Foreign Investors Council
47, Gospodar Jevremova Street, IV Floor, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Phone: +381 11 3281 958, 3281 965
e-mail: office@fic.org.rs

Member News

CRH in Serbia is changing its name to Moravacem

 

Popovac, April 5, 2021 – The company CRH in Serbia, based in Popovac, changed its name and logo. The new name is Moravacem, and it will be officially valid from April 5.

With a new name and brand, the company remains a member of CRH Group, the leading building material business in the world.

Choosing the name Moravacem speaks of our respect for domestic values, laws, business ethics, but also educated, professional and diligent people from Serbia.

We are proud of our roots and the history of the Popovac cement plant for more than 100 years. We value our past and accept it as a solid foundation for building a great future.

On the other hand, CRH is the name of our parent company, headquartered in Ireland. We will take the opportunity to be part of a very successful global family to share our knowledge, innovations, experiences and good practices with it.

By changing the company name and logo, we do not change our top priorities: providing exceptional products and services to our customers, providing great career opportunities for our people, providing the highest standards of responsible health, safety and environmental protection, and making a positive contribution to our local communities.

Also, changing the name and logo of the company does not change our cooperation with key partners, as well as the business that continues to take place on a regular basis.

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About CRH:

CRH is a leading international group in the field of construction materials, employing close to 80,000 people at over 3,000 operating locations in 31 countries around the world. With a market capitalization of EUR 26.8 billion (2018), CRH is the largest company in the building materials industry in North America and second in the world. The Group has a leading position in Europe, as well as an established strategic position in emerging markets in Asia and South America.

CRH is committed to improving living space through the delivery of premium materials and products for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure, residential and commercial projects. CRH is on the Fortune 500 list and is a constituent member of the FTSE 100 index and ISEQ 20.

About Moravacem:

Moravacem cement plant is located in central Serbia, in the village of Popovac, near Paracin, 160 km south of Belgrade. The annual capacity of the cement plant is 1,350,000 tons of cement and binders.

With three concrete factories near Belgrade, in Krnjača, Dobanovci and Zemun, Moravacem is also present on the ready-mixed concrete market.

A special sector in our company has many years of experience in the treatment and production of alternative fuels from sorted municipal waste, and our experts offer solutions for environmental protection in the petrochemical industry and the tire industry.

Moravacem has been an active member of several business associations in Serbia for many years, the most important of which are: Foreign Investors Council (FIC), National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED), Cement Industry of Serbia (CIS), Forum for Responsible Business.

The company is very active in the areas of socially responsible business and sustainable development. She is the winner of many local and regional awards, but also the most important national CSR award “Virtus”, in 2007, 2011, 2019.

You can find more details about the company, management and our activities on our website: www.moravacem.rs

Employees of Wiener Städtische insurance planted tall deciduous seedlings

The company Wiener Städtische insurance today carried out the campaign of planting 50 tall deciduous trees in Belgrade’s Ušće park and thus drew attention to the importance of strengthening environmental awareness and preserving green city areas.

Over 80 volunteers – employees of the Company, planted black ash, acacia, and Siberian elm trees in order to contribute to a healthier natural environment and the creation of a green oasis for current and future generations of Belgraders. The company is firmly committed to the well-being of the community and carries out a large part of its socially responsible activities in the field of sustainable development, ecology, and environmental protection.

“We were happy to join the traditional action of donor planting, with the desire to contribute to the increase of the green fund and the better appearance of our city. I thank Zelenilo-Belgrade for the cooperation during the implementation of the action, which, I believe, will contribute to raising awareness of the importance of caring for green areas and the culture of living in our city,” said Svetlana Smiljanić, member of the Executive Board of Wiener Städtische insurance.

This is the first eco-action of the Wiener Städtische insurance this year, whose volunteers last year conducted as many as 15 actions throughout Serbia, showing their commitment to environmental protection. To be a good partner and friend of the community in which it operates, the company has been implementing the employee volunteering program – Chain of Kindness for 13 years, and together with partners in numerous areas, it affects the improvement of citizens’ living conditions, implements environmental actions and helps socially sensitive population groups.

