OTP banka d.d. was awarded by the Global Finance for Outstanding Crisis Leadership

Within its new programme of awarding financial institutions and companies throughout the world, magazine Global Finance awarded OTP banka d.d. for Outstanding Crisis Leadership, for its relationship with both its clients and the community during the crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

In 2020, all business entities were faced with unthinkable challenges that included not only business skills, but also protecting the health of their employees and clients, especially taking care of the society’s most vulnerable groups. Since this has become a completely new business environment, the renowned magazine Global Finance presented a the Outstanding Crisis Leadership 2020, a new programme of awarding financial institutions and companies that have demonstrated tremendous efforts in reducing the consequences of the pandemic.     

OTP banka d.d. swiftly responded to the needs of its corporate and retail clients in a way that it granted moratorium on loan repayment, requesting minimum paperwork for corporate clients, and was the first bank in Croatia to enable its retail clients to submit applications for loan moratorium online, without the need to visit a branch and without the need to have legality and contents of annexes to loan agreements certified by notaries public, thus sparing the clients of additional costs. The Bank was exceptionally fast and efficient in adjusting its business operations in order to protect the health of its employees and clients on the highest possible level. To this end, plexiglass screens have been set up in branches, and all employees whose jobs permitted work from home have been enabled to work from home. After the devastating earthquake in Zagreb, all clients whose real properties had been damaged were automatically eligible for loan repayment moratorium. In addition, the Bank provided financial aid to its employees whose homes were damaged in the earthquake. The Bank donated more than HRK 3 million to hospitals in Zagreb that were damaged in the earthquake, and to 7 local hospitals nationwide to help them in their fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. By initiating the “Green Light to the Helping Hand“ campaign the Bank made donations to 30 associations that provide help to the most vulnerable groups in local communities across Croatia: from securing rides to hospitals during the lockdown, to providing food to homeless and the elderly living alone, to children’s sports clubs organising online training sessions and psychological support in these difficult conditions.  

Three independent analysts and the chief editor of Global Magazine took into account the size of the entities and the markets where they operates, applicable laws, regulations and measures implemented by local governments and the effect the pandemic had on the local environment, and then, on a global level, selected financial institutions that took action and put additional effort to provided support to their clients, employees and the community where they operated, and presented them with the Outstanding Crisis Leadership award. Thanks to the knowledge and the effort of its employees and approach to the crisis, OTP banka d.d. was given this award.