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11 GRI Index and Assurance statement Engaged citizen Fair partner Responsible banker Human Capacity Report Sustainability management Overview Foreword About RZB AG Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (RZB AG) was founded in 1927 to provide liquidity settlement for Austria’s agricultural cooperatives and was known then as “Girozentrale der österreichischen Genossenschaften” (Central Clearing Bank of Austrian Cooperatives). RZB AG has one of the largest banking networks in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) through its listed subsidiary RBI AG. At the end of 2016, RZB AG held about 60.7 percent of RBI shares; the remaining 39.3 percent was in free float. The shares of RBI AG are represented in some of the most important national and international indices, such as the ATX and the EURO STOXX Banks. It is also one of only 20 companies listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange’s first sustainability index, the VÖNIX. RZB AG itself was predominantly owned by the eight Raiffeisen regional headquarters and was their central institution in accordance with the Austrian Banking Act. With the merger of RZB AG and RBI AG, implemented retroactively on 30 June 2016, the latter will assume the role of central institute for the RBG as part of universal succession. About the RBI Group The RBI Group is one of the leading banking groups in its home markets of Austria and CEE. Having been active in the CEE region for over 25 years, it is considered to have played a pioneering role in the region. Today, the RBI Group has a dense network of subsidiary banks, leasing companies and numerous specialist financial service companies in 14 markets in CEE. As a universal bank, the companies of the RBI Group number among the top five banking institutions in several countries. This role is supported by the Raiffeisen brand, one of the best-known brands in the region. As a fully integrated corporate and retail banking group, the RBI Group is very well positioned in the CEE region. In Austria, RBI AG is one of the country’s leading commercial and investment banks. It serves mainly Austrian customers but also international customers and large multinational companies, particularly those that are active in the CEE region. In total, the RBI Group employed around 50,000 people at the end of 2016. These employees looked after about 14.1 million customers in more than 2,500 business outlets, the majority of them in the CEE region. Merger of of RZB AG and RBI AG Following a detailed evaluation phase, the Board members and Supervisory Boards of RZB AG and RBI AG essentially decided on the merger of RZB AG and RBI AG on 5 October 2016. The merger was entered in the Commercial Register on 18 March 2017. The goal of the merger is to simplify the group structure and adapt the group to increased regulatory requirements. In doing so, we will continue to rely on the tried and tested business model. The organization will therefore be ideally positioned for the forthcoming challenges. These include, for example, a changed market environment, increased requirements for capital resources as a result of the financial crisis, stricter stipulations and additional burdens, such as bank levies in several countries in Central and Eastern Europe, which reduce the Bank’s capital. The strengths of the merged institution are linked to what it has achieved so far. The focus will continue to be on long-term customer relationships in the respective markets. Solutions consistently geared to the needs of corporate customers on the basis of local market access and the wide-ranging network, as well as an extensive multichannel offering for retail customers in the CEE region, contribute to the self-perception of being a customerfocused universal bank. More details can be found in the Annual Reports of the RZB Group (page 8 et seq.) and the RBI Group (page 12 et seq.).


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