52 Responsibility in the core business – Product responsibility In the RZB Group, values such as trust, reliability and responsibility with respect to society and the economy have always been fundamental principles. The needs of the customers in this regard coincide with Raiffeisen values. Our corporate philosophy is also reflected in the quality of our products and services. The RZB Group is committed to an outstanding service culture which regularly seeks to exceed the expectations of customers. The goal is to serve customers as comprehensively as possible with financial services in line with their needs, thereby building up longterm business partnerships. Naturally, we only offer a service or product when we have the necessary license, specialist knowledge and infrastructure. Our aim is always to strive for the best possible results for our customers. We also ensure when making recommendations that customers are adequately informed about the risks and that the recommendations are given in an honest and fair manner. High-quality consulting services as well as innovative solutions are a key prerequisite for the successful implementation of this concept. Retail customers stand to benefit, for example, from video call or telephone advisory services, as well as state-of-the-art mobile banking options. By means of these sales and support channels – alongside around 2,500 business outlets, which remain the central component of customer service – customers are offered a broad product range (e.g. current account packages, payment transfer business, consumer financing and mortgage loans) from which they can select the products that best fit their needs. Particular emphasis is placed on transparent and customer-friendly solutions, as well as on a fast flow of information and short decision-making processes. For corporate and institutional clients, key emphasis is placed on Group-wide sales and management tools with a focus on capital and liquidity-efficient products (particularly trade finance, capital market products and hedging of currency, interest rate and credit risks, as well as payment transfer business). At the same time, Group-wide product competence centers not only enhance efficiency through the pooling of know-how but also facilitate customer access to complex financing products (e.g. in the areas of project, real estate and export financing or capital market transactions). By granting financial resources, banks have a significant lever to actively shape sustainable development which is fit for the future. A prerequisite for this is the consideration of environmental and society standards and criteria within the core business of the bank. We therefore strive to offer products that bring a specific benefit to society, the environment and the real economy. Conversely, it is necessary to minimize the range of products on offer which present a risk to society © Lighthouse photograph Stefan Mayr Henrik Ohlsen, Managing Director of “Verein für Umweltmanagement und Nachhaltigkeit in Finanz- instituten” (Association for Environmental Management and Sustainability, VfU) “For a long time, sustainability was a rare topic in the financial industry. Today, it has found its way into the perspectives of the classic business areas of banks, investment companies and insurance companies. Sustainable investment strategies, the assessment of sustainability aspects in investment and loan processes and the promotion of ’green’ classes of investment, such as the ’Green Bonds’, have become increasingly common and improved significantly in quality over the last year in particular. According to the study ’Global Sustainable Investment Review 2016’, for instance, the global volume of sustainable investments grew by 25 percent in the period from 2014 to 2016. In the area of ’Green Bonds’, the market has even doubled compared with the previous year to reach a size of US$83 billion. Even though the share of Green Bonds and sustainable capital investments on the capital market is still relatively low, companies in the financial industry are expanding their competences and services in this area. Many companies have understood that the integration of sustainability perspectives – including within processes of the mainstream business – enables more sustainable as well as better-informed decisions.” QUOTE
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