YEREVAN, January 9. /ARKA /. HSBC Bank Armenia said in a press release that it evaluates its 15th year in Armenia as extremely successful, considering the projects and initiatives implemented throughout the year aimed at introduction of new products, improving service level, as well as awards and recognition received from various local and international institutions.

It said throughout 2011, HSBC Armenia invested in a number of projects, which allowed to launch first Drive Through ATM in Armenia, resume acquiring of international VISA and MasterCard and start servicing of ArCa cards via its ATM network, start issuing chip and pin cards to provide customers with higher security than cards with magnetic stripe. At the end of the year HSBC Armenia reopened its “Komitas 1” Branch, where car loans are provided to customers at a discounted, preferential rate.

“The year also stands out with a number of international and Armenian state and private sector institutions recognizing the bank’s success. Among these, HSBC Bank Armenia cjsc was recognized “Bank of the Year in Armenia” by the The Banker magazine and "Best Bank in Armenia" by Global Finance. Local state institutions recognized HSBC Bank Armenia as the most attractive private employer; and the bank also received a special Certificate for adapting its office premises for the disabled staff and for recruiting them,’ according to the report.

In line with the strategy of positioning HSBC as the best bank for international business in Armenia, this year more than 40 of HSBC Armenia clients were provided with the opportunity to participate in pan European events and award ceremonies, such as "Trade Connection" and “Trade Summit” events in Shanghai (June2011) and in Hamburg (October2011) respectively, as well as European Business Awards in Barcelona (November2011), where “Byurakn LLC” was recognised as overall winner under the “Chairman’s Selection” category.

“We are confident, that HSBC Bank Armenia will close this year with strong financial results and will maintain its leading position in the banking sector of Armenia. We hope that year 2012 will also be successful, as we plan to further expand our branch network, develop scale of products and services, and will continue to invest in new technologies”, - HSBC Bank Armenia Deputy Chief Executive Officer Irina Seylanyan was quoted as saying.-0-