ArmInfo. According to the authoritative international magazine Global Finance, Converse Bank has been named the winner in the category "Best Bank in Armenia in Trade Finance" for 2025 ("Best Trade Finance Provider 2025 in Armenia"). As ArmInfo was informed by the bank's press service, Converse Bank has received this award for the sixth consecutive year. The award ceremony was held in Amsterdam, within the framework of the "BAFT Europe Bank-2025" forum, where the Bank was represented by its Financial Director and Deputy General Director, Grant Hakobyan. Akopyan expressed gratitude for the high assessment of Converse Bank's activities in trade finance and noted: "This not only testifies to the success and efficiency of the Bank's work in this area, but also stimulates innovative solutions and ongoing developments, that will allow us to continue maintaining leading positions in trade finance."
The list of global winners is led by BNP Paribas Bank (France). Jean-Francois Denis, Global Head of Trade Solutions at BNP Paribas, noted: "It is the core business of trade finance to propose solutions to enterorise clients solutions to mitigate risks (for example, counterparty risks, country risks), as well as to provide optimization of the working capital needs."
By country, the list of leaders includes such internationally recognized financial institutions as Commerzbank AG (Germany), Raiffeisen Bank International (Austria), Bank of America (USA), HSBC (United Kingdom). TBC Bank was once again recognized as the best bank in Georgia in this nomination, and Halyk Bank in Kazakhstan. The full list of the best trade finance providers (global, regional and country) for 2025 is available on the Global Finance website at: https://gfmag.com/award/award-winners/worlds-best-trade-finance-providers- 2025/. This year's rankings, covering eight regions and nearly 100 countries, are based on annual performance from Q4 2023 to Q3 2024. Global Finance's algorithm includes criteria such as client knowledge, financial strength and security, strategic relationships, capital investment and innovation.
During the forum, the World Bank's warning of weaker global economic growth in 2025 was mentioned, along with the forecast: "Emerging and developing economies are likely to be disproportionately impacted due to their dependence on foreign direct investment and exposure to energy and commodity supply risks." Guarantees, documentary credits and short-term financing are fundamental to international trade, and banks play a vital role in facilitating these trade finance instruments. These instruments create trust and mitigate risk during tumultuous times. They allow businesses to build stronger relationships with their trading partners, reduce risks and facilitate more efficient and trustworthy international trade.
