MUFG Bank has announced plans to bolster its European commodity finance business, opening a new desk in Amsterdam headed by returning former vice-president Natalia Kasyanova. 

The Japanese lender says its European bank has been “progressively expanding its commodity finance business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea) for the past 10 years across specialised desks covering energy, metals and agriculture”. 

Kasyanova has been appointed head of commodity finance for MUFG Bank Europe, effective July 1. She reports to London-based Atakan Akkaya, head of commodity finance Emea. 

It is Kasyanova’s second stint at MUFG, after she held the position of vice-president for commodity finance in London between 2018 and 2020. She returns to the bank after a two-year spell as sales lead at trade finance technology firm Komgo. 

She also previously spent five years at ABN Amro, including four years as senior associate for agri commodities. 

MUFG says Kasyanova is responsible for building a commodity finance team in the Dutch capital and expanding its client offering in the region. Clients will be offered “a range of traditional and bespoke commodity finance solutions”, it adds. 

“We want to expand our capabilities to help our clients navigate the challenges of today’s world and economy,” says Harm Bots, MUFG Bank Europe’s president and chief executive. “The dedicated commodity finance desk in Amsterdam will enable us to support European clients better.” 

The launch of the Amsterdam commodity finance desk follows a series of senior hires by MUFG’s European banking arm, including the appointments of Genoveva Ramón-Borja as head of corporate coverage for global corporate and investment banking, Dragi Dimitrijevic as chief risk officer, and Tania Smith as head of legal and governance. 

Vanessa Manning was appointed MUFG’s head of transaction banking for Emea in November last year.