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Raiffeisen in Austria |
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| Raiffeisen in Austria
The Raiffeisen Banking Group Austria (RBG) forms the dens-
est branch network in the country, with 535 independent local
Raiffeisen banks, a total of 1,689 bank branches, eight regional
headquarters at federal state level and Raiffeisen Zentralbank Ös-
terreich AG (RZB) as the top-level institution, providing the Tyrol
population throughout the region with banking services suited to
customers' needs.
Local Raiffeisen banks are independent cooperatives and are
owned by their members from the region. Around
1.7 million Austrians are members of Raiffeisen banks and con-
sequently co-owners of "their" Raiffeisenbank. Almost half of all
Austrians are customers of a Raiffeisen bank.
As modern universal banks, Austrian Raiffeisen banks offer their
customers an all-inclusive range of customer care and services.
Together as an alliance and in cooperation with the specialised
subsidiaries and other companies in which RZB holds a stake,
every Raiffeisen bank can meet each customer's individual
requirements. The comprehensive range of services includes the
financial services of special-purpose Raiffeisen companies, such
as the securities fund company Raiffeisen Capital Management,
the insurance company Raiffeisen Versicherung, Raiffeisen-Leas-
ing and the building society Raiffeisen Bausparkasse, all of which
are among the market leaders in Austria.
Established in 1927, Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (RZB)
is the top-level institution of the Raiffeisen Banking Group Austria
(RBG). It acts as the head of the entire RZB Group, including Raif-
feisen Bank International AG (RBI). RZB acts as a hub between
Raiffeisen Banking Group Austria and RBI with its network in
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
As the parent of the listed company Raiffeisen Bank International
AG and head of the RZB Group, RZB operates one of the largest
banking networks in CEE. 17 markets in the region are covered
by subsidiary banks, leasing firms and a series of other financial
services companies. 59,000 employees provide services for 15
million customers in some 3,000 branches.
RBI – most significant investment
held by the RZB Group
With total assets of around EUR 143.1 billion as at 30 September
2010, Raiffeisen Bank International AG is the third-largest bank
and one of the leading commercial and investment banks in the
country. It was formed in 2010 from the merger of the main fields
of business of RZB with Raiffeisen International Bank-Holding AG.
The merged bank has been strengthened in its position as one
of the leading universal banks in the region through the broad
distribution network of Raiffeisen International in CEE and the
comprehensive product range of RZB. In addition to Austria, RBI
also considers CEE to be its home market.
In Austria it specialises in commercial and investment banking,
providing financial services to the top 1,000 companies in the
country. It sees itself as the Corporate Finance bank for this group
of customers and as a leading provider of export finance.
One of the largest banking groups in CEE
RZB had already been involved in CEE long before the political
upheavals in the region and the fall of the Iron Curtain. As early
as 1986 it established its first subsidiary bank in Hungary. As a
result, RZB has more than 20 years' experience of banking in
CEE. It has combined its banking network, one of the largest in
the region, into RBI. 17 markets are covered by subsidiary banks,
leasing firms and a series of other financial services companies.
In addition to the products and services in its core business,
RBI also offers a number of financially-related services through
specialised companies on the markets of CEE. Examples include
mergers & acquisitions, privatisation and consulting, equity capi-
tal investments, property development, project management and
fund management.
Niche player on
international markets
On international markets outside CEE, RBI has a presence as a
niche player and, through its representative offices and branches,
it offers a range of products specifically tailored to the particular
needs of its customers.
With branches in Singapore, Beijing and Xiamen as well as rep-
resentative offices in Harbin, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Seoul, Mumbai
and Ho Chi Minh City, RBI has the strongest presence in Asia
of all Austrian banks. RBI is also well positioned in international
financial centres through offices in New York and London, a bank
in Malta and representation in Brussels, Frankfurt/Main, Paris,
Madrid, Milan, Stockholm, Chicago and Houston. This under-
scores its function as an east-west hub.
Corporate Responsibility of RZB
As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, RZB takes responsibil-
ity for people, society and the environment. It provides informa-
tion about its Corporate Responsibility activities in a report which
it produces in compliance with the internationally recognised
standards of the Global Reporting Initiative.
Raiffeisen Banking Group Austria
Raiffeisen stands for
security and trust
The Raiffeisen Banking Group stands for security of customer
money like no other bank. The statutory deposit guarantee cur-
rently assures savings accounts up to EUR 20,000.00. In this
respect Raiffeisen has provided an additional safety net. It ex-
tends far beyond the statutory provisions and requirements, since
Raiffeisen deposits are secured through the Raiffeisen Customer
Guarantee Collective Austria.
When it introduced the Raiffeisen Customer Guarantee Collective
Austria (RKÖ), the Raiffeisen Banking Group was in the vanguard
of deposit security. The RKÖ Collective was formed in 2000. In
times of globalisation and large-scale mergers, its purpose is to
give legally binding effect to principles that had been an unwritten
rule within the Raiffeisen Banking Group right from the start. The
RKÖ Collective guarantees up to 100 per cent of customer depos-
its in addition to Austria's statutory deposit guarantee.
The RKÖ Collective comprises the individual customer guarantee
collectives at federal state level, all amalgamated at federal level.
In the event that a customer guarantee collective at federal state
level is unable to cover all the protected customer claims (which
has so far never occurred), the members of Raiffeisen Customer
Guarantee Collective Austria use their financial reserves to fulfil all
the customer deposits and in-house issues of the relevant institu-
tion, up to 100 per cent.
More than four out of five Raiffeisen banks belong to the Raif-
feisen Customer Guarantee Collective, with the result that more
than 90 per cent of all customer deposits are secured in the RKÖ
Collective.
By doing so, Raiffeisen sets in stone that for which the trademark
Giebelkreuz, a symbol of protection, has always stood, namely
security and trust. In the 125-year history of the Raiffeisen Bank-
ing Group in Austria, no customer has ever lost a single cent of
savings or giro account deposits with Raiffeisen.
535 Raiffeisen banks
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8 Raiffeisen regional headquarters
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Top-level institution Group head
Raiffeisen Zentralbank
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Other RZB
shareholders
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Free-
float
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15 network banks
Structure of the
Raiffeisen Banking Group Austria