Vienna International Financial Services Industry News

VSE's Operating Income Up 17% in 2014, CEESEG also Slightly Up

The Vienna Stock Exchange (VSE) and the CEE Stock Exchange Group report solid FY 2014 results. Vienna Stock Exchange's operating income is up 17% in 2014, mainly driven by the steadily increasing trading volume. Also, new members have been elected to the supervisory board.

June 23, 2015

Vienna Stock Exchange: ATX Upswing Drives Up Equity Trading in Q1

The Vienna Stock Exchange has seen the strongest monthly equity turnover since August 2011. The average monthly trading volume to date in 2015 is EUR 5.04 billion which represents a gain of 26.61% over the average monthly trading volume of the year 2014 (EUR 3.98 billion).

April 2, 2015

Südtiroler Sparkasse Suffers EUR 231.1 Mln Loss in 2014

Savings association Sparkasse's South Tyrol unit suffered an EUR 231.1 million (USD 253 million) loss in 2014, CEO Gerhard Brandstätter and his deputy Carlo Costa said in a press release.

March 27, 2015

Stock Exchange Index ATX five: Immofinanz Replaces RBI, Composition Unchanged

At a decision making index committee meeting the Vienna Stock Exchange reached a decision on changes to the leading Austrian index, ATX, as well as on further Austrian indices. In the ATX five Raiffeisen Bank International AG will be replaced by Immofinanz AG due to its higher market capitalization.

March 5, 2015

UniCredit Private Banking Receives Euromoney Awards

UniCredit Private Banking has been recognized for its services, winning 14 awards in different regional and local categories in Euromoney magazine´s Private Banking Survey 2015.

February 10, 2015

Erste Group Seales Agreement to Sale 15 Percent of Hungarian Unit

Erste Group has invited the Government of Hungary and the EBRD to invest in Erste Bank Hungary Zrt. by acquiring a minority stake of up to 15 per cent each. Negotiations are in progress and the completion of the transaction is expected within the next six months.

February 9, 2015

Geopolitical Developments have Negative Impact on VSE Performance

The Vienna Stock Exchange looks back at an eventful year 2014. A weak performance of the leading index, ATX, contrasted with numerous highlights such as large capital increases, the successful public offering of FACC AG, a record-year in terms of new corporate bonds listings and heigh liquidity, i.e. an increase in trading volumes and number of transactions.

January 22, 2015

"Teletrade" is not "Teletrader"

TeleTrade is an online broker providing access to trade across a range of financial markets. TeleTrade has recently opened an office at the Regus Business Center at Parkring 10 in Vienna's first district. According to the company's website, the TeleTrade Group has over 200 offices in 30 countries and more than 3000 employees.

January 20, 2015

Austria has EU-Wide Most Franc Loans

In absolute terms, Austria has the most franc foreign currency loans in the European Union.

January 19, 2015

EBRD Lends EUR 30 Mln Loan to Raiffeisen Leasing to support MSMEs in Romania

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is increasing the availability of financing to private businesses in Romania with a RON 132 million (€30 million equivalent) loan to the Bucharest-based Raiffeisen Leasing IFN S.A, a subsidiary of Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI).

January 15, 2015

Slovak Republic Issues 12-Year Eurobond Worth EUR 1.5 Billion

Slovakia’s first syndicated EUR transaction of the year attracted a total demand from more than 200 investors which reached almost EUR 5.5 billion.

January 15, 2015

BAWAG PSK Bank Sets-up London Branch Office

BAWAG PSK, the Cerberus and Golden Tree majority-owned Austrian bank, recently opened a branch office in London to help develop "its international business franchise", i.e. corporate finance, specialty finance and commercial real estate finance, Bawag's interim report Q3 2014 shows.

November 13, 2014

Who is Private Equity Investor Advent International?

Advent International is an American global private equity firm focused on buyouts of companies in Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on international buyouts, growth and strategic restructuring in five core sectors. In 2008 the firm raised an additional €1 billion for investments in Central and Eastern Europe. Advent has acquired a number of companies in Central and Eastern Europe through its dedicated regional funds. These include Romanian Ceramica IASI, one of Romania’s leading ceramic bricks and clay roof tiles producers, Bolix, a leading Polish producer of construction chemicals, Dufa Deutek, Romania’s largest decorative paints producer, and LaborMed Pharma, which manufactures and distributes generic pharmaceuticals primarily for cardiovascular and central nervous system aliments, and now Hypo Group Alpe Adria's Balkan assets.

