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Vienna International Banking Industry News
Read the latest headlines about developments in the international banking industry in Vienna and Austria
European Union: Private Trading of Banks to be Restricted
The European Union intends to severly restrict risky private trading of banks.
January 7, 2014
Hungary: Erste Group Confident
The third-largest lender in CESEE underlined that the Hungarian subsidiary will not be sold. The Austrian bank is confident to reach the turnaround soon.
January 6, 2014
First Offer for RBI´s Hungarian Subsidiary
The partly nationalized Hungarian lender Szechenyi Bank is interested in the Hungarian subsidiaries of the Austrian banks Erste Group and Raiffeisen Bank International.
January 6, 2014
Erste Group Bank AG - SWOT Analysis & Company Report
This new report contains in depth information and data about Erste Group and its operations and markets. It contains an overview, business and strategy description, financial ratios, valuation & forecast data, SWOT analysis, plus data on key events.
January 6, 2014
Raiffeisen Bank International AG - SWOT Analysis & Company Report 2014
This new report contains in depth information and data about Raiffeisen Bank International AG and its operations and markets. It contains an overview, business and strategy description, financial ratios, valuation & forecast data and a SWOT analysis.
January 6, 2014
VBAG: Complete Write-Off Possible
The Austrian state may has to write down its interest completely. Further capital injections are very likely. Also VBAG´s other shareholders will be obliged to provide fresh funds for the ailing bank.
January 4, 2014
Hypo Group Alpe Adria: „Bad Bank Will Come“
Klaus Liebscher, chairman of Hypo Group´s supervisory board, underlines that a bad bank will be established for the nationalized lender. Nevertheless, the bank remains the biggest financial disaster in Austria´s history.
January 4, 2014
Austria: „El Dorado for Borrowers“
According to Bank Austria´s management board member Dieter Hengl, Austria is an oasis for borrowers. Interest rates have reached an all-time low.
January 4, 2014
European Savers in Danger
Already this year, savers in the Eurozone may fear a compulsory tax on deposits, the Danish Saxo Bank says.
January 4, 2014
Czech Governor Awarded Banker of the Year 2014
Miroslav Singer, governor of the Czech National Bank (CNB) was given the Central Banker of the Year 2014 award for Europe by The Banker.
January 3, 2014
Eurozone: Number of Bank Credits Keeps Declining
The financial institutes in the Eurozone have been cutting back on granting credits. The lending for both business corporations and private persons has dropped by 2.3 percent.
January 3, 2014
Hungary: MKB Bank Sells Romanian Subsidiary
As announced in a statement Hungarian MKB Bank has sold its entire stake of its Romanian subsidiary.
January 3, 2014
Slovenia: Banking Sector Still in Turmoil
Small banks in Slovenia are reasons for concern in regard to their capital shortfalls.
January 3, 2014
Austria: FMA to Activate Whistleblower Hotline
At the beginning of this year the Financial Market Authority (FMA) in Austria has activated a “whistleblower hotline” for bank insiders to report about potential abuses.
January 3, 2014
Massive Change in Banking Landscape
The business model of banks comes more and more under pressure. In the next years, about the half of the bank shops will be closed, banking expert Hans-Gert Penzel predicts.
January 2, 2014
Erste Group and Bank Austria Face Lawsuits
Two Austrian lending banks are involved both as plaintiffs and as defendants in bankrupt construction company Alpine’s court trials.
January 2, 2014
Slovenia: FDI to Remain Low in 2014
No improvement in increasing foreign direct investments in Slovenia is expected this year. The country has one of the smallest shares in inward FDI among EU member countries.
January 2, 2014
Czech Republic: Household Debts Increasing
Debts to banks and other financial institutes by Czech households keep on increasing, according to a report by the Czech National Bank (CNB).
January 2, 2014
Austria: Hard Times for Regional Banks
Not only large banks are under pressure. In 2014, Austrian regional banks expect enormous challenges to deal with.
December 31, 2013
Bank Austria Considers Establishing Sub-Brand
In the next years, the Austrian subsidiary of Italian UniCredit wants to put more effort into the development of the mobile and online banking segment.
December 31, 2013
Hypo Group: Fatal Errors of Austrian National Bank
Before Hypo Group Alpe Adria was nationalized in late 2009, the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) has misjudged the situation of the problem bank completely. The Austrian government demonstrates its incompetence once again.
December 30, 2013
Hypo Group: „The Wrong Decisions were Made“
Johannes Ditz, former chairman of the Austrian nationalized Hypo Group Alpe Adria, thinks that the Austrian government could have avoided a massive burden for the taxpayers.
December 28, 2013
Austria: „Lending Becomes More Expensive”
In an interview with the Austrian daily “Presse”, CEO of Hypo Vorarlberg Michael Grahammer talks about the future lending conditions. The corporate sector faces a drastic increase in borrowing costs.
December 27, 2013
Hypo Group: Austrian Government Seems Aimless
Although the restructuring of the nationalized Austrian lender is one of the most pressing issues, the Austrian government could not present a sound concept yet.
