About bank

About the bank

Joint Stock Company Commercial Bank "Ellips bank" (Ellips bank) was established in 1992 and is a universal credit institution. Ellips bank's offices are located in many regions of Russia. The Head Office of Ellips bank is located in Nizhny Novgorod at the registered office: 4/2 Maxim Gorky square, 603000 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Ellips bank operates to serve the real economy sector companies and general public.

The Main Board of the Bank of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod region has classified Joint Stock Company Commercial Bank "Ellips bank" as a system-forming credit institution of the Nizhny Novgorod banking sector of special significance for the regional economy.

Ellips bank shareholders are industrial and financial companies of the Nizhny Novgorod region and private individuals of Nizhny Novgorod whose share in the legal capital is less than 2%.

As of January 1, 2012, the equity capital of Ellips bank made up 48,9 million Euros.

The majority of Ellips bank's clients are private individuals and small and medium-sized businesses which produce municipal engineering, medical equipment, foodstuffs and serve the needs of the agricultural sector, trade, services sector, etc. The total number of client accounts opened is more than 100 000 as of 01.01.2012.

A "Know Your Customer" approach, flexible pricing policy and ability to make effective management decisions are the key features of the Ellips bank's client policy.

Ellips bank finances small and medium-sized businesses through loaning and leasing, placing priority on investment projects. It allows the Bank to establish long-term relationships with the clients, enjoy mutual economic benefits and earn positive social return.

Ellips bank has been seeking to be involved in the federal and regional programs on the development of small and medium enterprise and agro-industry, being a partner-bank to these programs since 2003.

Ellips bank's retail banking focuses on higher quality, affordability and diversity of banking services, on involvement in banking services of more social groups, e.g. town residents that previously didn't have due access to the banking products and services.

As far as the Ellips bank's products are concerned, priority is given to the market segments with unsatisfied demand or where the customer needs are still forming. Therefore Ellips bank does not seek to provide services in those segments of banking and financial markets where the competitors have a decisive superiority (e.g. auto loans, consumer express loans in points of sale, broking, etc.).

The Bank manages its strategic liquidity by diversification of the loan portfolio along the industry segments which are relatively steady to the negative economic factors and are able to restore their solvency.

Ellips bank carries out its activities under General License of the Bank of Russia for execution of bank operations in Russian Roubles and foreign currency No 1950 of 04.06.2008 and License for Attracting and Depositing Precious Metals No 1950 issued 04.06.2008 by the Bank of Russia.

In December 2004 Ellips bank joined the State Deposit Insurance System.

Ellips bank is a professional participant of the securities market and is licensed for carrying out the dealer, broker and depositary transactions and transactions on securities trust management.

In addition to the Head Office, the banking network of Ellips bank consists of 4 branches located in Nizhny Novgorod, Saint-Petersburg, Astrakhan, Gorokhovets (Vladimir region) cities and 43 domestic offices set up throughout the Nizhny Novgorod region, in Saint-Petersburg, Krasnodar city, Cheboksary (Republic of Chuvashia). The bank's offices render a wide range of banking services to corporate clients and private individuals.

As estimated by the Information Agency "Finmarket", Group "Interfax", (www.finmarket.ru) JSC CB "Ellips bank" ranked 178th by amount of equity capital, 190th by assets, 138th by amount of undivided profit, the 119th by volume of household deposits among 871 Russian banks as of 01.10.2011.

According to RBC. Rating (http://rating.rbc.ru) JSC CB "Ellips bank" ranked 144th by corporate loans among 950 Russian banks as of 01.10.2011.

In March 2011 the Bank witnessed its individual rating of of creditwortheness "A" (high credit standing, second level) which was initially assigned in March 2010 being reaffirmed by The National Rating Agency.

Thus the Bank's rating of "A-" (high credit standing, third level) assigned in February 2009 was raised.

JSC CB "Ellips bank" is ranked by The National Rating Agency within the framework of the project entitled as "Barometer of Bank Liquidity" which is a totally new derivative rating product on the Russian market. The "Barometer of bank liquidity" is based on an index evaluating solvency of a bank and determines a level of a bank's ability to respond to its own obligations. The "Barometer of bank liquidity" characterizes a level of a bank's payment discipline which is calculated on a basis of financial reports published on the official web-site of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. The relevancy of the mentioned rating product is particularly apprehensible during a crisis when the financial system faces an acute lack of client trust.

