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Forging a successful future founded on tradition
In 2013, Tyrolean Raiffeisen banks are celebrating their 125th anniversary. In the interview,
Dr Hannes Schmid, chairman of the Raiffeisen Banking Group Tyrol and Arnulf Perkounigg,
director of Raiffeisenverband Tirol (Tyrol Raiffeisen Association) discuss how Raiffeisen
banks can manage to remain true to their traditions and yet young and modern, where the
future challenges will lie and how to ensure that every other Tyrolean remains a Raiffeisen
customer in future.
2012 was a good year for Raiffeisen-Landesbank Tyrol
AG. What do you put this success down to? What are
you doing differently from other banks?
Dr Schmid:
We do business we know with people we know. Our
ties with the region and our customers are our success formu-
la. At Raiffeisen it is not the short-term quarterly results that mat-
ter but our sustained customer relationships. Both parties bene-
fit from that stance, in good times and in bad. That creates trust,
which is a currency of unsurpassable value, and never more so
than in times of crisis.
Our biggest advantage over our rivals is our regional independ-
ence. We are not controlled centrally from Vienna, Milan, Mu-
nich or London, which means we can make decisions very
quickly right here on the spot.
To what extent might it be necessary, even in the decen-
tralised Raiffeisen sector, to exploit synergies and com-
bine your strengths in order to maintain a strong market
position in future?
Director Perkounigg:
The Raiffeisen banks’ successful busi-
ness model of gathering money from the region and reusing
that same money in the region, once again proved successful
last year.
We are aware that the new statutory provisions, particularly at
EU level, means things won’t be quite so straightforward in fu-
ture. We view the new regulations we will be facing over the
coming years as our greatest challenge. They will involve costs
which are of course disproportionately great for a smaller bank-
ing organisation.
Interview with Dr Hannes Schmid and Director Perkounigg