Vienna International Banking Industry News

Read the latest headlines about developments in the international banking industry in Vienna and Austria

Austrian Banks Report Small Growth in Lending

Regarding company loans, Austrian banks record a stable recovery, the Austrian Central Bank (OeNB) reports.

June 20, 2012

CESEE Banks: Small Exposure in Southern Europe

The riskiness of assets held by CESEE banks is manageable, the U.S. rating agency Fitch says. The CESEE region has closer links to Western Europe than to Southern Europe.

June 20, 2012

Shopping Center Industry Sees Still Growth Potential in CESEE

In 2012, about 300 further shopping centers should be built in the CESEE region. The market still shows a great potential, experts say.

June 20, 2012

New Supervisory Board at RBI

Raiffeisen Bank International's Annual General Meeting approves unchanged dividend of €1.05 per share. Heinrich Schaller and Günther Reibersdorfer were elected to the Supervisory Board.

June 20, 2012

Fitch: Positive Statements for Austrian Banks

For the U.S. rating agency, the lending activities of Austrian banks in Eastern Europe is only a minor risk factor.

June 19, 2012

Fitch: Austria´s AAA Not Endangered

According to the U.S. rating agency, Austria´s creditworthiness remains at a high level. Nevertheless, reforms would be needed.

June 19, 2012

Liebscher Calls for New Model of Bad Banks

The chairman of Austria´s Fimbag, the state holding of nationalized banks, wants to put aside toxic assets of nationalized banks.

June 18, 2012

Bank Austria Sells Headquarters

The highest-bidder procedure is to lead to a sale of the property by the end of 2012. Bank Austria will retain its property until the new headquarters has been completed.

June 15, 2012

„Shotdown of Hypo Group Would Cost € 6.0bn“

The management of the nationalized Austrian Hypo Group Alpe Adria asserts that the shutdown would be more expensive than the continuation of the business.

June 15, 2012

RZB Wants to Keep Austrian Deposit Protection

Raiffeisen Zentralbank´s CEO Walter Rothensteiner is skeptical of the European deposit protection proposal.

June 15, 2012

Major Loss at VBI

The Sberbank-owned Volksbank International (VBI) recorded a net loss of € 95.5m last year.

June 15, 2012

Raiffeisen Sector Won Market Shares Last Year

The Austrian Raiffeisen banking group could increase ist market share in lending and deposits.

June 14, 2012

VBAG to Repurchase Hybrid Capital

Austrian VBAG is inviting holders of the Notes to offer to sell any and all of their Notes to ÖVAG for cash.

June 14, 2012

Fitch: „AAA Endangered in Case of Greek Exit“

The U.S. rating agency warns the remaining AAA-Eurozone members of the consequences of a Greek exit.

June 13, 2012

Orban Defends Hungarian Economic Policy

The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Austrian policymakers in Vienna. The Hungarian bank tax should be replaced by a financial transaction tax.

June 13, 2012

Austerity: „There is No Alternative“

The former director of the Austrian Institute of Advanced Studies appreciates the help for Spanish banks and thinks that a Greek exit is rather unlikely.

June 12, 2012

Erste Group Manages Bond Issue in Poland

Poland new long 10-year sovereign bond issue had a volume of € 1.5bn. The issue was more than 2x over-subscribed.

June 12, 2012

Hypo Group: The Time is Pressing

Until the end of this year, the Austrian nationalized banks needs an equity quota of 12.0%. This will not be achieved without special measures.

June 11, 2012

Austrian Banks Perform Well in Eastern Europe

The Austrian banks did not overreach themselves in Eastern Europe, the economist Bernhard Felderer says. By contrast, UniCredit, RBI and Erste Group are highly profitable.

June 11, 2012

Austrian Banks Cut Exposure in Spain

Erste Group, Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) and KA Finanz have the highest exposure among Austrian banks.

June 11, 2012

Moody´s Warns Austria of Another Downgrade

The U.S. rating agency may downgrade European AAA-countries like Austria, Germany or France soon.

June 9, 2012

Fischer Has Understanding for Bank Tax in Slovakia

Slovakia wants to introduce bank taxes. Austria´s Federal President Heinz Fischer, who met his Slovakian counterpart Ivan Gasparovic, does not have objections.

June 9, 2012

TLM Sale Process Stopped

Austria´s Hypo Group sells the Croatian aluminum company TLM. After the signing with the designated buyer, the Swiss Montana Group, the sale must be re-started.

June 8, 2012

Bad Bank for Hypo Group?

The nationalized Austrian bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria considers to create a bad bank in order to avoid further capital injections.

June 8, 2012

The Vienna Initiative – Moving to the New Phase „Vienna Plus“

The Vienna Initiative’s stakeholders decided to transform the Initiative so that it plays an important role in helping with crisis prevention, while remaining available to deal with any aftershocks from the global crisis.

