Banif Bank (Malta) plc has been judged by World Finance magazine as being the best banking group in Malta for 2010.

The accolade was awarded in recognition of the bank’s financial performance, sound corporate governance and provision of innovative customer solutions that provide added value.

The World Finance Award Selection Panel (WF-ASP) used a wide range of criteria to shortlist the nominees for the 2010 awards. The WF-ASP has a total of 175 years experience in business journalism and its research team has managed to gather an exhaustive amount of information over the years.

During the press conference announcing the award this week, Banif Bank (Malta) CEO Joaquim F. Silva Pinto commented: “This is a clear demonstration that Banif is doing things the right way and that we are succeeding in our business. This important achievement would have been impossible without the trust shown in us by our clients, employees and shareholders. Trust is the cornerstone of our relationship with our customers and is also a reciprocal value. It is the belief in ourselves, our ambitions, our convictions and abilities, and is also underpinned by our drive to inspire others to believe that they can fulfil their dreams and exceed their expectations.

“We at Banif Malta are convinced that we are moving in the right direction and it is immensely rewarding for us to see that others are acknowledging our success. I am grateful to all our employees for their valid contribution, which has led to this prestigious award of the Best Banking Group in Malta. This is an important landmark in our short history that will inspire us to work even harder to be even more successful in the future.”

He added: “This is only the beginning of our long journey that will see Banif go from strength to strength. A bank that will continue to deliver high quality, innovation and good service in everything it does. We are today being acknowledged as the alternative Maltese bank and this to us means that we are succeeding.”