The Bank launches a new real time banking system and its own card system. The Bank offers "instant loans", with no guarantors, within one hour together with the hypermarket chain Metro Cash & Carry.

UBB meets its 10th anniversary offering new retail bank products, new real time banking system and its own card system. UBB reinforced its leading position in the retail banking with new products such as consumer, mortgage and auto loans. The Bank is expected to achieve the highest possible increase of its loan portfolio - over 80% compared to the end of 2001. The most impressive increase can be found in the retail banking sector with 30 000 new consumer loans, more than 10 000 overdrafts and some 1 000 mortgage loans disbursed. The Bank has already disbursed a number of auto loans as well.

UBB applies short time approval terms - two days for approving consumer loans and seven days for the mortgages. Since October the Bank together with the hypermarket chain Metro Cash & Carry offers instant loans, which get approved within one hour. Their tenor is 36 months, the amount is up to 3 000 BGN, with no guarantors and any collateral needed.

UBB launches a new modern Globus information system for real time banking, which allows all customers to manage their money from each of the Bank's outlets in the country, making no difference branch has originally opened the account. The Globus system is already operative in the Sofia branches and is currently introduced in the entire branch network of the Bank countrywide.

By the end of the year 2002 UBB will launch its own card system. It will provide the Bank with the possibility to offer new card services. UBB owns over 50% of the ATMs in the country - more than 280 ATMs and more than 850 POS terminals for card payment in different commercial outlets. The new card system will allow all customers to access the money in their card accounts not only at ATMs but also at the bank offices. The Bank will also complete its card project, which will help offer its customers the first real credit cards in Bulgaria. It will also allow UBB to increase significantly the number of the issued credit cards, which by the end of September 2002 is more than 6 500 EuroCard/MasterCard and VISA (55% of the Bulgarian credit card market). The existing UBB Maestro and Visa Electron debit cards are over 345 000 (32% of the debit cards in the country).

In the eve of the Bank's 10th anniversary Standard & Poors confirmed the UBB short term and senior debt rating - B and BB-. In their report Standard & Poors point out the Bank's solid commercial position, strong liquidity, low risk asset profile as well as the support of the strategic shareholder - the National Bank of Greece.