October 30, 2014

Axel Hummel Appointed CEO of Sberbank Europe

Sberbank Europe AG announces the appointment of Axel Hummel as its new CEO, following the resignation of Mark Arnold. The appointment is effective 22 October 2014, subject to regulatory approval. Sberbank Europe AG is based in Vienna.

October 27, 2014

Warsaw Stock Exchange not to Merge with Vienna Stock Exchange

For the time being plans for the merger of the Vienna and Warsaw stock exchanges have been postponed. The Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) declared that it had decided to abandon plans for a merger with Vienna Stock Exchange (VSE).

September 24, 2014

European Startups in Vienna: Entering a New Age of Pioneering

From October 29th startups will compete for the attention of investors and companies in Vienna. The application for the Pioneers Challenge has just begun. Start-ups have no easy job to enthuse investors for their ideas. But Vienna offers one of the best ways to do just that: During the Pioneers Festival in late October young companies can secure the attention of potential donors and inspire other companies and media for their innovations.

September 18, 2014

Most Austrian Investment Funds Report Positive Results

In August Austrian investment funds improved their performance y/y, with most funds posting a positive result. Of the 1,599 funds operating on the market for at least one year some 1,522 reported a positive performance and only 77 reported a negative performance.

September 9, 2014

S&P Downgrades Erste, RZB, UniCredit, Affirms HYPO NOE, KA Finanz, Upgrades HYPO OO

S&P is downgrading three banks, affirming the ratings on two banks, upgrading one bank, and lowering various issue ratings on the banks' hybrid capital and guaranteed grandfathered debt.

August 13, 2014

Comment: Outlook of Vienna Stock Exchange

Manfred Sibrawa of BAWAG PSK INVEST GmbH comments on the expectation of the performance of the Vienna Stock Exchange until year end. Erste Bank and Raiffeisen Bank International, but also OMV, booked double-digit losses, while the Vienna Stock Exchange welcomed a new member, FACC. "All in all we saw a mixed development year-to-date, but assuming that we see a stabilization of the global situation we can expect the Vienna ATX to speed up and reduce the underperformance towards other established markets."

August 7, 2014

Bank Austria Posts Net Profit of EUR 776 Mln in H1 2014

Net profit rises by 34.3 per cent to EUR 776 million compared with the same period of the previous year.

August 6, 2014

VBAG Sold Private Equity Portfolio

Österreichische Volksbanken AG (VBAG) makes progress with the implementation of its restructuring program by selling a EUR 110 million portfolio of private equity fund investments and direct investments in German speaking countries and Eastern Europe.

July 31, 2014

Volksbank Romania Sells EUR 495 Million NPL Real Estate Portfolio

Volksbank Romania has reduced its non-performing loans portfolio (NPLs) through the sale of a NPL real estate portfolio with an aggregate volume of € 495 million. The Bank has sold the large-volume real estate financing commitments to an international investors consortium composed of Deutsche Bank, AnaCap Financial Partners LLP, H.I.G Capital International Advisers and APS Holding SE. With this transaction, Volksbank Romania has reduced its NPL portfolio to a NPL ratio of below 8%, below the average in Romania's banking system.

July 28, 2014

RBI Raiffeisen Bank International Swallows Centrobank

Raiffeisen Centrobank (RCB), which is the investment vehicle of Raiffeisen group, will be integrated into its parent RBI Raiffeisen Bank International.

June 30, 2014

Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank AG Changes Its Corporate Name to Austrian Anadi Bank AG

HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK AG, former Austrian subsidiary of HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK INTERNATIONAL AG, adopted a change in corporate name to Austrian Anadi Bank AG by means of an amendment to the articles of association approved at the extraordinary shareholder's meeting held on 16 June 2014.

June 27, 2014

Austrian Investment Funds Report Generally Positive Performance in May

Austrian investment funds recorded a mostly positive y/y performance at the end of May. Of the 1,604 funds operating on the market for at least one year, 1,338 showed a positive performance, while 262 of them saw a y/y negative performance. Four funds saw no change of the asset volume.

June 16, 2014

EBRD Provides €20 Mio Loan to Slovakia for Sustainable Energy Projects

The EBRD is deepening its support for sustainable energy investments in the Slovak Republic with a €20m loan to Slovenska Sporitelna, a.s. (SLSP), one of the country’s leading banks. The funds will be on-lent to private companies for renewable energy projects and energy efficiency in industry and buildings.