The National Rating Agency rated JSC CB "Ellips bank" as a bank with a very high liquidity. Proceeding from the acid ratio value, which is the backbone of the project, JSC CB "Ellips bank" was one of the top 150 banks among the 691 banks whose assets amounted to more than 1 billion RUB being ranked as of November 01, 2011.

Striving for higher service quality, implementation of modern technologies and application of the advanced management techniques is a distinctive feature of Ellips bank contributing to the attainment of the set goals.

The ongoing financial crisis was a good lesson for the Russian bankers to learn from. The due management of banking risks has become a top priority for many Russian banks including the regional ones.

Here as well Ellips bank rested on the world experience of applying the Islamic banking instruments as a method of risk distribution based upon the principles of partnership and financial fairness. Consistent with the mentioned strategy was opening in March 2011 of a specialized branch named "Vostok-Capital" in Nizhny Novgorod where financial services that are not in conflict with the norms of Islam, are provided. In December 2011 a new domestic office started its activities under control of Vostok-Capital branch in Ufa city, Republic of Bashkortostan.

At the beginning of October 2007 the Nizhny Novgorod region was visited by a group of independent FATF experts charged to evaluate the AML/CFT regime of the Russian Federation as a member of FATF. By a decision of the authorities of the Bank of Russia a group of Nizhny Novgorod-based regional banks were designated to demonstrate to the evaluation team during its on-site visit how their own internal AML/CFT systems were implemented. Entered on the list of banks subject to examination JSC CB "Ellips bank" did its utmost to be equal to the mission assigned. As a result, the Bank's efforts were estimated by the national banking regulator who sent an acknowledgement letter to Ellips bank signed by the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Russia Mr. V. Melnikov.

Ellips bank's Global Activities

Global counterparts of Ellips bank on international settlements and transactions are such financial institutions as Raiffeisen Bank International AG (Vienna, Austria), Bank of America, National Association (Chicago, USA), Penson Futures (Chicago,USA) which is a division of Penson Financial Services Inc. Ellips bank emits and serves the international VISA and MasterCard bank cards.

In October 2010 JSC CB "Ellips bank" became a non-shareholding member of S.W.I.F.T. Scrl and was assigned a unique active BIC code (CEJSRU2N).

To enhance the international exposure JSC CB "Ellips bank" was for the first time introduced to the public on the pages of an authoritative international business edition "The Bankers' Almanac" in 2002 and has been present since then. In addition to an insight into the Bank's profile and financial highlights presented on the page "Ellips bank" the Bank concisely announced its policy and gave an overview of realisation of the Internal Control Rules applied to ensure the prevention and counteraction of legalization (money laundering) of proceeds obtained from crime and terrorist financing by allocating relative materials in a special data base named "The Bankersalmanac.com Due Diligence Repository" developed in association with the Wolfsberg Group of World Banks to support the principles of a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering.

Following the requests of its counterparties, the Bank is always prepared to provide the necessary information related to its activities on anti-money laundering and prevention of terrorism financing. In December 2009, JSC CB "Ellips bank" obtained consent for service provision on behalf of the US process agent authorized to legal support by the US Treasury to comply with the US Law. In compliance with Sections 5318(j) and 5318(k), Title 31 of the US Code, as well as Sections 313 и 319(b) of "The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001" (№ 107-56), JSC CB "Ellips bank" provided its Foreign Bank Correspondent Account Certificate. In December 2011, the Bank received a confirmation letter by which the US process agent, Pacific Registered Agents,Inc.,OR,USA, acknowledged its intention to provide the mentioned services to Ellips bank for year 2012.

Transparency and reliability have always been the features identifying Ellips bank's relationships with foreign correspondents.

In order to expand its global business links Ellips bank established a Representative office in Italy (registered address: 00186, Roma, piazza Campitelli, № 2) in March 2010, having thus become the first Russian commercial bank maintaining its presence in Italy through a representative office.

The objective behind opening the Representative office in Italy is first and foremost to establish partnership relations between Ellips bank and the Italian banks in the field of international settlements, trade financing and getting access to the global capital markets. The Representation office will also seek to establish business contacts between the Italian businessmen and clients of the Bank interested in mutually beneficial supplies of goods and equipment, in building the common business, etc.

April 22, 2010 JSC CB "Ellips bank" was admitted to the Association of Italian banks (Associazione Bancaria Italiana) under registration number 016888. The admission to such an authoritative organization favored the Bank's efforts to ensure its reputation as a credit institution recognized by Western European financial institutions and their self-regulating associations.