Euromoney: Raiffeisen Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Serbia

The renowned global financial magazine “Euromoney“ awarded Raiffeisen the title “The Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Serbia“ in 2023. The title is awarded as part of Euromoney’s “Awards of Excellence“ programme, which identifies the best banks that have set themselves apart by a range of key banking activities in the preceding year.

Zoran Petrović, Chairman of the Managing Board of Raiffeisen banka, stated that he was proud of each award, but that each one also signified an additional level of responsibility.

“This is especially true for international awards for digital and innovative solutions“, Zoran Petrović stated.

To be the first, he stressed, also means the obligation to raise the standards constantly.

“Digitalization is not a goal in itself, but the intersection of creativity, innovation and our clients’ needs. Technology is an extraordinary instrument which enables us to simplify processes and make life easier for our users. Being a pioneer means working incessantly on improving services and providing a superior user experience, but also investing into the most contemporary banking solutions“, Petrović pointed out.

The title is awarded as part of Euromoney’s “Awards for Excellence“ programme, which identifies the best banks that have set themselves apart by a range of key banking activities in the past twelve months.

“Euromoney“ is one of the leading monthlies focusing on banking, finance and capital markets. It was established in 1969 and with its “Awards for Excellence“, which started back in 1992, this magazine has been awarding financial institutions which have realized the best business results in their markets, as well as the leading banks in more than 100 countries.

Beginning August, the global financial magazine “Global Finance“ awarded Raiffeisen banka the title “The Best Digital Consumer Bank in Serbia for 2023“.

This year for the first time, Raiffeisen banka has also been awarded two titles in sub-categories of this contest – “The Best Consumer User Experience (UX) Design in Serbia“, as well as “The Best Consumer Mobile Banking App in Serbia“.

eŽIVOT declared best Disrupt project in Financial Sector category, Innovation subcategory

The Disrupt contest prizes were awarded online for the best projects that marked the year 2020.

Sava životno osiguranje was declared as the winner in the Financial Sector category, Innovation subcategory, for the eŽIVOT (eLIFE) project.

Sava životno osiguranje is the first insurer on the Serbian market to supplement the traditional life insurance contracting with the online life insurance contracting service with own video identification – eŽIVOT. Using this new service is very simple. After the client’s conversation with the life insurance advisor, the client receives an offer by e-mail, created in accordance with his/her needs and an SMS code for secure access and advanced electronic signing of documents. In the eŽIVOT process, this is followed by video identification which is intended to verify and confirm the identity of the insured during online life insurance contracting.

The Disrupt contest gathered 60 top-quality works from companies, agencies and associations which excelled in the field of Disrupt Innovation or Disrupt Communication and, during an extremely difficult 2020, managed to succeed through their activities and contribute to social progress. The awards ceremony was organized on April 1 in an online format.

The following were awarded in the Disrupt Innovation category: Donesi for the Uvek u pravom trenutku project, Coca Cola HBC Srbija for HoReCa zajednica, Lasaffre for ePekar, Preventer for Klub književnika, Delta Motors for MINIxŠkrabac, Galenika and Chapter4 for Zdravo dvadesete, Direct Media for Direct Neuro, Sava životno osiguranje for eŽivot, Banca Intesa for It’s time for sharing time, Mokrogorska škola menadžmenta for MEMBA 2.0, VIP mobile and Executive Group for VIP virtuelna prodavnica.

The following were awarded in the Disrupt Communication category: Mercator-S for the IDEA karavan project, Atlantic Grand and Luna TBWA for Hajde da imamo vremena, SuperDot for Wine trekkers, Galerija Matice srpske for Izvanredno u vanrednom, Propulsion i AstraZeneca for Pokret Kiseonik, Hemofarm for Sa nama život pobeđuje, M2Communications and NVO Astra for Paralelna stvarnost – surova realnost, Balkan Tube Space for Balkan Top Star, Banca Intesa for Čajanka četvrtkom u 17h, New Moment New Ideas and Visa for She’s next, GourmAna for Druženje sa GourmAnom, Levi 9 for Interne komunikacije.

