Behind the award is a group of 20 leading financial journalists from publications including Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. The group was formed in 1993 on the initiative of German communications company Maleki Group.
For nearly two decades, the group has given the European Banker of the Year award to honour outstanding achievement among senior leaders in the European financial industry.
The prize will be awarded in November at an event in Frankfurt and will be handed over by 2011 winner Baron David de Rothschild of the Rothschild Group.
Previous winners also include senior representatives from banks such as Standard Chartered, UBS, ABN Amro Bank, BNP, and the Bank for International Settlements.