Vienna International Professional Services Industry News

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

Sale of Kommunalkredit to Collapse?

The sale of the Austrian nationalized bank is everything but successful. The sale will have to be postponed again.

January 31, 2013

Hungary: Lending Declines

Household and non-financial corporate sector interest rates: December 2012.

January 31, 2013

Nowotny Underlines Improving Outlook

Ewald Nowotny, governor of Austrian National Bank (OeNB) stresses that not many countries were upgraded by the rating agencies in the last years.

January 30, 2013 · Updated: January 30, 2013; 18:34

OeNB: Austrian Banks Remain Cautious

According to Austrian National Bank, the Austrian banking industry tends to keep the strict lending policy in the corporate banking sector.

January 30, 2013

Slovenia: Corporate Lending Falls Considerably

Due to the difficulties in the Slovenian banking sector, the real economy suffers from a credit crunch.

January 30, 2013

Serbia: Foreign Debt Grows

Despite eurobond issue, private sector deleveraging led to mild foreign debt growth, Raiffeisen Research reports.

January 30, 2013

Bank Austria Centralizes Operations in Baltic Countries

The Austrian subsidiary of Italian UniCredit has shifted the units in Lithuania and Estonia to Latvia.

January 29, 2013

Austria: Non Performing Loans on the Rise

According to RBI´s (Raiffeisen Bank International) CEO Herbert Stepic, the NPL quota has risen in Austria last year.

January 29, 2013

Peter Czapek becomes CEO of Bank Austria Real Invest

Gerhard Dreyer, 53, now responsible for Investment and Asset Management as well as Group Investments. Günter Hofbauer, 47, remains responsible for risk management and controlling.

January 29, 2013

Index Cooperation between Vienna Stock Exchange and Kazakhstan Stock Exchange

(The Vienna Stock Exchange has acquired a new index cooperation partner with the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE).

January 29, 2013

„Our Future is Central and Eastern Europe“

Andreas Treichl, CEO of Austrian Erste Group, stresses the importance of the CESEE region and the necessity to become more efficient.

January 29, 2013

Austria: Kommunalkredit May Become Even More Expensive

According to experts, the bail-out of the Austrian fully nationalized bank is not managed yet. Austrian taxpayers must expect further capital injections.

January 26, 2013 · Updated: January 26, 2013; 20:24

Erste Bank Savings and Credit Outlook: Austrians Only Cautiously Optimistic

Austrians: only one third expect an improvement in Europe's economic situation this year

January 25, 2013

EU Wants Austria to Give Up Bank Secret

Commissioner Algirdas Semeta threatens with a complaint against Austria. According tom him, Austria and Luxembourg are blocking the automatic information exchange.

January 25, 2013

Bank Austria Places € 500m Bond

Bank Austria today issued a five-year bond with a volume of EUR 500 million. This was the first euro-denominated senior unsecured benchmark bond from the bank in over seven years, and the first benchmark bond issued this year.

January 24, 2013

Treichl: „BCR Will be Positive this Year“

Erste Group´s CEO Andreas Treichl thinks that the Romanian subsidiary Banca Commerciala Romania will not record losses in 2013.

January 24, 2013 · Updated: January 24, 2013; 21:58

Vienna Suffers from Housing Shortages

In the next 20 years, Vienna will need up to 200,000 new accommodation units.

January 23, 2013

Erste Group´s CEO Wants to Create CESEE Stock Exchange

Andreas Treichl, CEO of the Austrian banking group, would like to create an alliance between CEE Stock Exchange Group (CEESEG) and Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE).

January 23, 2013

Conwert Finishes Major Investment

The Austrian real estate company closes the acquisition of majority interest in KWG Kommunale Wohnen AG.

January 21, 2013

CESEE Property Market Highly Heterogeneous

In Austria, the yield is expected to shrink further. However, the investments will be stable, CBRE Austria says. In the CESEE region, the situation is ambiguous.

January 21, 2013

Immofinanz: New Projects in Berlin

Purchase of a 3,000 sqm property for the realisation of 100 flats in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district of Berlin. 1,500 new flats in Berlin in construction or in planning.

January 21, 2013

Stepic on Austrian Banking Sector: „There is some Need for Reforms”

In an interview with the Austrian newspaper “Presse”, RBI`s (Raiffeisen Bank International) CEO Herbert Stepic explains that the current situation of the Austrian banking sector is ambiguous.

