Best bank - Banca Comerciala Romana
Best debt house - JPMorgan
Best M&A house - Citigroup
Best equity house - ING Barings
Banca Comerciala Romana has maintained a consistent trend of strong growth over the past three years, with its net profit rising from $54 million in 1999 to $164 million in 2002. It has held on to its strong lead in the loan market, with around a 30% market share in corporate loans. The bank is also a leader in corporate and retail deposits, and has around 60% of all SME business.
In capital markets activity, Banca Comerciala Romana's subsidiary, BCR Securities, is the market leader in municipal bond underwriting and trading. It launched the biggest municipal bond yet seen in Romania in April this year. Another subsidiary, BCR Asset Management, has helped introduce retail investors to the municipal bond market, through a fund called BCR Classic, which specializes in Romanian treasury bills and municipality bonds.
Banca Comerciala Romana's insurance subsidiary, BCR Asigurari, was recently voted the most dynamic company in insurance by a leading Romanian business magazine.
The bank also leads in trade finance, through its foreign subsidiaries, Anglo-Romanian Bank, Franco-Romanian Bank and Frankfurt-Bucharest Bank, which will be merged into one entity, called Anglo-Romanian Bank, soon.