The corporate Calendar 2017 is the newest platform which will be used by UniCredit Bulbank in an innovative way as a continuation of its Finance for Non-Financiers national programme during the following year. The topic of the corporate calendar for 2017 is in line with the long-term strategic goal of the bank to encourage improvement of the financial culture and the people's money management skills. Through twelve Bulgarian sayings chosen specially for the purpose, each month in the calendar of UniCredit Bulbank for 2017 has been turned into a short, entertaining and easy to understand lesson in personal finance.

"Banking and financial services are like utilities now, part of our everyday life - just like electricity and water. We can use electricity and water wherever there is infrastructure for that - drinking fountains, plugs, etc. The banking infrastructure is even wider. You can't expect electricity or water to run from the mobile phone; however, you can use the phone to pay for these. You can also get a loan to spend on something useful or not that useful. This accessibility of money requires from one to get more and more careful and informed when making money management decisions", thinks Levon Hampartzoumian, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of UniCredit Bulbank.

"We at UniCredit are convinced that the more the people capable of wise and enterprising money management, the more successful we will be as a community. There is a direct correspondence between the improvement of people's financial culture and the improvement of their standard of living and well-being. We are investing in the former so that people can achieve the latter", he added.

Each month of 2017 from the calendar of UniCredit Bulbank is dedicated to one of twelve basic principles of money management. Among them are the need of portfolio diversification ("Don't put all your eggs in one basket"), the connection between wealth and education ("Money spent on the brain is never spent in vain"), the way our choice of people with whom we talk about money influences wealth ("A person is known by the company he keeps"), the valuable lessons we learn from wrong financial decisions ("Failure teaches success" ), etc. Each Bulgarian saying carefully chosen for the respective month is accompanied by its translation in financial language as a short tip (see the financial translations at the end).

The visualization by months uses pictures from an internal photo contest "Calendar 2017" carried out among all employees of the bank in Bulgaria. The artistic concept was developed by a team from the bank in cooperation with the advertisement agency The Smarts.

You can see here for the first time a trailer with the photographs and the main messages from Calendar 2017 of UniCredit Bulbank.

"Colleagues from the whole country took part in the contest and considerable part of the calendar was made through internal crowdsourcing of visions and ideas. Engaging over 3,700 experienced experts with this exercise turned out to be very useful. Just think about the fact that hundreds of thousands of transactions, mortgages, investments , etc. were processed by these colleagues. In fact, they are absolutely aware of the most frequent mistakes in the management of personal finance and how to avoid them, because they've witnessed this dozens of times", said Victoria Blajeva,First Vice President and Head of Identity and Communications Department. Whether people will take advantage of the tips and experience openly shared by the bankers through the creative concept of the calendar is up to them though.

Finance for Non-Financiers National Programme

The Finance for Non-Financiers National Programme that was officially launched in 2015 aims at providing wide access to information about the management of personal finance. A number of initiatives are incorporated in the program such as the series of materials "Finance for non-financiers: practical ideas for smart money management" in the corporate blog and the other digital channels – facebook, twitter, media partnerships, lectures delivered to students and pupils by managers from the bank on topics such as entrepreneurship, banking of the future, innovations, personal budget management, etc.

In a report on the importance of financial literacy published by the World Bank it is emphasized that "the ability of consumers to make informed financial decisions is critical to developing sound personal finance, which contributes to efficient allocation of financial resources and financial stability."

The report adds that through their demand the informed consumers help the acceleration of the innovation processes in the financial sector. The more informed and aware the people, the more this contributes to the transparency and honesty of the financial institutions.

"Financial illiteracy appears to be particularly severe for key demographic groups: women, less educated, low income, etc." says the World Bank's report.

Calendar 2017 within the Finance for Non-Financiers National Program will not be for sale but will be printed in a very limited edition. "As early as mid-October 2016 Calendar 2017 will be available in an electronic form for all those interested in the tips it contains and the beautiful pictures provided by colleagues from the bank. The Calendar will be available for download on the website of the bank www.unicreditbulbank.bg from October 17th and in the profiles of the bank in the social media" , said Victoria Blajeva.

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See the trailer with the pictures and the main messages from Calendar 2017:

Lessons in Finance for Non-Financiers from Calendar 2017 by UniCredit Bulbank

• January: A word once spoken can never be recalled

Financial translation for non-financiers: Transparency and trust in relationships are the strongest currency, regardless of whether we are saying the cherished "Yes" at the wedding or placing the final signature when purchasing the home of our dreams. The value of this currency depends on the extent to which the partners keep their promises. That is why we are cautious of what we promise. If we do not understand what we are signing, the best idea is for us to ask until it's all clear.

