The European Commission has charged UniCredit with carrying out a large portion of the Commission's SEPA payments. Thus, UniCredit is one of four banks respon-sible for all SEPA payment transactions on behalf of the European Commission from now on.

Sergio Ermotti, Deputy-CEO of UniCredit: "This mandate shows the quality of our Global Transaction Banking capabilities that allows us to serve our clients in 22 European countries." Marco Bolgiani, Head of Global Transaction Banking of UniCredit: "The crucial factor for the European Commission's positive decision was our strong commitment to SEPA, together with our large network all over Europe."

The mandate was awarded as the result of a tendering process in which all banks in Europe were invited to take part. "With a share of between 25 and 35 percent of the total volume, we have proved our competitiveness once again", said Marco Bolgiani. The total transaction will amount to more than 1.6 million international payments with a volume of over EUR 33 billion. The European Commission's decision to process payment transactions via SEPA in the future and to focus on four banks means it will progressively abandon the previous model in which local banks in every European state were responsible for processing the respective payments.

About UniCredit

UniCredit is a major international financial institution with strong roots in 22 European coun-tries as well as representative offices in 27 other markets, with approximately 10,000 branches, more than 166,000 employees at 30 September 2009.

In the CEE region, UniCredit operates the largest international banking network with approximately 4,000 branches and outlets.

Global Transaction Banking of UniCredit combines the local expertise of more than 2,000 professionals with the experience of a sophisticated global transaction bank, offering a di-verse and proven set of core competencies in the fields of Cash Management and eBank-ing, Trade Finance, Supply Chain Management, Structured Trade and Export Finance. It offers Global Securities Services when related to CEE countries as well. UniCredit Group is the largest transaction bank in continental Europe. Many international awards demonstrate this. Thanks to an international network comprising about 10,000 branches in 22 countries plus 4,000 correspondent banks in 50 countries around the globe, UniCredit Group serves more than 400,000 corporate customers worldwide.

The Group operates in the following countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzego-vina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.