Australian and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) has won Canstar’s agribusiness bank of the year title, in recognition of the bank’s ongoing commitment to the farm sector and long-term growth of rural and regional Australia.
ANZ was also recently named agribusiness bank of the year in New Zealand by Canstar.
The independent finance industry analyst’s annual award, won by Commonwealth Bank of Australia for the past two years, assesses business finance and deposit account products on offer across the sector.
Numerous institutional factors, including information and education services, specialised products and services and online banking functionality are also judged.
Canstar said initiatives which set ANZ apart this year included its Insights series of research intelligence reports on key aspects of Australian agriculture and thought leadership focus on issues which mattered in regional communities, including financial markets education.
Community programs such as ANZ’s Seeds of Renewal, which has provided more than $4 million in community grants to 750 projects to enhance education and employment opportunities in regional Australia were also praised.
ANZ’s general manager of regional business banking, Christine Linden, said the title was a significant achievement and an honour for the Australian business to hold for the next 12 months.
“It’s testament to the continued focus our staff have on doing what’s right for our customers and for their work in supporting this key sector of the Australian economy,” she said.
Australian agribusiness head Mark Bennett, said the award was a reminder of the important role ANZ’s staff played in one of the most challenging sectors.
“There is a strong degree of optimism in Australian farming and agribusiness,” he said.
“Despite current cyclical challenges in some sectors, Australia should have a high expectation that it will play a significant role in the nation’s economic future.”
Canstar’s group manager of research and ratings, Mitchell Watson, said ANZ was leading the way in making real differences for their customers.
“From the research and analysis we undertook, what resonated was the commitment to regional Australia through education, insights and research,” he said.
“ANZ also importantly has a number of diverse and robust products on offer, in a sector that needs to be agile and responsive.”
The bank’s Ms Linden said it was pleasing to be recognised for the additional investments being made to contribute to the long-term prosperity of regional Australia.
“This award confirms we’re on the right track and we’re committed to staying focussed on supporting our customers by evolving our offerings, nurturing and promoting innovation and leading with insights.”