• February: Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade

Financial translation for non-financiers: People wisely say that the pleasure from success is a result from our efforts. Since school we know that zero investment multiplied by even a million opportunities equals zero results. But with sensible investment of skills, experience, time and money we can expect good dividends - profit from own business, higher salary, etc.

• March: Many a little makes a mickle

Financial translation for non-financiers: When it comes to money the power of good habits works for us. Instead of wondering every month "where did those 20, 50 or 100 levs go", it is better to save and invest it. What is the feeling when you find forgotten money in the pocket of our trousers or jacket? Well, if we turn the regular saving into a habit, the feeling of satisfaction from the fortune we've accumulated is much greater.

• April: Don't put all your eggs in one basket

Financial translation for non-financiers: According to an old Jewish principle, money is good to be divided at least in three: in real property; in low-risk savings like deposits, etc.; in a business - own or in shares and other securities. Thus the risk is calculated and the undesirable changes won't get us off guard.

• May: Never buy a pig in a poke

Financial translation for non-financiers: People wisely tell us not to rush into anything we don't understand. Especially when it comes to money. According to a popular theory, in order for us to become experts in something we need to study it for 10,000 hours. This means we can manage our money in a better way only after we have studied finance for almost five years - 1,250 working days, 8 hours a day. The other, faster and more convenient way is to simply ask the experts.

• June: Failure teaches success

Financial translation for non-financiers: It is believed that one cannot be called an entrepreneur without having lost money from an investment at least once. Along with success, lots of failures have happened to some of the wealthiest people in the world, such as the billionaire Richard Branson, Elon Musk - the person who wants to colonize Mars, the actress and business lady Jessica Alba, or the owner of Amazon, Jeff Bezos The benefit from failures is the lessons that help us get better.

• July: As you sow, so shall you reap

Financial translation for non-financiers: In the management of personal finance there are two essential rules. The first one is: do not spend everything you get, and the second one is: first and foremost, pay yourself. This means that as soon as we receive a salary or another income we should spare around 10% to "sow", i.e. to invest in something that has the potential to bring us more money in the future - in education, residential property to rent out, mutual fund, savings plan, etc.

• August: A person is known by the company he keeps

Financial translation for non-financiers: True friendship is priceless and it is not determined by the size of the bank account. It is a matter of personal choice to surround ourselves with people who motivate, inspire and develop us. It is useful to broaden the circle of friends and acquaintances with people who are achieving or have achieved goals that we are aiming at. In this way we can benefit from their experience and knowledge and share ours with them.

• September: Money spent on the brain is never spent in vain

Financial translation for non-financiers: "Who is going to give us money?", they ask. The only investment that comes closest to the Holy Grail, "low risk - high return", is the investment in education. A simple calculation shows that people with good education earn at least half a million levs more during their lives than those who do not study. This is the absolute minimum of the amount with which quality knowledge turns into a better standard of living.

• October: Easy come, easy go

Financial translation for non-financiers: Very often people who suddenly get a lot of money - from the lottery, inheritance, quick profit - lose it entirely within a couple of years. People have long ago reached this wise conclusion. The long-term keeping of high standard, fortune and well-being is usually a result of education and result-oriented efforts.

• November: A hungry belly has no ears

Financial translation for non-financiers: Unexpected costs are similar to the first snow in winter - we know it is coming but it always gets us by surprise. In order for us to limit the blocking of the family budget from unexpected costs it is better to prepare in advance. Stress will be under control if the household spares in a bank between 4 and 6-month income needed for the maintenance of the family. The safety from having something to meet an unexpected circumstance in life would make us braver to undertake new actions that could bring us more income - from investments, a new job, etc.

• December: Give what you want to receive

Financial translation for non-financiers: This wise universal rule can be applied in any worldly situation. In financial language it means basically the following: in order for you to have income and profit, first you need to invest. Giving and receiving goes far beyond the topic of money. The following maxim applies to it: people will treat us the way we treat them. Generosity and good attitude to the people around us build good partnerships and successful cooperation - with friends and acquaintances, with customers and colleagues. Only in this way can we achieve sustainable business and stable finances.

Further information for the media:

UniCredit Bulbank, Identity and Communications

Victoria Blajeva, phone +359 (0) 2 9264 993, wjlj/ebwjepwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Mara Bareva, phone: +359 (0) 2 9264 963, nbsb/cbsfwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Beatris Nikolova, phone +359 (0) 2 9232 528, cfbusjt/ojlpmpwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch