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Vienna International Banking Industry News
Read the latest headlines about developments in the international banking industry in Vienna and Austria
OECD: Restructuring of Banks Required
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) calls for a fast progress in the establishing of a banking union in the Eurozone and restructuring of the banking sector to boost economic growth.
November 19, 2013
„Not Enough Bank Insolvencies“
Andrea Enria, head of the European Banking Authority (EBA), claims that the banking landscape did not change sufficiently.
November 18, 2013
Austrian Banking Sector: Austerity Ahead
In order to comply with the regulatory capital framework, Austrian banks cut costs radically
November 18, 2013
Hungary: NPLs at Record High
The number of NPLs has reached a new record high, according to MNB.
November 18, 2013
RBI: Sale of Raiffeisen Bank Aval Not Fixed
In light of current media reports Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI) is clarifying its position in relation to coverage about its intention to sell certain operations.
November 18, 2013
RBI Approves Participation in Bad Bank for Hypo
CEO of RBI Sevelda expects Austrian government to set a time limit for bank levies until the end of 2016.
November 18, 2013
Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria Provided with Loan by EBRD
The European Bank for Restructuring and Development will provide Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria EAD with a new loan totaling € 15m.
November 18, 2013
Bank Austria: Economic Recovery Continues
The Bank Austria Business Indicator provides an overview of the current economic situation in Austria.
November 18, 2013
Nowotny: Economic Recovery not as Strong as Expected
According to Ewald Nowotny, governor of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), indicators point toward a slow recovery in the next quarters.
November 18, 2013
RBI Considers Leaving Ukraine
The second-biggest lender in the CESEE region, Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International, confirms the intention to sell the Ukrainian affiliate Aval.
November 17, 2013
Banking Union: No Progress
The EU countries could not agree on a common bank resolution mechanism yet. Once more, the pressure on Berlin is growing.
November 16, 2013
Bulgaria: Fiscal Plans “Too Ambitious”
According to the IMF, the underlying assumptions of Bulgaria´s government are not realistic. The banking industry is stable, though.
November 16, 2013
“Bank Aid for Hypo Group Is too Late“
The Austrian economist Franz Hahn argues that capital injections into Hypo Group Alpe Adria are ineffective.
November 16, 2013
VBAG: Capital Requirement up to € 1.0bn
The partially nationalized Austrian bank needs further capital injections next year.
November 16, 2013
EU Commission Criticizes Austria Once More
The EU Commission has again criticized Austria and Luxembourg and demands the countries to stop blocking the extensive exchange of tax data.
November 15, 2013
Hungary: Level of Credit Defaults Declining Significantly
According to OTP Bank, the level of credit defaults from borrowers has started to drop to the lowest level since the beginning of the financial and economic crisis.
November 15, 2013
Poland: Improvements at Banking Sector Not Expected
Next year’s results in the banking sector are not expected to exceed the ones in 2013.
November 15, 2013
Hypo Bad Bank Not to be Established Before 2014
Insiders do not expect the downsizing unit for state-owned Hypo Group Alpe Adria to be established before 2014.
November 15, 2013
Romania: Fitch Rating for Three Banks Affirmed
Fitch has affirmed the ratings for three Romanian banks and forecasts a stable outlook.
November 14, 2013
Austria: Fekter Indicates Resignation
Even before the general elections in September rumors were circling around about Finance Minister Maria Fekter’s withdawal from her position.
November 14, 2013
Austria: Bad Bank For Hypo As Good As Guaranteed.
Chancellor Faymann and Deputy Chancellor Spindelegger are in favor of creating a bad bank for Hypo Group.
November 14, 2013
EU Commission: Slovenia Makes “Key Progress”
Slovenia is among 16 EU member states that require comprehensive assessment of macroeconomic imbalances. According to a report published by the EU Commission, the small country shows significant improvement.
November 14, 2013
Slovenia Creates Major Bad Bank
In order to reduce the burden on the banking sector, Slovenia´s government wants to shift risky assets to a special purpose vehicle.
November 13, 2013
Austerity Cuts at Sberbank
Russian Sberbank aims to become more efficient. The management cuts about a tenth of the jobs.
November 13, 2013
ECB Still Has Further Tools
In spite of the most recent cut of the key rate by the European Central Bank (ECB) there is still some leeway downward. However, measures will affect the exchange rate of the common currency.
November 13, 2013
BayernLB: “Hypo Not Willing to Pay“
Because of the legal dispute with Austrian problem bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria, former German parent company BayernLB announced not to increase its risk provision.