Special prizes – Disrupt Brutal were awarded to Koncern Bambi for the Plazma rituali project, Disrupt Influence was awarded to Atlantic Grand and Popular Communications for InstaGrand #SamoUživaj, while Disrupt Star was awarded to Mercator-S for IDEA karavan.

An expert jury composed of top professionals from various fields decided on the winners.

“The Disrupt contest involved 60 works of companies which in 2020 managed to recognize the chance for improvement and implement projects that were Disrupt in terms of innovation or communication. All winners absolutely deserve their titles”, said Mila Zavođa, director of the ADAM studio agency, which organizes this contest.

FIC & A1 Cocktail Held on September 20

FIC members, potential members and partners enjoyed the opportunity to meet at the0 FIC cocktail on 20th September. Cocktail hosted by member A1 was held on the roof of A1 premises at Novi Beograd, under the motto “From Summer Glow to Business Flow – Autumn Cheers”. Members were greeted by the FIC Executive Direktor Aleksandar Ljubic and A1 Serbia and Slovenia CEO Dejan Turk. The FIC Executive Director said that until the end of the year there will be a number of occasions for FIC members to meet and work together on the improvement of business climate in Serbia. He mentioned in particular the Conference on Regenerative Agriculture which was to be held the week after the cocktail, and the White Book Launch scheduled for November. He thanked member A1 and Dejan Turk for hosting the cocktail.

A1 Serbia and Slovenia CEO Dejan Turk said he was proud of being FIC member, outlining that the A1 team is very dedicated to the improvement of the business framework in Serbia. He announced A1 is entering new market segments. Within 12 to 18 months, it will start offering the services of fixed TV, phone and internet all over Serbia. New services are already available for businesses, he added. Dejan Turk presented some of the key achievements of the company in the area of environmental protection, including installing solar panels on 6.000 base stations in Serbia and introduction of the ecological score for the phones in the shops. A1 is the only operator in Serbia offering eco-friendly mobile phone, completely produced from recycled materials. The eco-friendly phone was the prize of the lottery organized at the event.

More than 200 FIC members, potential members and partners attended the event and enjoyed time for networking at the lovely terrace.

Financial Magazine “EMEA Finance“ Awards Raiffeisen Banka the Title “Best Bank in Serbia“

Raiffeisen banka has been awarded the title “Best Bank in Serbia“ for the fourth year in a row at the annual competition “European Banking Awards“, organized by renowned British financial magazine “EMEA Finance“.

Apart from this title, the Raiffeisen Banking Group was awarded a total of 23 awards for all the markets where it operates, including “Best Bank“, “Best Foreign Bank“, as well as “Best Investment Bank“ titles.

 

“Awards from globally renowned financial magazines are proof that the quality of our business has been recognized beyond the borders of our market. In 2019, we realized excellent business results and improved our service significantly by introducing some of the most innovative banking technology solutions. This award is especially important because it comes at a moment when not only our economy, but also the whole world is facing an unprecedented challenge, a virus pandemic. This award will give us further motivation and strength to continue investing into the digitalization of our services, so that we continue to be a reliable partner for our clients – entrepreneurs and citizens of Serbia – in these changed circumstances“, Zoran Petrović, CEO of Raiffeisen banka, stated on this occasion. 

 

In the process of choosing the best banks, the magazine’s jury of specialists took the following basic criteria into account: the bank’s market share, growth in the share of certain products in the market, the bank’s profitability, quality and offer innovation, as well as the business strategy quality.

 

“EMEA Finance“ is a British financial magazine which covers the dynamic financial markets of Europe, the Middle East and Africa in its expert analyses.  

 

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Raiffeisen banka a.d. Beograd is a member of Raiffeisen Bank International, one of the leading banking groups in CEE. It began its business activities in Serbia in 2001 and is now developing its activities in three segments: retail banking, corporate banking, treasury and investment banking.

For additional information, please contact the Marketing & PR Department of Raiffeisen banka at phone No. 011/2207-306.

Fitek Serbia is officially rebranded to Unifiedpost Group

The leader in financial automation processes, known in particular for developing platform solutions for electronic documents, has rebranded to Unifiedpost Group as of December 2020.

