DHAKA, July 14, 2021 (BSS) - Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh has recently been recognised as the ‘Best International Bank’ at Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2021.

This achievement marks the third consecutive occasion the Bank has received this prestigious award over the last three years and this is the seventh major international award the Bank has achieved in 2021 till date, said a press release.

The Bank’s commitment to support Bangladesh’s continued journey of prosperity even in the face of the Covid-19 challenge saw the bank secure 25 major international awards in the past year.  
 
The bank was also recognised as the international bank with the highest CSR spend in 2020 by Bangladesh Bank. For 2021, Standard Chartered Bangladesh has announced a Taka 135 Million (US $1.6 million) strategic Covid-19 response action plan that supports healthcare and immediate assistance, regenerate livelihood and catalyse long-term growth.

Commenting on the win, Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief Executive Officer of the Standard Chartered Bangladesh said, “As the longest-serving financial institution of Bangladesh, we have always believed that whatever is good for our nation is good for the Bank in the long run. Our strategy is guided by this conviction, a conviction that has once again been validated by this award. I would like to thank our clients, regulators and the wider ecosystem for making this achievement possible.”

An important element of the award committee’s consideration was Standard Chartered’s Covid-19 response initiatives. Even before the introduction of the regulatory payment holiday and stimulus packages by the regulator, the Bank supported clients through flexibilities on repayment – supporting clients through loan extensions which generated the liquidity for salary and wages payment, enabled digital wage payments for over 63,000 workers, and introduced unique financing programmes to support businesses through these unprecedented times.

To meet the immediate challenges faced by our communities, Standard Chartered has been working with development sector partners to deliver aid and essentials to the communities hit hard by the pandemic and supporting frontline health services. To enable longer-term recovery through skills development and workforce reintegration, the Bank is supporting economically vulnerable individuals who have lost their livelihoods due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

With over 116 years of uninterrupted presence in Bangladesh, Standard Chartered is the only multinational universal Bank in the country with a unique blend of deep-rooted local presence and capacity to capitalise on its global network and product coverage.  
 
The bank has been a committed partner in progress to Bangladesh, facilitating major investments in power, energy, transportation and urban development. The bank accounted for a major share of all export and import financing, respectively, last year, as well as power generation financing and SME lending by foreign banks.  
 
At the same time, the bank commands a leading position in the retail finance space, with strong share of card spend, consistently growing internet banking users and
the launch of a number of innovative products.

Euromoney is an English-language monthly magazine focused on business and finance. First published in 1969, it is the flagship production of Euromoney Institutional Investor plc. Euromoney publishes the Euromoney Awards for Excellence, with an annual awards event recognising the top banks in the world.