Global Finance honored the best of the world’s banks and bankers in a ceremony at the IMF/World Bank meetings.
This year’s October International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings in Washington, DC, felt like a long-awaited reunion, with a robust turnout for the first such gathering to occur in person since the pandemic. Finance industry leaders from the public and private sectors came from around the world to discuss the serious challenges of the moment, including inflation, war and climate change.
Many officials came to strengthen relationships with the IMF, either to support current negotiations or in anticipation of coming needs, and big-name speakers included Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan and Santander’s Ana Botin. Global Finance Editor Andrea Fiano says attendees felt “a lot of satisfaction to be together again.”
In the midst of it all, Global Finance hosted a breakfast celebration at the National Press Club to present our 29th annual awards for the World’s Best Banks and recognize leaders of the 2022 World’s Safest Banks ranking as well as the world’s best central bankers—those earning A-level grades in our annual Central Banker report cards. More than 130 central bank governors, CEOs and other senior finance executives joined us in honoring excellence and outstanding performance in the sector. We look forward to gathering together again at next year’s event in Morocco.
1. Accepting the honor of Safest Bank in Latin America on behalf of Banco del Estado de Chile, (L to R): Marcelo Henriquez, Head of the International Division, Global Finance founder Joseph D. Giarraputo, Banco del Estado de Chile’s General Manager of Finance Andrea Silva and Executive Vice-Chairman Daniel Hojman
2. Lutz-Christian Funke, Secretary General of KfW, recognized as The World’s Safest Bank and the Safest Bank in Western Europe
3. Attijariwafa’s Sanaa Drissi Alami, Director of Trade Finance, FI and Corresponding Banking—CIB, accepting the award for Safest Bank in Africa
4. First Abu Dhabi Bank’s Head of Global Markets Thomas Spitz accepting his bank’s recognition as Safest Bank in the Middle East
5. Nasser Alawadhi, Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank collecting the Safest Islamic Financial Institution in the GCC award
6. Arab Bank’s CEO Randa Sadik accepting the award for Best Bank in the Middle East for 2022
7. Khalid Al Subeai, CEO of Dukhan Bank, receiving the award for World’s Best Islamic Private Bank
8. Banca Intesa Beograd’s CEO Darko Popovic collecting the Best Bank in Serbia for 2022 award
9. Abdulwahab AlRoshood, Acting Group CEO of Kuwait Finance House, accepting the award for World’s Best Islamic Financial Institution
10. Awash Bank’s CEO Ato Tsehay Shifeaw collecting the Best Bank in Ethiopia for 2022 award
11. Murat Ulgen, Global Head of EM Research at HSBC, receiving the World’s Best Emerging Markets Bank Award
12. Accepting the award for Best Bank in Qatar, (L to R): Commercial Bank of Qatar Group CEO Joseph Abraham, Fahad Badar, EGM, International Banking, Mohamad Ismail Mandani Al Emadi, Board Member, Global Finance’s Joseph D. Giarraputo and Parvez Khan, EGM, Investments and Strategy at CBQ
13. Alejandro Ramirez, CEO of Banco LAFISE Bancentro collecting the award for Best Bank in Nicaragua for 2022
14. CEO and Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, accepting the award for Best Bank in Nigeria for 2022
15. Dinesh Khara, Chairman of State Bank of India, receiving the Best Bank in India for 2022 award
16. Yasser Al-Barrak, Chief Corporate and Institutional Banking Officer for SABB, accepting the Best Bank in Saudi Arabia for 2022 award
17. Governor Ásgeir Jonsson of the Central Bank of Iceland received the first A+ grade in our Central Banker Report Cards, for having the foresight and courage to raise interest rates before it was popular.
18. Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron accepted honors for earning an A grade.
19. Governor Koba Gvenetadze of National Bank of Georgia was recognized for his A– grade.
