Interview with Philippe Guidez, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board in charge of development of Credit Agricole’s business in Ukraine

Can you say a few words about Credit Agricole history in Ukraine?

Ukraine and Credit Agricole story started…120 years ago and restarted 20 years ago. On 19 May 1993 the National Bank of Ukraine registered the first subsidiary of the Western bank in Ukraine – Credit Lyonnais Ukraine, that later became part of the Credit Agricole Group and today it is your bank - CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK. But if to look deeper into the history, from 1892 – to 1920 there was a Credit Lyonnais branch in Odessa.

In other words we may say that Credit Agricole became part of Ukraine’s history?

Yes, Credit Agricole has common history with Ukraine since its independence. Together we went through major milestones: sometimes good ones, sometimes difficult ones. We are the only foreign bank that could say that it is part of the country’s history.

What is Credit Agricole’s role and place in todays’ banking system of Ukraine?

CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK is among top 20 Ukrainian banks by assets size. It is a very reputable and profitable bank. Number of our customers increased last year by 25%.

As a commercial bank we finance all sectors of the economy from private individuals to large corporations. We put strong focus on agriculture, where we are a recognized market leader in agribusiness financing thanks to agro traditions of our mother company – Credit Agricole and a team of dedicated agri-experts that work in the bank. We also have strong positions in car loans to individuals, SMEs financing and servicing multinationals.

In addition we are present in all regions of Ukraine. Even during turmoil (2008 financial crisis), when many banks cut their networks, we maintained the number of outlets.

And what about quality of services?

As I already mentioned, we are a universal bank and provide services to all segments – from individuals to big multinationals. For each client segment we have different approach and special offer of products and services.

We are very concerned by the quality of service we deliver. Every year we conduct customer satisfaction survey. In 2012 we were rated the best among our competitors. We continue to focus a lot on upgrading the quality of services we deliver. We are attentive to the problem.

How do you see future development of the bank?

As we are here for 20 years, our strong desire is to continue to be present In Ukraine. We want to continue to be the major actor in the banking system of Ukraine and to assist the country in its development. We will continue to develop in terms of products, network and staff. But we are focusing a lot on stability and steady growth and not stop and go as one could see at other foreign banks.

Our ultimate goal is to be very stable and give full confidence to customers that money in Credit Agricole are in a safe haven.

As the Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board what would you say to customers.

We are successful because customers are confident in our Bank. We are proud of what we have achieved. And we also owe our success to our customers. Thank you very much for that. I would like to assure you, our customers, that we will continue to do our best to answer your needs.