June 8, 2012

„There´s no Crisis in Eastern Europe“

Austrian economists and bankers do not comprehend the downgrade by Moody´s. The risk in Eastern Europe would be more differentiated, OeNB´s governor Nowotny said.

June 8, 2012

Austrians Highly Care About Retirement Provision

Austrians highly appreciate the security and stability of their own country and this is also reflected in their approach to financial matters and retirement provisioning.

June 8, 2012

Kommunalkredit Sale: Austria Hires Morgan Stanley

The nationalized Austrian lender Kommunalkredit should be sold until 2013. The U.S. investment bank should act as commission agent.

June 6, 2012

„Bank Union is Still Far Away“

Ewald Nowotny, Governor of Austria´s Central Bank, thinks that a bank union in the Eurozone would still take some time. Erste Group´s CEO Andreas Treichl approves the idea.

June 6, 2012

CEE Banking Sector „Performs Well“

The Austrian Raiffeisen Centrobank sees high-growth potential in the CESEE region. Loan growth is at „healthy levels“, there are „no signs of a credit crunch“.

June 6, 2012

Downgrade for Austrian Banks

The U.S. rating agency Moody´s downgrades Erste Group, Raiffeisen Bank International and Bank Austria.

June 6, 2012

Erste Raises Stake in BCR

Erste Group’s ownership in BCR increases to 93.27%, following the successful buyout offer for minority shareholders.

June 5, 2012

Treichl: „Spain Needs Help“

The CEO of theAustrian Erste Group Andreas Treichl is in doubt whether Spain may conquer the crisis without help. Regarding Greece, Europe has to pay anyway, Treichl thinks.

June 1, 2012

OeNB Reacts to EU-Commission´s Critique

The EU Commission warned Austria of the big lending exposure in Eastern Europe. According to the Austrian Central Bank, the CESEE region must be seen differantiated.

May 31, 2012

Participation Capital: € 98m Interest Payment by Erste Group

The Austrian bank pays € 98m in interest to the Republic of Austria.

May 31, 2012

Austrian Business Location: Further Slump in Competitiveness

According to the Swiss Management Institute IMD, Austria only ranks 21th among 59 analyzed countries. The Austrian tax policy is the absolute weak point.

May 31, 2012

Androsch Criticizes Hypo Group Purchase

In 2009, the Austrian state nationalized the financially stricken Hypo Group. Much time was wasted, the industrialist and Fimbag board member Hannes Androsch thinks.

May 30, 2012

New Supervisory Board at Uniqa

New Supervisory Board Chairman of the Austrian insurance group is RZB´s CEO Walter Rothensteiner, who succeeds Christian Konrad.

May 30, 2012

Hypo Group: Further State Aids not Excluded

Johannes Ditz, chairman of the nationalized Hypo Group Alpe Adria, wants to sell about a third of the interests until 2014. In the end, losses are likely.

May 30, 2012

Exposure in Eastern Europe Remains Austria´s Weak Point

The Commission of the European Union warned Austria of the big exposure of domestic banks in Eastern Europe. Moreover, the austerity package was criticized.

May 30, 2012

VBAG Achieves Turnaround

Stabilisation measures for the partly nationalized Austrian VBAG take effect: satisfactory first quarter result.

May 29, 2012

Austrian Banks Record Profits Due to Special Items

This year, Austrian banks achieved earnings of € 1.0bn. This does not relate to operating business, but with special items.

May 26, 2012

Substantial Losses at Volksbanken

The main shareholders of Austrian VBAG had to write down € 333m last year.

May 26, 2012

Oberbank: Substantial Rise in Earnings

The regional banks Oberbank and BTV achieved a rise in profit in the first quarter of 2012. BKS recorded stable results.

May 25, 2012

Greece and Eurobonds Divide Austria

The Greek exit and the introduction of Eurobonds are discussed heatedly. In Austria, there is no clear tendency.

May 25, 2012

OeNB’s Operating Profit Decreased

Profit of the Austrian Central Bank came to € 249m in 2011. Risk Provisions Increased by € 400m.

May 24, 2012

Raiffeisen Bank International Doubled Net Income

In the first quarter of 2012, RBI´s net interest income was stable at € 875m (down 1.0% y-o-y), the operating income decreased slightly to € 1,295m (down 3.4% y-o-y). RBI´s Core Tier 1 ratio was up to 10.2%.

May 24, 2012

Hypo Group May Need Further State Aid

The directors of the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) did not exclude that the nationalized Hypo Group Alpe Adria has a substantial capital shortfall.

May 23, 2012

RZB Capital Increase Completed

Raiffeisen Zentralbank´s shareholders subscribe core tier 1capital in the amount of roughly € 852m. The EBA capital requirements is already exceeded as a result.

May 23, 2012

Downsizing: Hypo Group Aims to Achieve Proceeds of € 1.5bn

The nationalized Austrian banking group Hypo Group Alpe Adria starts its sales program in SEE countries and wants to achieve proceeds of € 1.5bn

May 21, 2012