December 27, 2013
UniCredit Sells Bad Assets to Cerberus
The majority shareholder of Austrian Bawag acquires a portfolio worth €950m.
December 27, 2013
Slovenia: Fresh Money for Major Banks
Bonds of BAMC (Bank Asset Management Company), Slovenia’s bad bank, will be traded on Friday for the first time. The bonds will be forwarded to the country’s biggest banks in return for their bad loans.
December 27, 2013
VBAG: Further State Aids Questionable
The governing Austrian social democrats (SPÖ) are against providing further funds to the partly nationalized banking group.
December 26, 2013
Austria Bought Time for Examining Hypo Deal
Austria was granted more time for a possible appeal of the purchase of problem bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria from former parent company BayernLB.
December 23, 2013
Austrian and Germans Offered Most for Bulgarian Schuldschein
Average interest rates for Bulgarian Schuldschein loan range between 3.4 to 4.6 percent. Austrian and German investors offered most of the € 290m loan.
December 23, 2013
„No Debt-Backed Tax Reform“
Austrian Finance Minister Michael Spindelegger underlines that Austria has to put more effort into fiscal consolidation measures.
December 23, 2013
„CESEE No Driver Yet“
Birgit Kuras, CEO of Vienna Stock Exchange, thinks that the Vienna Stock Exchange is highly influenced by the CESEE operations of listed companies.
December 23, 2013
Slovenia: PM Bratusek Confident About Tackling State Debts
Even though the country is expected to issue new state bonds next year to tackle state debts Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek suggested that Slovenia does not require loans immediately.
December 23, 2013
Austria: Bank Rescue Massive Burden for Public Finance
In total, costs of the Austrian banking package come at € 6.75bn. Expenses are only partially covered by revenues.
December 21, 2013
VBAG: Call for Further State Aids Likely
The Austrian VBAG (Volksbanken AG), top institute of the Volksbanken sector, still has a substantial capital shortfall.
December 21, 2013
CESEE: Dependence on Foreign Demand Remains Main Obstacle
In 2014, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) faces a slight upward trend. The structural difficulties persist, however.
December 21, 2013
New CEO at BCR Asigurari de Viata
Sorin Mititelu was appointed as new CEO of Romanian BCR Asigurari de Viata.
December 21, 2013
Rothensteiner: Austrian Sovereign Debt Rating Includes Bank Bail-Out
Unlike the rating agency Moody´s, head of RZB (Raiffeisen Zentralbank) Walter Rothensteiner thinks that the Austrian sovereign debt rating is not endangered by the nationalized banking sector.
December 20, 2013
Austria: Slight Lending Growth
The Austrian National Bank (OeNB) rejects reports on credit shortages. In contrast to the Eurozone, Austria´s banking industry expands lending.
December 20, 2013
Austria: Rules for Bank Tax to Be Changed
The governing parties call for changes in the bank tax which would increase the burden of some Austrian banks.
December 20, 2013
Austria: New CEO for Hypo Group Alpe Adria
The search for a new CEO for Hypo Group has ended. On Friday the bank has found a new head of the management board since the position was vacant after Gottwald Kranebitter’s resignation this summer.
December 20, 2013
Austria: VBAG May Require Further State Aid
Partially nationalized VBAG is expected to post losses of more than € 200m.
December 20, 2013
Slovenia: Budget Shortfall Greater than Expected
As per the end of November the country’s budget deficit amounted to almost € 1.62bn, according to the latest estimates by the Finance Ministry.
December 20, 2013
Czech Republic: Economic Sentiment Rises
As published by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU), the Czech economic sentiment indicator rose by one point to 5.5 points compared to November.
December 20, 2013
Bulgaria: Economic Upturn Not Sooner Than 2015
As reported by Bulgarian daily Standart, an economist at World Bank pointed out that the country has not yet reached the economic situation of before the start of the financial crisis in 2008.
December 20, 2013
Austria: Options of Bad Bank for Hypo under Examination
Finance Minister Spindelegger intends to meet with experts to discuss options of a bad bank for Hypo Group Alpe Adria.
December 20, 2013
Austrian SME Suffer from Credit Shortage
The real economy benefits only partly from the low interest rates. According to Creditreform, borrowing becomes more and more difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises.
December 20, 2013
Slovenia: EU Commission Approves Bank Aid
On Wednesday the European Commission has approved state aid for five Slovenian banks.
December 19, 2013
Austria: S&P Keeps Rating Unchanged
The U.S. rating agency confirms the “AA+” rating for Austrian sovereign bonds. An upgrade is unlikely in the next years.
December 19, 2013
Banking Union Completed
The Finance Ministers of the Eurozone have reached a compromise on the last pillar of the banking union. The deposit protection mechanism will come into power in 2015.
December 19, 2013
Slovenia: Growth Forecast Cut Again
The World Bank predicts a longer recession in Slovenia. The Slovenian economy will not leave the recession behind before 2015.
December 19, 2013