Duško Knežević
Encyclopedia
Duško Knežević is the founder and president of the board of directors of Atlas Group Corporation (AGC). AGC is the largest financial group in Montenegro
consisting of dozens of companies with far-ranging business interest, including banks and financial companies Serbia, Cyprus, Russia and Great Britain. In addition to his business interests, he is the founder and president of the board of two business oriented universities, in Montenegro and in Serbia.In April 2010, Duško Knežević became member of Clinton Global Initiative, President Clinton’s pro bono organization that is gathering private sector, non-governmental organizations, and other global leaders to effectively confront the world’s most pressing problems.
, University of Belgrade
, and a Master of Science in Banking and Finance, also at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. After defending with merits his doctorate dissertation 'Legal and economic prerequisites of sustainability of pension insurance system' at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, Duško Knežević was awarded a scientific degree Doctor of Legal and Economic Studies. He lectures in finance-related subjects at the UNION University.
Major entities of AGC include:
AGC is majority owner of NEX Montenegro Stock Exchange, one of two stock exchanges in Montenegro.
In recent years, AGC has expanded the scope of its financial activities to the international level and now includes:
On the international level, AGC is active in carbon and foreign exchange trading, as well as the management of private pension funds and provision of life insurance.
Atlas Capital Forex
He is also a regular lecturer in finance-related subjects at the University UNION in Belgrade, Serbia.
In 1992, he became president of the well-known Red Star Waterpolo Club. Under his leadership, Red Star won the championship title in the former Yugoslav against its longtime rival Partizan. Four years later, as director of the Olympic Waterpolo Team of Yugoslavia, he led the team to the summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.
In 2003 he founded the first-league basketball club Atlas, which he directed and led to competition in the European Uleb Cup. He also served as a member of the Executive Board of the Basketball Union of Serbia and Montenegro (before Montenegro became an independent country). In 2004, he founded a new league called the Atlas Pils YUBA League, as part of an effort to revive Serbia’s then struggling basketball legacy. In 2005 he was president of Board of EuroBasket 2005 that has successfully organized European Basketball Championship in Belgrade 2005.
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
consisting of dozens of companies with far-ranging business interest, including banks and financial companies Serbia, Cyprus, Russia and Great Britain. In addition to his business interests, he is the founder and president of the board of two business oriented universities, in Montenegro and in Serbia.In April 2010, Duško Knežević became member of Clinton Global Initiative, President Clinton’s pro bono organization that is gathering private sector, non-governmental organizations, and other global leaders to effectively confront the world’s most pressing problems.
Personal life
Knežević completed elementary and high school in Titograd (now Podgorica). He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Banking at the Faculty of EconomicsUniversity of Belgrade Faculty of Economics
The University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics is one of the educational institutions of the University of Belgrade, Serbia. The building is located in the city center of Belgrade...
, University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
, and a Master of Science in Banking and Finance, also at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. After defending with merits his doctorate dissertation 'Legal and economic prerequisites of sustainability of pension insurance system' at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, Duško Knežević was awarded a scientific degree Doctor of Legal and Economic Studies. He lectures in finance-related subjects at the UNION University.
Atlas Group
Since founding Atlas Group 20 years ago in Montenegro, he has expanded the company’s range of interests. AGC presently consists of more than 30 companies that include banks, finance, real estate, construction, brewery, tourism and media companies. In 2010, World Finance magazine voted AGC the best financial group in Montenegro and Atlasmont Bank, a member of the Group, the best bank in Montenegro.Major entities of AGC include:
- Atlasmont Bank Montenegro
- Montenegrin stock exchange
- Invest Bank Montenegro
- University Mediterran
- Atlasmont Fund (investment fund company)
- Atlas Life (insurance company)
- Atlas Penzije (pension fund)
- FinInvest Montenegro (real estate and construction firm)
- Radio Television Atlas Montenegro
- Meljine Helth & Tourism Complex
AGC is majority owner of NEX Montenegro Stock Exchange, one of two stock exchanges in Montenegro.
In recent years, AGC has expanded the scope of its financial activities to the international level and now includes:
- Atlas Capital Financial Services Cyprus, fully compliant with the EU - MiFID Directive and FSA regulated company in UK
- AMB Bank in Russia
On the international level, AGC is active in carbon and foreign exchange trading, as well as the management of private pension funds and provision of life insurance.
Recent Projects
FinInvest Montenegro in collaboration with Capital Investments, a company owned by the royal family in Abu Dhabi, is completing a 180 million euro residential business complex investment in Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital. In addition, FinInvest Montenegro compaaniy stands behind a major health-tourism project in Meljine, on Montenegro’s Adriatic Coast. Also he is the founder of Atlas Capital Forex.Atlas Capital Forex
Higher education
Duško Knežević is the founder and president of the board of:- University "Mediterranean" – the first private university in Montenegro, and
- the Belgrade Banking Academy, the only one institution of these kinds in Serbia and in the Region.
He is also a regular lecturer in finance-related subjects at the University UNION in Belgrade, Serbia.
Sports
As a young man, he played for the several basketball clubs. His fledgling basketball career was cut short by injury. He then moved from player to referee, advancing in this regard to a federal-level referee in the former Yugoslavia.In 1992, he became president of the well-known Red Star Waterpolo Club. Under his leadership, Red Star won the championship title in the former Yugoslav against its longtime rival Partizan. Four years later, as director of the Olympic Waterpolo Team of Yugoslavia, he led the team to the summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.
In 2003 he founded the first-league basketball club Atlas, which he directed and led to competition in the European Uleb Cup. He also served as a member of the Executive Board of the Basketball Union of Serbia and Montenegro (before Montenegro became an independent country). In 2004, he founded a new league called the Atlas Pils YUBA League, as part of an effort to revive Serbia’s then struggling basketball legacy. In 2005 he was president of Board of EuroBasket 2005 that has successfully organized European Basketball Championship in Belgrade 2005.
Paper works, articles and books
- Fernando Diz, Hasan Hanic, Duško Knezević: “On the Black-Scholes Model and why Scholes and Merton won the Nobel Prize”, work presented in the Symposium Financial Innovations, November 1997
- Duško Knežević, “Selection of Strategic Partner for Atlas Bank”, work presented at the Round Table “Privatization of Banks in Serbia – four years later”, Belgrade, 17 May 2005, printed for conference proceedings, Belgrade Banking Academy and Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade, pages 131-133
- D. Knežević, “Credit Insurance”, Belgrade Banking Academy Belgrade, 2007.
- D. Knežević, M. Jovović and I. Džaković, “Credit Insurance”, Sixth International Symposium “New Products in Insurance Market”, Association of Actuaries of Serbia and Faculty of Economics, Zlatibor 2008.
- S. Stefanović, D. Knežević, “Secondary Mortgage Markets and Instruments – Review of Experiences of European Union Countries,” conference proceedings from international science convention Banking Products and Services Market in Serbia, Belgrade Banking Academy, Belgrade, 2008
- Duško Knežević, “Businesses in the region must cooperate with foreign investors”, World Finance Magazine, edition September–October 2010