Unifiedpost Group develops cloud-based services that streamline the group’s customers’ administrative and financial processes by delivering simple and smart digital solutions. It is a major industry player, with branches in 15 European countries. The company has a clear growth strategy and therefore went public in September 2020 on the Euronext stock exchange in Brussels.

Fitek Group operates particularly in the regions of the Baltics, and central and eastern Europe. It became part of Unifiedpost Group in April 2019, and the acquisition allowed the Belgian company to gain a presence in another 8 markets it had not previously served.

“Joining forces with such an established company in 2019 allowed us to provide better services, streamline our clients’ business communication opportunities and further expand their document digitisation experience by introducing simpler administrative and financial processes,” says Mirko Golijanin, CEO at Unifiedpost Serbia. “The integration is completed by rebranding the company to Unifiedpost Group effective from  December 2020. Operating under one singular company name allows us to gain more credibility and recognizability on a global level.”

Fitek Serbia rebranding is further proof of the successful growth of Unifiedpost Group in recent years. Between 2017 and 2019, the company nearly tripled its revenue, to EUR 69 million. With its sustainable business model and remaining an independent, public company, the company continues its growth trend. In 2019, Unifiedpost Group processed more than 350 million documents, and reached more than 400,000 SME’s and over 250 corporate clients.

Its further growth is fostered by a thriving fintech market and a growing demand for digitisation especially at SMEs , as well as the introduction of standardised electronic invoices at both national and pan-European levels.

For Crédit Agricole Srbija support of domestic economy is priority

Crédit Agricole Serbia has once again confirmed its role as a secure and stable partner by supporting Serbian companies in driving the country’s growth at a time when society as a whole needs it most. The best proof of that is the growth of 18% in the financing of the real economy.

„The cornerstone of our business approach is acting every day in the interest of our customers and society. In line with that, being part of the solid Crédit Agricole Group that operates in 52 countries worldwide with A+ credit rating has allowed us to continue investing in the productivity of our country even in difficult moments such as those experienced. We listened to the needs of domestic companies, were there for them when they needed, invested funds and experience in their development and the best proof of that is a rise of 18% in loans, 52% in deposits and above all, enviable level of customer satisfaction“ said Jelena Pavlović, Head of Corporate Banking at Crédit Agricole Bank.

Generator The Game Changer Final Event

Grand finale of the Generator The Game Changer Final Event will be held on Oct 14, 2020 at 18:00 hrs via Zoom application.

If interested to join the event, please register via this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vO-k7K6tQbWYFTXsrARnSg.

Good results of the Sava Insurance Group and its members in Serbia in 2020

According to unaudited results, the Sava Insurance Group generated EUR 674.9 million in operating revenues in 2020, which represents growth by 15.5% in comparison to the previous year, despite a significant increase in the risk of potential additional adverse effects of the pandemic on the Group’s operations. Net profit amounts to EUR 56.4 million, which is an increase by 12.3% in comparison to the previous year and is higher than planned. This increase in the outcome of good results in the life and non-life insurance segments, but also due to higher receivables in the reinsurance segment on the international market.

In 2020, the Group generated EUR 679.7 million in gross premiums, which is an increase by 13.6% in comparison to the previous year.

Gross claims paid in the Slovenian non-life segment decreased significantly, primarily in car insurance, which is a reflection of the lower frequency of claims. On the other hand, there were more claims and significantly higher losses in the reinsurance segment, many of which related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although 2020 was full of surprises and changes due to the pandemic, the members of the Sava Insurance Group in Serbia managed to quickly adapt to the newly emerging situation and achieve good results.

In 2020, Sava životno osiguranje achieved premiums 30.9% higher than in 2019. Investment income in 2020 was 20.6% higher than planned.

Sava neživotno osiguranje exceeded the 2020 invoiced premium plan by 4.9%. Gross premium per employee increased by 20.8% in comparison to the amount planned for 2020.

In 2020, Sava Insurance Group enhanced its projects for the development of digital solutions in order to provide its clients with faster and easier access to its services and paid special attention to investment opportunities in projects focused on the environment and sustainability.

Kind regards,

Sava osiguranje