FirstCaribbean International Bank has been singled out by Global Finance magazine and awarded the title of “Best Emerging Bank” for 2004-2005. The criteria for judging included growth in assets, profitability, strategic relationships, customer service, competitive pricing and innovative products.

The regional bank also earned the “Bank of the Year” award presented by The Banker magazine. Stephen Timewell, Editor-in-Chief of The Banker says the magazine recognised the Bank’s strong performance and the efforts made by the institution in 2004 and 2005.

Charles Pink, FirstCaribbean’s CEO said, *”To be recognised by external industry observers is very satisfying to us, particularly at a time when so much is happening so rapidly in our relatively young Bank. We are both honoured and humbled by these awards, which reward the efforts and excellence of our over 3,000 staff.”*

FirstCaribbean is a result of the combination of two complementary and leading financial services businesses in the Caribbean – CIBC West Indies Holdings Limited and Barclays Bank PLC. It is the largest locally listed bank in the Caribbean based on market capitalisation, with some US$9 billion in assets, and over 700,000 accounts.