Owner & Managing Director is Dr. Armin Eckermann.
As the former Deputy CEO and Executive Senior Bank Manager of a Maltese-based Trade Finance Specialist bank Fimbank, Armin had worked and lived in Malta since 2008. Back then, Fimbank needed a major up-lift to remain internationally competitive to compete with industry specialists in the European and other markets. He managed and developed FIMBank’s Trade Finance & Services, local Factoring business, Correspondent Banking as well as Commodity Trade Finance business out of Malta, London, Dubai, Athens and Zurich in Switzerland.
Major markets and clients were found in the MENA region, Western Africa, UAE, and Central and Eastern Europe.
As a founding member (November 2010) of the German Maltese Business Council, he started to work closely with the Malta Chamber of Commerce and its Maltese Member companies. The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Enterprise has given to the GMBC a ‘home’ within the Chamber of Commerce in the beautiful capital city of Malta, in Valletta.
In June 2015, Armin became the Chairperson of the GMBC which promotes on the ground, hands-on ‘Business-to-Business Development between the two Nations – Malta and Germany.
Armin’s international background, network, and experience are linked to his academic and professional banking life. Before moving to Malta, he worked for Standard Bank, London, and WestLB Group, Germany.
At Standard Bank London, Armin had covered different positions – gave guidance to Resource Banking Finance. Here he was overlooking all structured lending products in the fields of Mining & Metals, Energy Finance, Carbon Credit Finance as well as Structured Commodity Finance – all teams was internationally operating. Later he took charge of a newly formed Global Product Unit Structured Trade Finance & Services Department covering also the African Continent.
Prior to London, WestLB AG / Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale in Düsseldorf, Germany, had been the employer of choice. Armin had worked for almost 15 years with WestLB Group, where he was Global Head of Commodity Finance – heading up the Structured as well as the Classical Commodity Trade Finance business. He had spent considerable time for WestLB in developing different market places, i.e. South America where he establishing the commodity finance business in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo. Prior to that developed the commodity business hub in Singapore and signed responsible for acquisition and structuring of commodity-related financial transactions in the Middle East and Central Asia.
At the local saving and loan, named ‘Sparkasse Schaumburg’, he learned as an apprentice in Germany, private and small local corporate banking business. The longing to go to a bigger place motivated him to continue his academic studies in Germany (University of Paderborn) and the USA.
Armin holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. He has established an external profile through speaking and teaching engagements at conferences and universities. Furthermore, he has published various articles in the field of commodity finance and trading.