November 13, 2013
Romania: UniCredit Tiriac Bank’s Profits Exceeding Expectations
On an annual comparison basis, Unicredit Tiriac Bank posted an increase of profits of 48 percent to € 48.5m since the beginning of this year exceeding all expectations.
November 13, 2013
Austria: Bawag to Pay Off Further State Capital
Today CEO Byron Haynes announced that Bawag will pay back a further tranche of the bank state aid injected in 2009.
November 13, 2013
Crucial Days for Slovenia´s Government
Slovenia´s government has presented the 2014 budget to the Parliament. Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek has linked the approval to a vote of confidence. However, the budget approval is not the biggest risk factor for the ailing country.
November 13, 2013
Austria: Downsizing Options for Hypo Group under Discussion
In the discussion about establishing a downsizing unit for ailing bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria, several possibilities are taken into account.
November 12, 2013
Czech President Sceptical about CNB’s Forex Intervention
Czech President Zeman expressed his reservations about the Central Bank’s latest forex interventions.
November 12, 2013
Bank Austria: Results Slightly above Expectations
Results for the first nine months of 2013: BankAustria posts net profit of over EUR 1 billion for the first nine months.
November 12, 2013
Austria: Nowotny Rejects Mood of Opposition against ECB
Ewald Nowotny, governor of OeNB, rejects the idea of having been part of a protest group against the European Central Bank’s (ECB) most recent monetary measures by cutting the key rate to an all-time low.
November 12, 2013
Poland: Favorable Economic Outlook
According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Polish economy will see an upswing next year.
November 12, 2013
Western Balkans Struggling with NPL
The high percentage of non-performing loans in the Western Balkan region is affecting the financial stability of the region’s countries.
November 11, 2013
Triglav: No Expansion in Croatia
The biggest Slovenian insurance company planned to increase its stake in Croatia Osiguranje. Croatia´s government rejected Triglav´s offer.
November 11, 2013
UniCredit: Net Income Driven By CESEE
Italian UniCredit Group´s quarterly net income was down by 40%. Losses in Italy could be more than offset by the results in Poland and Bank Austria´s contributions.
November 11, 2013
Austria: Hypo Group Reason for Major Budget Gap
The ailing bank is a major cause for the massive Austrian budget deficit increase. According to reports, up to € 1.3bn will be required even this year.
November 11, 2013
Nowotny Against ECB’s Key Rate Cut
The governor of the Austrian National Bank has, according to reports, voted against the ECB’s most recent interventions.
November 11, 2013
Romanian Inflation Forecast Adjusted by NBR
The National Bank of Romania (NBR) has adjusted the inflation forecast downward for 2013 and 2014.
November 11, 2013
Czech Republic: CNB to Intervene in Forex Market
After the Czech koruna (CZK) was devalued, the Czech National Bank (CNB) is keen on preventing a deflation. However, the key rate cannot be cut anymore as it is close to zero.
November 11, 2013
Hypo Group: Urgent Need for Fresh Money
The ailing nationalized bank Austrian Hypo Group Alpe Adria has a capital shortfall of € 1.3bn. The gap must be closed before the end of the year.
November 11, 2013
Macedonia: Foreign Currency Lending Massively Up
Parents of Macedonian banks have only very limited influence on their subsidiaries, the EBRD reports.
November 9, 2013
Bulgarian Banks Suffer from Low Customer Creditworthiness
According to the EBRD, the Bulgarian banks are a source of funding for their parents.
November 9, 2013
Serbian Banking Sector: Weak Regulatory Environment
In the last years, Serbia´s banking industry did not record any significant growth impulses. Foreign-exchange loans were reduced substantially.
November 9, 2013
Romanian Banking Sector Highly Centralized
The EBRD has observed a high proportion of banks reporting that the parent bank´s influence is high.
November 9, 2013
Slovenia: Domestic Banks Dominate the Market
According to the EBRD, Slovenia´s banking industry is faced with a declining credit demand. A lack in funding has become less acute.
November 9, 2013
Croatia´s Banking Sector Remains Competitive
The Croat legal system is perceived as major weakness. Credit demand is going down for years.
November 9, 2013
Frame Conditions for Banks Remain Difficult in Hungary
The Hungarian banking sector is highly dissatisfied with the regulation environment, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development reported.
November 9, 2013
Slovakia: Weak Credit Demand
Due to the lack of credit demand, lending is below its potential. Foreign banks in Slovakia are relatively independent from their parents.
November 9, 2013
