Armimpexbank Launches New Brand – ‘AMERIABANK’

ARMIMPEXBANK LAUNCHES NEW BRAND – ‘AMERIABANK’

ArmInfo
2008-06-24

Armimpexbank launches a new brand – ‘AMERIABANK’, with an underlain
new concept of the bank’s activity of investment banking. As Director
on Development of ‘AMERIABANK’ Levon Arevshatyan told ArmInfo, the
brand has been developed by one of the leading British Agencies,
the Identica. L.

Arevhsatyan said that Identica is the author of such brands as
Johnnie Walker, Pernod Rikard, Vodafone, Orange, Reebok, BAT,
Philip Morris, Aeroflot, Levis, Paramount, Umbro, Unilever, ‘Russian
Standard’ Concern, as well as the Russian banks ‘Alfa Bank Express’,
‘Prombusinessbank’, ‘Sobinbank’, the British Bank NatWest, the Israeli
Bank Leumi.

He also said that Identica was recognized a winner among 14 pretenders
in the international tender in February, 2008. The selection was
carried out by such criteria as quality of the previous works’
portfolio, the brand development strategy and the price, after all
the others. During the negotiations of the bank with the branding
agency, the initial cost of the project was reduced three times at
the expense of entrusting some part of the works on preparation and
production of printing materials with the local companies having
completely reserved the creative of the process after Identica. He
noted that the rebranding cost in Russia exceeds $2-3 mln.

Identica launched the work over the bank’s brand at late March,
2008. Lights and dark tints of green, symbolizing freshness, were
chosen as the brand’s corporate color, that is concordant with the
bank’s activity intending to point out at rendering new investment
services for Armenia’s market. The first letter of the bank’s new
name is depicted on the new logotype in the form of a mountain,
that means movement to the peak, aspiration to become a leader and
innovative approach to the business.

In view of this, Director General of ‘AMERIABANK’ Artak Anesyan said
that the bank has already clients on the investment business. In
particular, a contract has been signed with the resident-company for
issue of its bonds.

In the near future, the bank will sign contracts with another two
resident-companies of the trade and production sectors for issue
of bonds.

The relevant works for rendering of such a service to the corporate
clients as asset management are underway, that will be carried out
at the initial stage through mutual funds of the bank’s affiliated
structure – a well-known Russian Group ‘Troyka Dialogue’ (TDG).

‘AMERIABANK’ intends to sufficiently increase its authorized capital
by late August to fulfill the tasks set, A. Anesyan emphasized. In
particular, holding of the second closed emission of shares to the sum
of $35 mln will be announced since July 1, that will allow to increase
the authorized capital to 17 bln drams till August 20. As a result,
the majority stake-holder’s share will grow from the present 99,06%
to 99,9%. The first additional emission of shares was carried out
by the bank in February, 2008 to the sum of $15 mln, as a result of
which the authorized fund grew to 6.4 bln drams (the fifth place in
the banking market). Due to the two additional emissions, the total
capital will be brought up to $61 mln.

A. Anesyan also said that the number of the bank’s clients since
October, 2007, up to now grew almost 10 times and this tendency
will go on judging by the serious plans and interesting projects of
the bank, including on the leasing and factoring. According to the
Ranking of Armenia’s commercial banks, prepared by the Agency of
Rating Marketing Information (ArmInfo), the capital of ‘AMERIABANK’
(earlier Armimpexbank) as of April 1, 2008,) made up about 8 bln
drams (annual growth more than twice), the assets – 21.1 bln drams
(annual growth by 83%), the credit portfolio – 8.5 bln drams (annual
growth almost three times). By the bank’s strategic development plan,
it is scheduled to increase the assets in 2008 to $80 mln, the credit
portfolio – to $50 mln, as well as bring up the number of ATMs to 20,
POS-terminals – to 20 and open 2 branches.