And the winners are…

The voting in this year’s TFR Awards was not only the biggest ever, but also produced some of the closest voting ever, too – and some surprises.

JP Morgan just pipped Deutsche Bank to the title of Best Bank in Structured Trade Finance, while Natixis claims the title of most innovative Bank. Deutsche wins the title of Best Export Finance Bank, while Fortis scoops Best Soft Commodity Finance Bank and Natixis (again), Best Bank in Metals and Minerals.

While ING was just beaten into second in that category, it scored an emphatic win as Best Bank in Russia and the CIS, ahead of VTB. HSBC emerged as Best Bank in Asia. Votes for Best Bank in the Middle East were weighed rather than counted, with Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) beating Arab Banking Corporation into second place.

Elsewhere, JP Morgan again won the award for Best Online Trade Provider, while being pipped, perhaps surprisingly, as Best Bank for Supply Chain Finance by Bank of New York Melon (BoNYM). In technology, Surecomp beat Misys for the title of Best Technology Provider – but the voting was tight. Denton Wilde Sapte, meanwhile, won the award for Best Law Firm in Trade Finance.

Away from the winners, there were a number of interesting voting trends. Garanti emerged as ‘one to watch’ as it polled strongly in a number of areas, including Russia/CIS and came a close second to Fortis in the category of Best Soft Commodity Finance Bank.

While Deutsche Bank walked away with just one award, it polled strongly across virtually all areas, as did JP Morgan.

A full run-down of the winners, runners-up and ‘commended’ is listed below, all of whom will be featured in the July/August issue of Trade & Forfaiting Review.

Best Bank in Structured Trade Finance
WINNER: JP Morgan
Runner-up: Deutsche Bank
Commended: ABN Amro
2007 winners: Deutsche Bank

Best Forfaiting Institution
WINNER: London Forfaiting Company
Runner-up: Deutsche Bank
Commended: Deutsche Forfait AG
2007 winners: London Forfaiting Company

Most Innovative Bank
WINNER: Natixis
Runner-up: JP Morgan
Commended: HSBC
2007 winners: BNP Paribas

Best Trade Finance Boutique
WINNER: Falcon Trade Corporation
Runner-up: Texel Finance
Commended: FIMBank
2007 winners: Falcon Trade Corporation

Best Export Finance Bank
WINNER: Deutsche Bank
Runner-up: JP Morgan
Commended: Calyon
2007 winners: Société Generalé CIB

Best Soft Commodity Finance Bank
WINNER: Fortis
Runner-up: Garanti
Commended: Natixis
2007 winners: Fortis

Best Bank in Metals and Minerals
WINNER: Natixis
Runner-up: ING
Commended: Garanti
2007 winners: ING

Best Bank in Oil and Energy
WINNER: BNP Paribas
Runner-up: Trade Bank of Iraq
Commended: Deutsche/Fortis
2007 winners: BNP Paribas

Best Export Credit Agency
WINNER: Coface
Runner-up: Euler Hermes
Commended: Sace
2007 winners: Finnvera

Best Developmental Financial Institution
WINNER: EBRD
Runner-up: Asian Development Bank
Commended: IDB
2007 winners: EBRD

Best Law Firm in Trade Finance
WINNER: Denton Wilde Sapte
Runner-up: Norton Rose
Commended: Clifford Chance
2007 winners: Denton Wilde Sapte

Best Insurance Provider
WINNER: Zurich
Runner-up: Marsh
Commended: Lloyds of London
2007 winners: -

Best Technology Provider
WINNER: Surecomp
Runner-up: Misys
Commended: China Systems
2007 winners: Surecomp

Best Online Trade Provider
WINNER: JP Morgan
Runner-up: Deutsche Bank/BoNYM
Commended: Citi/RBS/Wachovia/HSBC
2007 winners: JP Morgan

Best Bank for Supply Chain Finance
WINNER: Bank of New York Melon
Runner-up: JP Morgan
Commended: HSBC
2007 winners: JP Morgan

Best Trade Services Provider
WINNER: JP Morgan
Runner-up: Deutsche Bank/BoNYM
Commended: Citi/BNP/HSBC
2007 winners: JP Morgan

Best Trade Bank in Northern Europe and Scandinavia
WINNER: SEB
Runner-up: Nordea/Deutsche Bank
Commended: Danske Bank
2007 winners: -

Best Trade Bank in Southern Europe
WINNER: Santander
Runner-up: Deutsche Bank
Commended: BNP Paribas
2007 winners: -

Best Trade Bank in Central and Eastern Europe
WINNER: RZB
Runner-up: Deutsche Bank
Commended: Garanti
2007 winners: UniCredit

Best Trade Bank in the Middle East
WINNER: Trade Bank of Iraq
Runner-up: Arab Banking Corp
Commended: Deutsche Bank
2007 winners: Trade Bank of Iraq

Best Trade Bank in Asia
WINNER: HSBC
Runner-up: Standard Chartered
Commended: Deutsche Bank
2007 winners: ANZ

Best Trade Bank in Latin America
WINNER: BBVA
Runner-up: Banco do Brasil
Commended: Deutsche Bank
2007 winners: ABN Amro/BBVA

Best Bank in Africa
WINNER: Standard Bank
Runner-up: Deutsche Bank/ABSA
Commended: Standard Chartered
2007 winners: Calyon

Best Bank in Russia/CIS
WINNER: ING
Runner-up: VTB
Commended: Deutsche Bank
2007 winners: Standard Bank