June 16, 2014

CEE-Initiative: Strengthening Investment Fund Business in Central- and Eastern Europe (CEE)

The Hungarian association BAMOSZ and the Austrian association VÖIG initiated a closer collaboration and tighter co-operation between fund associations in CEE, the so-called „CEE Initiative“. The member associations of the „CEE Initiative“ are (in alphabetical order): Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

June 16, 2014

EBRD Committed to Moldova as the Country Moves Towards Greater Regional Integration

“The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) stands ready to support Moldovan companies and foreign investors in Moldova as the country moves towards even greater regional integration,” said András Simor, EBRD Vice President for Policy, during his visit to Chisinau.

June 14, 2014

VÖIG: "In 2013 Retail Investors Continued to be Timid and Shy"

From the viewpoint of retail investors the year 2013 could have been really easy: a mixed fund portfolio with an increased share portion and selected corporate and government bonds. In retrospect, 2013 proved to be almost free of financial market turbulences after years of global financial market and economic crises as well as the debt crisis in the euro area.

June 14, 2014

Austria Gives up Bank Secret for United States

Austria and the US have signed an agreement for the exchange of fiscal data. However, the agreement could be renewed soon.

April 30, 2014

Raiffeisen Bank International AG - SWOT Analysis & Company Report May 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.

April 25, 2014

Erste Group Bank AG: Full Year 2013 Company Report has been Published by FriedlResearch

Published in April 2014, this report contains in depth information and data about Erste Group and its operations and markets. It contains a company overview, business and strategy description, financial ratios, valuation & forecasts, plus a SWOT analysis.

April 15, 2014

Poland: Pension Reform Not to Affect Rating

According to rating agency Fitch, Poland’s country rating will not be affected by the pension reform.

March 25, 2014

Slovenia: Banking Sector Still Prone to Risks

The Slovenian banking sector is still prone to risks as the number of non-performing loans was not reduced substantially.

March 14, 2014

Poland: Share of Impaired Loans Increasing

The number of impaired loans in the non-financial sector keeps on increasing.

March 10, 2014

Polish Financial Market Proves Strong

The financial market in Poland is resistant towards negative impacts resulting from the current political crisis in neighbor country Ukraine.

March 5, 2014

UNIQA Insurance Group New in the ATX

The ATX Committee decided to include the two companies, UNIQA Insurance Group and Flughafen Wien to the ATX today.

March 5, 2014

Poland: Banks Expected to Preserve Ratings

According to US rating agency Standard&Poor;’s, Polish banks will be able to keep their credit ratings this year.

March 4, 2014

Hypo Group: “Worst Thing If Government Does Not Make Decision”

According to Felderer, President of the Fiscal Council, a downgrade in the country rating must not be taken “too seriously”.

February 28, 2014

Romania: Ponta Clinging to Leadership

Reforms in Romania will be carried out even if Ponta’s new government’s majority will be reduced in parliament.

February 27, 2014

Warsaw Stock Exchange Registers Profits

The operator of Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) GPW saw an increase in profits in the business year 2013.

February 24, 2014

Liebscher: Government Is to Blame

Head of Hypo Group’s Task Force Klaus Liebscher rejects being turned into the scapegoat of delaying important decisions about the downsizing of the problem bank. Instead, he points his finger to the Austrian government.

February 20, 2014

Hypo Disaster: Who Are the Beneficiaries?

International investment companies, funds and domestic banks are the major recipients of the billions of Euros in the Hypo Group disaster.

February 19, 2014

Austria: Moody’s Downgrades Four Bonds

Moody’s downgraded four bonds of Austrian banks on Tuesday. The outlook is negative.

February 19, 2014

Cooperation between Vienna and Warsaw Stock Exchanges to Kickstart 2014

As announced by Adam Maciejewski, CEO of GPW, the operator of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), the cooperation between WSE and VSE (Vienna Stock Exchange) could be completed this year.

February 17, 2014

Poland: Consumer Loans Expected to Rise Significantly

Last year consumer loans saw a 16 percent growth which leads to expecations that Poland will register a double-digit growth rate in 2014 as well.

February 12, 2014

RBI: Capital Increase Successfully Completed

RBI capital increase confirms excellent environment for raising capital on the Vienna Stock Exchange.

February 11, 2014

Upgrades for Slovenian Banks

The long-term ratings of three banks were upgraded by Moody’s.

January 31, 2014

VSE and Kazakhstan Stock Exchange to Intensify Cooperations

Vienna Stock Exchange (VSE) and Kazakhstan Stock Exchange intensify cooperation – joint data vending agreed.

January 30, 2014

S&P to Establish CEE Center in Poland

Warsaw will be the new CEE focal point of Standard&Poor;’s (S&P) as the US rating agency announced establishing an office in Warsaw.

January 29, 2014