1. INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTION FINANCE AWARDS

• Best International Transaction Bank
• Best Regional International Transaction Bank in Asia Pacific (Not applicable to Middle East & Africa)
• Best International Cash Management Bank
• Best International Trade Finance Bank
• Best International FX Bank
• Most Sustainable Transaction Bank

• A survey of domestic banks in all of the different countries in the region on their opinion of foreign and international partner banks, corroborated by interviews (The FI satisfaction survey)
• Changes in market share of the different competitors in the respective markets or key business lines
• The size and strategic importance of the transaction business as a percentage of the bank's corporate and FI business
• Demonstration of the contribution of the business to total income
• Demonstration of the growing annuity value of the business by being able to demonstrate business or a customer base that is core and recurrent
• The ability to describe the benefits of processing efficiencies and cost management that are passed on to their clients
• The range and unique features of fee-based products and services that are not dependent on credit as the primary relationship and the value they provide to their clients
• The key achievements in the year under review.

2. PAYMENTS AND CURRENCY CLEARING AWARDS, ASIA PACIFIC ONLY

• Best Global (Multi-Currency) Clearing Bank
• Best Dollar Clearing Bank
• Best Euro Clearing Bank
• Best GBP Clearing Bank
• Best RMB Clearing Bank

• A survey of domestic and international banks as well as leading corporates on their preferred counterparty banks to settle transactions for the currencies stated.
• The total volume, the average per ticket size of transactions, the number of countries of origin or destination for payments to determine market share.
• The level of services inherent in the product including intraday liquidity, intraday clearing, the role of credit, fees charged and other values to the client.
• The backend products and services that support the clearing activity, such as the level of automation and “anytime, anywhere” capabilities and provides client institutions with a value that they benefit from.
• KYC and other regulatory support services provided to ensure full compliance to domestic and international laws
• Are domestic banks in the markets they serve able to downstream and white label these capabilities for their own domestic clients?

3. DOMESTIC TRANSACTION FINANCE AWARDS

• Best Transaction Bank by Country
• Best Trade Finance Bank by Country
• Best Cash Management Bank by Country
• Best Payments Bank by Country
• Best FX Bank by Country

The primary assessment for the above awards are for the trade finance and/or cash management awards as the case may be. The Best Domestic Transaction Awards may be given to the bank that excels in the full range of transaction services for that country, and may or may not be given in any year, depending on the nature of the competition and whether the different types of transaction services are dominated by different players.

The criteria below are for the following awards:

• A survey of international institutions and selected corporates in each of the different countries in the region on the transaction institutions they work with in the country, corroborated by interviews.
• Changes in market share of the different competitors in the respective markets or key business lines
• The size and strategic importance of the transaction business as a percentage of the institution's corporate and FI business
• Demonstration of the contribution of the business to total income
• Demonstration of the growing annuity value of the business by being able to demonstrate business or a customer base that is core and recurrent
• The ability to describe the benefits of processing efficiencies and cost management that are passed on to their clients
• The range and unique features of fee-based products and services that are not dependent on credit as the primary relationship and the value they provide to their clients
• The key achievements of the bank in the year under review.

4. FRICTIONLESS TRANSACTION AWARDS, ASIA PACIFIC/ MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

The criteria below are for the following awards (New categories added):

• Best Corporate Mobile/Business Digital Banking Initiative
• Best Business Ecosystem/Platform Initiative
• Most Sustainable Trade and Supply Chain Finance Initiative
• Best Productivity, Efficiency and Automation Initiative
• Best Blockchain in Trade and Supply Chain Finance Initiative
• Best Treasury Management Solution, Initiative
• Best Digital KYC/Onboarding Initiative
• Best API Initiative
• Best Payments Initiative
• Best Financial Supply Chain Initiative
• Best Virtual Account Management Initiative
• Best Digital Trade Finance Platform
• Best ERP Integration/H2H Solution, Initiative
• Best Collection Solution/Initiative
• Best Tokenisation Initiative

As more and more banks move towards a product-centered approach to compete on their transaction banking business, we are now able to look more closely at individual products and the difference these are able to make to winning market share and delivering value to clients. In recent years, there has been a focus on mobile phone apps as the platform for delivering transaction banking products. We believe this is a temporary phase that will evolve into more substantial areas.

As part of our assessment process, we find that we need to distinguish between products and services first before recognising the salient aspects of the products themselves.

As such the criteria are:

• A discernible product distinguished by a name, and supported by a set of functionalities that customers can use. A platform is useful (as in an app) but not a requirement. A good product might well be platform independent.
• A strong set of core functionalities with data on volume and frequency of usage by customers
• Stated process and cost benefits in delivering service to customers.
• A strong level of ubiquity which enables a customer to use the product "anytime anywhere”.
• A review of the organisation of the institution itself - that it is organised around the ability to support the product - with clear support staff, sales staff with personal KPIs to ensure the success of the product
• Demonstrable testimonies and case studies of “solving actual business problems for clients” - clients actually benefiting from the product.

5. LEADERSHIP IN TRANSACTION FINANCE AWARDS

• Leadership in Transaction Award, Asia Pacific/Middle East & Africa

The industry is made of a long list of individuals who demonstrate considerable skill and perseverance. As such, making the choice of one individual for this personal awards is very difficult indeed. The overall purpose of this award is to set high standards in personal conduct and professional standards. The award is given to individuals who stand out heads and shoulders amongst their peers based on the following criteria

• A distinguished career in the financial services industry in general that should span a sufficient amount of time to demonstrate the acquisition of sufficient experience and expertise in the industry and the ability to build or run a sustainable and profitable business. This can be in a bank or non-bank, as many new players are emerging to make a difference in the industry.
• Record of having led successful institutions, supported by robust performance of the businesses he or she has or is managing that is already well regarded by peers in the industry. This can be evaluated by the value of franchise, its performance track record and its leadership position in the marketplace. Small institutions will qualify as much as large institutions if they are known for their innovation and tactical advantages in the marketplace.
• Vision, verve and fortitude. We look for specific and inspiring stories of achievements during periods of transformation or difficulty, and the long term outcome of the decisions the candidate made in those times. The candidates work should have a significant impact on the institutions he has worked in.
• An impact that stands over and above those being achieved by his or her peers across the region, in a manner that can stand as a benchmark to the rest of the industry. Here we look at the sum total of his or her career achievements, and come to conclusion that it stands well above that of their peers, who are also high achievers themselves. This criteria brings into focus leaders who may be from banks but also from non-bank players that are pushing the frontiers of the industry to new levels, either in expansion of the institution itself, or new products or customers that are made possible because of innovation, or new values that shaped the industry as a whole

6. BANKERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

• Financial Supply Chain Awards

This award category benchmarks and recognises best practices in supply chain management that industry players can use and improve upon. The primary assessment is based on the evaluation of the strength of the submissions as well as an in-depth interview with senior management staff of the nominated organisations. The Financial Supply Chain Awards are given to the bank/s and organisation/s that excel in their respective functions in the countries under evaluation. Further information can be found at http://www.asianbankerawards.com/bankers-choice/.

• Bank-Client Partnership Awards

This award category recognises outstanding achievements and best practices in project implementations through which other banks and organisations can learn from. It measures both implementation and sustainable business impact. It identifies the best examples of cooperation between banks and their corporate clients and exemplifies industry-leading innovations. Further information can be found at http://www.asianbankerawards.com/bankers-choice/.

If you are a domestic or international bank in any Asian or Middle East country, please Conatct Us ckapfer@tab.global for a survey form to be completed as submission for this award.