46
Raiffeisen Bank International | Sustainability Report 2017
© Ian Ehm
Reinhard Friesenbichler,
CEO of rfu
“2017 is the year in which, for the first time,
large companies across the EU are subject
to mandatory “non financial reporting”.
What this means is that the corporate
world must actively take a position on
“environmental, social and employee-
related matters, the respect of human
rights and the fight against corruption and
bribery”. The Austrian implementation of
this EU directive was given the unwieldy
name of “Sustainability and Diversity
Improvement Act”, or “NaDiVeG”, and
will provide some exciting reading material
in the course of 2018 (with regard to
2017). The legislator has also explicitly
thought of the financial sector as a relevant
player from an ecological and social point
of view. With good reason! After all,
financial institutions steer capital flows in
the different branches of the economic
system and thus (jointly) bear responsibility
for related risks and effects. With this, what
the voluntary “Global Reporting Initiative”
(GRI) anticipated two decades ago has
become binding. And in conjunction with
the UN “Sustainable Development Goals”
(SDGs) which came into effect in 2016,
we now have a comprehensive
international framework to address
corporate sustainability for the first time –
both in words and actions.”
QUOTE
Responsibility in the
core business –
Product responsibility
At RBI, values such as trust, reliability and responsibility with respect
to society, the economy and the environment have always been
fundamental principles. The needs of the customers in this regard
coincide with Raiffeisen values. Customer interest in the sustainable
structuring of the products and services we offer is on the rise.
RBI is committed to an outstanding service culture which regularly
seeks to exceed the expectations of customers with regard to quality.
The goal is to serve customers as comprehensively as possible with
financial services in line with their needs while taking into account
the impact on society and the environment. Naturally, we only offer
a product or service when we have the necessary license, specialist
knowledge and infrastructure. 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. The provision of top quality advisory services as well as
innovative solutions is a key for the successful implementation of this
concept.
For retail customers, these could be video or telephone consulting
solutions or state-of-the-art internet and mobile banking solutions, for
example. By means of these sales and support channels – along with
around 2,400 business outlets, which remain the central component
of customer service – RBI offers its customers a broad product range
(e.g. current account packages, payment transfers, 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, first-class advisory services, a fast flow of
information and short decision-making processes.
For corporate and institutional clients, special attention is given to
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). 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).
Due to the systemic importance of banks and their contribution to the
functioning of the economic cycle, we consider it our obligation to
place a strong focus on the sustainability of our products and services.
By granting financial resources, banks have significant leverage in
actively shaping 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.