Raiffeisen Zentralbank

Management

Walter Roth Steiner

Raiffeisen Bank Austria AG ( RZB) is on the one hand, the central institution of the Raiffeisen Banking Group Austria (RBG ) and acts on the other hand as the Group of the entire RZB Group, at the listed subsidiary Raiffeisen Bank International AG ( RBI) and its international banking network with a focus on Central - and Eastern Europe (CEE ), the largest participation.

The RZB Group is Austria's third-largest bank. The total assets of the RZB Group end of 2010 was about 136.5 billion euros. The RZB Raiffeisen subordinated several specialist companies.

Raiffeisen Bank Austria AG is member of the Austrian Raiffeisen Association, which is responsible among other things for the interests of all Austrian Raiffeisen cooperatives.

History

On August 16, 1927, the inaugural meeting of the shareholders of Girozentrale the Austrian Raiffeisen cooperatives took place. Thus, the Raiffeisen banking group was given a central institution that acts as a nationwide and international representative and coordinator of the group ever since. It was founded some four decades after the establishment of the first Austrian savings and loan association incorporated under the system of Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen. The original company name was on Girozentrale the Austrian cooperatives. In 1939, he was of the - modified new German owners in Cooperative Central Bank Aktiengesellschaft and the Ostmark 1942 in Cooperative Central Bank Wien Aktiengesellschaft - used during the German occupation of Austria. From 1953 the new name was Cooperative Central Bank Aktiengesellschaft. It was also the short form GZB common. Since 1989, the Bank Raiffeisen Bank Austria Aktiengesellschaft means. Since then, the short form RZB is used.

Established primarily as a liquidity source of the Raiffeisen Banking Group, the Institute has been in the first ten years, both its business - such as foreign exchange and Valutenverkehr, lending, deposit acceptance and investment in securities - as well as staffing levels - significantly expanded - to 85 employees.

In 1938 the bank was - taken over by an acting director and nationalized in the sequence - the day after the connection to the German Reich. Only in 1955, the bank went back into the ownership of the pre-war shareholders.

Setting the course in the 1950s

In the 50s, the GCW started its export business to develop and expand. This step was also reflected clearly in the growth of the bank down in 1957 already had close to 200 employees. End of the 50 years the bank began to set up special companies or to participate in this. By working in cooperation enabled the Institute as well as each individual Raiffeisen Bank to offer its customers a universal range of services. With the founding of Raiffeisen building society Raiffeisen Versicherung, Raiffeisen Leasing and other specialist companies, the product portfolio of the Raiffeisen Banking Group was further widened.

Start of Eastern Europe - expansion during the 1980s

In addition to her position as one of the largest commercial and investment banks in Austria, RZB has already built in the 80s on another foothold and founded in 1986 today's Raiffeisen Bank in Budapest. The early strategic decision to gain a foothold in Central and Eastern Europe ( CEE) was seminal for the history of RZB. From 1989, with the collapse of the communist regime, launched the RZB in CEE can be carried and built initially by bank start-ups to a viable network, supplemented from 2000 through acquisitions.

RZB considers CEE as well as Austria as its home market. The new subsidiary, Raiffeisen Bank International, which was founded from the RZB out and the RZB currently holds approximately 78.5 per cent - while the remaining shares are in free float - today operates one of the largest banking networks in CEE.

RZB is at 87.70 percent owned by the R -Landesbanken- participation GmbH and thus the nine Austrian Raiffeisen Banks ( eight regional offices and Zveza bank). Other shareholders are:

  • UBG - Bankbeteiligungs society m.b.H. ( 5.14 percent ),
  • UNIQA Holding ( 2.63 percent ),
  • Raiffeisen participation GmbH (4 percent) and
  • The State Mortgage Bank Styria (0.18 percent).

Specialist companies

Almost all special business for the Raiffeisen Banking Group are also subsidiaries of RZB. These include, among others:

  • Valida Holding AG (pension companies)
  • Raiffeisen building society
  • Raiffeisen Capital Management Raiffeisen Investment Company
  • Raiffeisen Asset Management Bank AG
  • Raiffeisen International Fund Advisory
  • Raiffeisen Immobilien Investment GmbH

Raiffeisen Bank International

Via listed subsidiary Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI ), RZB operates a banking network in Central and Eastern Europe. 17 markets are covered by subsidiary banks, leasing companies and representative offices. The end of 2010 was responsible for the RBI in about 3,000 stores over 14 million customers. End of February 2010 announced CEO Walter Roth Steiner that there are considerations to merge the RZB with RI. This wider access opportunities would be created to the capital, money and bond markets for the bank. Because everything happens within the consolidated balance sheet, the equity ratios will not change. This new Raiffeisen Bank International AG will contain all the previous RI and RZB those parts that do not do business with the cooperative sector. The problem associated with the function as a central institution of the Raiffeisen Banking Group business and relevant to the sector investments will remain at RZB. On 19 April 2010 decided the boards of the two institutions to provide this merger for approval to the shareholders. At the AGM on 7 July 2010, the shareholders voted in favor of RZB that the corporate business of the Bank and the related investments by RZB be eliminated and merged with Raiffeisen International Bank- Holding. The following day, the shareholders of RI tasks in a general meeting to approve this merger. On 11 October 2010 the newly founded Bank, Raiffeisen Bank International AG started its activities to.

Investments

Raiffeisen Bank, Raiffeisen regional banks and Raiffeisen - Holding Niederösterreich -Wien Austria have numerous investments in companies of different sectors. The best known of these are:

  • UNIQA Holding ( 25.7 % as of December 2004),
  • AGRANA,
  • The Strabag,
  • The Print Media ( courier ),
  • Saltworks Austria,
  • The country's mortgage lenders for Upper Austria, Salzburg and Styria,
  • Austrian Lotteries.

Other companies in which RZB owns investments are:

  • Kathrein & Co. AG
  • Notartreuhandbank AG
  • ZHS Office & Facility Management GmbH
Types of business entity Foreign exchange market Raiffeisenlandesbank
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