MANILA, Philippines - Citi is the best bank in Asia for 2014 according to leading industry publication IFR Asia. The IFR Asia editorial team based its decision on the performance of banks across institutional banking for the last 12 months. ‘For its unrivalled breadth of expertise, Citi is IFR Asia’s Bank of the Year,’ the IFR Asia editors said. Citi in Asia Pacific chief executive officer Stephen Bird (photo) said that Asia is at the heart of Citi’s transformation. ‘And we are well placed to capture more of the growth opportunities in this region,’ Bird added. In 2014, Citi Asia was the largest region for the bank by revenues and net income outside of North America. Citi has operated in Asia since 1902 and has a presence in 17 markets across the region.