Samoa Commercial Bank (SCB) has for the fourth consecutive time received international recognition as the “leading partner bank” in the Pacific for the ADB Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program.

The announcement of the bank’s award was made at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) Awards and Partners Dinner held on Tuesday 6 September in Singapore.

In a statement released by the SCB following the announcement, SCB Managing Director, Ray Ah Liki said it was an honour for the local Samoan bank to receive such recognition in the program.

“I want to thank ADB and most importantly our clients for their continued support,” said Mr Ah Liki.

“SCB will continue to promote the program and provide financial support to companies engaged in import and export activities. 

“Gaining recognition for the fourth time as the leading partner bank in the Pacific is a significant achievement and I commend our staff who have been diligent in promoting trade finance to our clients. 

“We remain committed to providing financial support to companies engaged in import and export activities”.

For more information on the program, call telephone 31233 Extension: 401 or 406 or visit the Trade Finance and International Team at the SCB headquarters, Tauese.

The awards recognised 14 leading partner banks including SCB for their role in supporting trade in the region. The other banks include Armswissbank of Armenia, City Bank Ltd of Bangladesh, TBC Bank JSC of Georgia, Khan Bank of Mongolia, Himalayan Bank of Nepal, Bank Al Habib of Pakistan, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC of Sri Lanka, OJSC Bank Eskhata of Tajikistan, Joint-Stock Innovation Commercial Bank Ipak Yuli of Uzbekistan, Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank of Vietnam, J.P Morgan, Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank and HSBC.

ADB's Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program empowers countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by closing market gaps through guarantees, loans, and knowledge products. Since 2009, the TSCFP has supported $57 billion in trade across 45,510 transactions (60 per cent SME-related).

The TSCFP is supported by the following: Government of Australia; Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund; Financial Sector Development Partnership Special Funds; Regional Cooperation and Integration Fund; and the Government of the United States of America.