World's best bank in the emerging markets 2017: Commercial International Bank

Economic liberalization drove the success of many emerging markets of the previous decade. Today, those economies are no longer so unexplored. Now, countries that combine a demographic bulge and economic liberalization promise the greatest growth potential. These are economies in which banking markets are far from saturated, but often the risks can be extreme.

Posting high returns as a universal bank in these markets, where interest rates are naturally high, can be easy in the good times. To sustain it during the inevitably volatile economic and political transitions requires nimble risk management and deep local knowledge. Often treated as a proxy for the Egyptian economy, Commercial International Bank (CIB) ticks both those boxes and many more. As Euromoney’s awards now recognize best-in-class performance as well as global spread, domestically focused CIB is a deserving winner of Euromoney’s 2017 award for best bank in the emerging markets.

CIB’s chairman and managing director Hisham Ezz Al Arab describes the bank’s approach as firstly: “Staying away from the emotional side of decision-making” and secondly: “Anticipating where a problem could arise and preparing for it beforehand”.