digital platform and in workers' local languages.
Commenting on the event, Fiona Melrose, Head of Group Strategy & ESG, UniCredit, said, “The road to transition is not straightforward; it's littered with complexities and trade-offs. But it's a road that we all walk together. That's why it was so energising to have a room full of clients for our second ESG Day, tackling the tough questions and adding value by sharing concrete actions that we can all take. We must be realistic about the difficult scenario we face, but that doesn't mean we can't be optimistic, as sustainability and environmental transition also allow us to rethink the way we do things.”
More information on the themes discussed on the day can be found in this white paper, produced in advance of the event to serve as framing content, whilst more details on the event itself – including a full recording of the sessions – can be found on the dedicated ESG Day website.
More information on the bank’s Skills for Transition programme can be found here.
Milan, 28 November 2024
For further information, please contact: mediarelations@unicredit.eu
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UniCredit Named Global Bank of the Year 2024 for the Second Year in a Row
Thursday 05 December 2024
We have been awarded the prestigious title of Global Bank of the Year 2024 by FT's The Banker, marking our second consecutive year of this honor. In addition to being recognised as Bank of the Year in Europe and Italy, we also received accolades as Bank of the Year in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina.
Milano Music Week: 300 Events to Celebrate Music, Inclusivity and Innovation
Wednesday 04 December 2024
Live concerts, workshops, DJ sets, talks and a contest for emerging talents: this and much more brought the 2024 Milano Music Week to life, a week entirely dedicated to music and its universe in this hectic city. UniCredit and UniCredit Allianz Vita, as Main Sponsors, renewed their support for this major event, reaffirming their commitment to promoting art and culture.
As the Davis Cup 2024 has come to a close, UniCredit and buddy UniCredit celebrate not just the champions, but the shared passion for sport that connects us all! Italy captured its second consecutive Davis Cup title with a dominant 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in Málaga. Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini delivered spectacular performances. Congratulations to all the players who gave their all in the Davis Cup finals.
Our virtual museum UniCredit Art Collection platform, the website of one of the largest corporate art Collections in Europe, celebrates its first birthday.
On 25 November, UniCredit endorses the Global UNiTE campaign, raising awareness on breaking the silence about violence against women and girls in all its forms.
One Student at a Time. A series by UniCredit Foundation
Thursday 21 November 2024
UniCredit Foundation has renewed its commitment to education with a clear mission: to create a more equitable and inclusive future, one student at a time.
We’re excited for you to meet our UniCredit Storytellers giving you a glimpse into what it’s like to work at our Bank, what attracts and motivates our People about UniCredit and how we Unlock a better tomorrow together!
Conversations Unlocked. The UniCredit Podcast. 37th America’s Cup: What makes us perfect partners?
Tuesday 12 November 2024
UniCredit’s sponsorship of the Youth America’s Cup brought the sailing and banking worlds together. What made our partnership work, and what lessons in teamwork can we take from the America’s Cup?
Explore the ins and outs of personal loans, including their benefits, repayment terms, potential risks, and eligibility criteria. Choose the right loan based on your financial needs and goals.