• This exclusive investment strategy grants Bulgarian investors access to the expertise of global asset management leaders such as Fidelity, Pictet, J.P. Morgan, BlackRock, Pimco, Amundi, and Allianz Global Investors

UniCredit Bulbank introduced its exclusive investment solutions for the Bulgarian investment market with the launch of the onemarkets Fund. This diverse array of investment strategies offers Bulgarian investors the chance to leverage the extensive expertise of renowned asset management leaders, including Fidelity, Pictet, J.P. Morgan, BlackRock, Pimco, Amundi, and Allianz Global Investors.

At a special media event, Tsvetanka Mincheva, CEO of UniCredit Bulbank, and Borislav Genov, Director of Retail Banking and Board member at UniCredit Bulbank, alongside representatives from UniCredit's partners in the onemarkets Fund - Istvan Al Hilal, CFA, Head of CEE at Fidelity International, and Adrian Pusz, Sales Manager Austria & CEE at Pictet Asset Management, introduced the group's new product line - the UniCredit onemarkets Fund.

This innovative product platform offers an exclusive opportunity for European investors, including over 15 million UniCredit Group clients, to invest in funds actively managed in collaboration with leading global asset management firms. The onemarkets Fund investment strategies enable Bulgarian investors to leverage the expertise of top global asset management firms, including 5 of the world's top 10 firms for 2023.

During the meeting Tsvetanka Mincheva, CEO of UniCredit Bulbank, said that over the past 20 years, as a leader in fund distribution in Bulgaria with over 27% market share by 2023, UniCredit Bulbank accepts the responsibility to provide Bulgarian investors with access to the best quality savings and investment solutions in the world. She commented:  "Our mission over the last 20 years has remained the same - to spread knowledge and provide access to opportunities to more and more customers. The world of asset management offers a wide variety of investment solutions, materializing the proven potential of capital markets. Our goal is to offer effective opportunities for diversification of savings, ones with an ever higher added value for Bulgarian investors."

Borislav Genov, Director of Retail Banking and Board member at UniCredit Bulbank, emphasized the huge untapped potential of the Bulgarian investment market and the opportunity to achieve profitability for Bulgarian investors. Although investments by households and corporates in actively managed funds have outpaced deposit growth by a factor of 5 over the last 10 years, the country is still ( with BGN 3 per BGN 100 deposit) far from the average levels of investment versus deposits for households in Central Europe (EUR 16 versus EUR 100 deposit). "Bulgarian investors have at their disposal the huge potential of the capital markets, proven over time. To tap into it, we need three things - high-end investment products, careful planning and professional management - we are here to provide all three," he said.

Adrian Pusz, Sales Manager Austria &CEE at Pictet Assset Management commented: “ We are excited to partner with Unicredit Bulbank  to bring Pictet Asset Management’s thematic equities expertise to Bulgarian investors. Powerful technological, environmental and socio-economic forces, are changing the global economy. We define these long-term structural forces as ‘megatrends’. Pictet Asset Management’s thematic strategies enable investors to tap into these enduring trends and the superior growth potential they offer.“

As an independent, privately held Swiss financial institution, Pictet has been faithfully preserving and growing clients' wealth since 1805.Pictet Asset Management is part of the Swiss financial services group Pictet Group, which manages a balanced strategy with a focus on long-term structural growth drivers such as climate change, digitalisation and demographic growth. Pictet Asset Management's leading expertise and long-standing experience is in thematic investments with a focus on environmental themes or sectors key to the concept of sustainability.

“We are more than glad to be a strategic partner for Unicredit globally. Also, the strategy we work on together is truly in line with our CEE sales strategy. The risk profile of dividend equities made our solutions so far actual equity top sellers in the region, with the onemarkets Fund we are convinced we can take this even one level above“, commented Istvan Al Hilal, CFA, Head of CEE at Fidelity International.

Fidelity International is one of the world's biggest independent asset managers, managing more than $700million across mutual, pension and index funds. The asset manager is still privately owned that allows to follow a long-term strategy. With regards to onemarkets strategy Fidelity International's focus is on a low volatility portfolio containing select companies with high market capitalization (over US$4 billion) and a history of paying high dividends. The stock selection of dividend paying companies aims to outperform over the market cycle, limiting market volatility compared to the equity market.

As a result of partnerships with leading names in asset management, UniCredit Bulbank, as part of the UniCredit Group, delivers the right investment tools through onemarkets Fund solutions. These new investment opportunities represent an important step for the development of the Bulgarian investment market and provide investors with the opportunity to take advantage of the potential of the capital markets and increase the profitability of their portfolios.

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Additional media information:

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

Ekaterina Ancheva, tel +359 894 518 193 , flbufsjob/bodifwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Darina Radoslavova, tel +359 887 505273, Ebsjob/SbeptmbwpwbAVojDsfejuHspvq/CH