ABLV group includes seventeen companies operating in real estate area. Since beginning those operations in 2008, this group of companies was known as ABLV Transform. Starting from 15 October, they will have a new single brand – Pillar.

Pillar is engaged in real estate development, management and trade. While initially ABLV Transform companies were mainly working on preparing repossessed properties for sale, now their major line of business will be real estate development. Therefore, change of the brand was a natural step, standing for new stage of the companies’ growth. Their experience and potential are evidenced by large-scale projects accomplished in recent years: Saules Rasa, Pine Breeze, Aristo, and modern apartment block Mārtiņa Nams 2 completed lately. Another two important projects are nearing completion – Lielezers Apartment House and Elizabetes Park House. Pillar will also coordinate development of the new business block New Hanza City.

Currently, Pillar supervises more than 1200 properties worth about LVL 60 million, which is one of the largest real estate portfolios in Latvia. Pillar Chief Executive Officer Ieva Valtere told that real estate market is recovering and the number of real estate transactions is growing. During several years, there were 450 properties sold in total.

The Pillar brand was developed by Latvian agency Guilty, following the task set – to create a single, internationally recognized premium brand for the ABLV group real estate line of business in general. The brand which stands for stability, support and steadiness, the base underlying the future. The new brand was developed and implemented relatively quickly, owing to valuable experience gained during change of ABLV Bank brand.

Alongside implementing the new brand, a modern and convenient home page was developed, since it is essential for real estate trading: www.pillar.lv is an Internet catalogue presenting properties broken down by categories and supplemented with professional photos, location on the map, and other necessary information.

“We have already received proposals from other companies to offer their properties at our home page. Therefore, I want to stress that we will be offering our properties only, not acting as intermediaries. It is very important for us to be sure about the property itself and the transaction, since it is our responsibility to customers. And we can only guarantee complete safety if we are dealing with our properties,” Ieva Valtere explained.

Pillar Holding Company, KS, is owned by ABLV Bank, AS, and it includes ABLV Group companies that operate in the field of real estate development, management, and trade. Pillar holds one of the largest real estate portfolios in Latvia, which comprises apartment blocks, apartments, private houses, land and commercial properties.

ABLV Bank is the largest independent private bank in Latvia. The bank’s majority shareholders — Oļegs Fiļs, Ernests Bernis and Nika Berne – directly and indirectly hold 86% of the bank's share capital. ABLV Group includes ABLV Bank, AS; ABLV Bank Luxembourg, S.A.; ABLV Capital Markets, IBAS; ABLV Asset Management, IPAS; Pillar Holding Company, KS;  ABLV Consulting Services, AS; ABLV Corporate Services, SIA; New Hanza City, SIA, and other companies. ABLV Group has representative offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kiev, Odessa, Minsk, Almaty, Dushanbe, Baku, and Tashkent.

         Ilmārs Jargans
         Head of Public Relations Department
         ABLV Bank, AS
         Tel.: +371 6777 5296
         Mob.: +371 2866 0009
         e-mail: ilmars.jargans@ablv.com