Setting up of the Represented office on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg which started its activities in December 2010 at 22 rue de Muhlenbach, L-2168 Luxembourg was purposed to give the Bank an opportunity to find points of common interest to share with representatives of the financial services sector of Western Europe with a view to establish fruitful partnerships leading to the Bank's participation in long-term investment projects, to lay out vector prospects for the Bank seeking access to European capital markets, to gain an extensive expertise in co-operation with European financial institutions.

The Representative office was registered by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier and entered on the General Register of legal entities under identity number 2011 85 00025.

Bank and Society

Excellent performance of the Bank in financing the real economy sector was recognized on several occasions by, among others, the Letter of Gratitude of the Presidential Envoy to the Volga River Federal District; a Diploma of the Ministry of Agriculture; letters of gratitude and Certificates of Merit of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod region for longstanding stable performance in the market of banking services in the Nizhny Novgorod region, for conducting a dynamic loan policy and supporting the most significant programs developed by the Regional Government.

Ellips bank is active in Russia's banking community.

Ellips bank is a member of the Association of Russian Banks (ARB), the Association of Regional Banks "Russia" and the National Stock Market Association.

In 2006 following the principles of social responsibility of business Ellips bank voluntarily joined "The Social Charter" of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE), the authoritative social association of the Russian businessmen. Ellips bank tries and observes the principles declared in the Charter to ensure the balanced interests of the owners, bank employees and clients.

In 2009 the Bank was granted a Collective Member Certificate of the Entrepreneurship Development Assistance Fund established on the initiative of a group of deputies of the State Duma, members of the Federation Council of Russia and the International Club of Business Leaders in order to implement "The Entrepreneurship Development" Interstate Public Program.

The Program is focused on outlining the problems of domestic entrepreneurship, enhancing the attractiveness of the Russian economy in terms of investments, finding effective solutions to challenges faced by the Russian business community.

Excellent performance of Ellips bank was highly recognized by the banking community.

In 2008 the Bank was an award winner at the IV Annual International Prize in Banking in three nominations, namely, "The Best Regional Bank of the Year", "For Significant Contribution in the Real Economy Sector," and "For Following the Principles of Social Responsibility."

In 2009 JSC CB "Ellips bank" was an international award winner as "The Best Taxpayer" and in 2010 won the International Award "Banking 2010" in the nomination of "The Best Regional Bank."

In 2009 JSC CB "Ellips bank" and The Retirement Fund of Russia, Nizhny Novgorod branch, entered into an agreement providing for delivering pensions through the Bank's network of offices, which gives evidence of trust reposed by this significant state-run body in the Bank.

In May 2010 JSC CB "Ellips bank" was accredited by the State Corporation "Rosnanotechnologies" as a partner bank providing cash and settlement services to Project companies which received budgetary funding for investment goals.

JSC CB "Ellips bank" is an award winner of the National Bank Prize 2010 in nomination "Socially Responsible Bank". This Prize was founded by the National bank magazine and is held under the auspices of the Association of Russian Banks and is one of the main prizes in the banking community.

JSC CB "Ellips bank" is an award winner at the VII International Prize "Banking 2011" in nomination "The Best Regional Bank". The Prize was instituted by the "Banking" magazine and the "Informbank Agency" media-group and is held with the assistance of the Association of Regional Banks "Russia", the Commission of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Association of Russian Banks and other financial, state and entrepreneurial structures of Russia. The Prize is famous for prestige and well-deserved respect from financial and business communities due to its objective and unbiased approach to assessment of winners.

A wisely selected development strategy, support by the shareholders and professionalism of the team of employees allowed the Bank to meet numerous economic challenges.

The Bank's transparency, its financial stability, dynamics of development and accumulated experience in investment projects allow us to declare our readiness for any form of cooperation both with Russian and foreign partners.

Should you feel you are in need for more details on the business scope of JSC CB "Ellips bank" please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail (alex@ellipsbank.ru) or by phone (+7 831 4225202) or fax (+7 831 4621802).

Statutory information:

Official name: Joint Stock Company Commercial Bank "Ellips bank"
Shortened name: JSC CB "Ellips bank"
Registered address: 4/2 Maxim Gorky square, 603000 Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation.
BIC 042202798
Tax Payer Identification Number (INN): 5253004189
Main State Registration Number: 1025200000055
Incorporated under the name of the Commercial Bank "Ellips bank" Limited Partnership July 07, 1992.
Re-registered with the Bank of Russia as Joint Stock Company Commercial Bank "Ellips bank" July 25, 2001.
Entered on the Unified State Register of Legal Entities August 07, 2002.