January 19, 2013 · Updated: January 19, 2013; 19:31

Conwert Announces Strategic Asset Refocusing

According to preliminary figures, the EBT guidance of € 50 million has been achieved in 2012 before one-off effects. Strategic refocusing leads to negative one-off adjustments

January 18, 2013

CA Immo to Focus on Germany and Austria

Following years of rapid expansion in Germany and Eastern Europe, CA Immo is adjusting the focus of its real estate portfolio to existing core markets and the offices asset class.

January 17, 2013

VBAG: Raiffeisen Tries to Justify Breach of Contract

In an interview with the Austrian newspaper “Standard”, RZB´s (Raiffeisen Zentralbank) CEO Walter Rothensteiner explains why the banking group did not acquire loas from VBAG.

January 16, 2013

Erste Group: Austerity Cuts Also in Austria

After sharp austerity measures in Romania and Hungary, the banking group wants to reduce personnel costs in Austria.

January 15, 2013

Austrian Property Market Becomes Even More Attractive

According to a survey carried out by the business advisor Ernst & Young, about 90% of the interviewees think that Austria´s real estate market is attractive.

January 15, 2013

Stepic: „CESEE Region Faces Challenging Year“

RBI´s (Raiffeisen Bank International) CEO Herbert Stepic explained that central, eastern and southeastern Europe is still Europe´s growth engine.

January 15, 2013

STRABAG Postpones Investments in Offshore Wind

Investments of several hundred million euros shelved. Strabag refers to the “uncertain legal situation in German offshore wind sector”.

January 15, 2013

CEE Banking Study 2013: “Banks Rebalance Their Business Models” (3)

Foreign players have an important role in the local markets and increased the share of CEE assets within their groups' total assets over the last years.

January 15, 2013

CEE Banking Study 2013: “Banks Rebalance Their Business Models” (2)

Total assets and lending have grown steadily since 2008, even though at a slower pace than before the crisis and with a stronger focus on domestic funding sources.

January 15, 2013

CEE Banking Study 2013: “Banks Rebalance Their Business Models” (1)

The CEE banking sector keeps showing good profitability with revenue margins narrowing but still above Western European levels.

January 15, 2013

Erste Group: Massive Write-Downs in Romania

The Austrian banking group reduces goodwill by € 300 million.

January 15, 2013

Fitch: Austrian Banking Industry Depends on CESEE

According to the U.S. rating agency, the situation of Austrian banks strongly depends on the development in central, east and southeast Europe.

January 14, 2013

VBAG: High Losses Ahead

The partially nationalized Austrian bank is expected to record losses of more than € 150m in 2012.

January 12, 2013

BUWOG to Strongly Expand Business in Berlin

Germany remains motor of growth for the Austrian real estate company. The subsidiary of Austrian Immofinanz acquires properties with 34,500 m² total space for 520 flats.

January 10, 2013

Hungary Suffers from Capital Outflow

Hungary´s banking industry faces a substantial loss of confidence. More and more Hungarians shift their deposits to foreign banks.

January 9, 2013

Generali to Expand into CESEE Region

The Italian insurance group wants to strengthen its market presence in central, east and southeast Europe. The minority stake in the Czech insurer PPF will be acquired.

January 8, 2013

Good Outlook for Viennese Property Market

According to real estate experts, Vienna is one of the most attractive market for retail investments.

January 8, 2013

Immofinanz Sells Offices in Prague

As of 31 December 2012 Immofinanz Group sold the office building BB Centrum Building C located in Prague to the VIG FUND.

January 7, 2013

Austrian Real Estate Prices Flatten

Although real estate supply is shrinking slightly, the price curve flattens. Real estate prices are expected to increase by 2.8% this year.

January 4, 2013

Poland Plans Bank Taxes

The Polish government considers introducing bank taxes in order to stabilize the banking sector.

January 4, 2013

Austrian FMA Sharpens Lending Rules for Foreign Currency Loans

The Austrian Financial Market Authority changes the rules for banks which grant foreign currency loans.

January 2, 2013

Bawag Concludes Capital Increase of € 200m

Equity capital raise from current shareholders and investors further strengthens BAWAG P.S.K.’s capital position. Cerberus´ share goes down to 52%.

December 28, 2012

WIFO: „Shut Down Hypo Group“

The Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) recommends closing the nationalized banking group. The number of banks is expected to shrink radically.

December 27, 2012

Bawag: Changes in Management Board

Retail director Wolfgang Klein becomes Deputy CEO of the Austrian bank. Corey Plinkston joins the management board. Byron Haynes keeps his position as CEO:

December 22, 2012

Hypo Group: Supervisory Board Wants Bad Bank

Johannes Ditz, chairman of Hypo Group´s supervisory board thinks that the bank will need even more time to scale-down its risky assets.

December 22, 2012

RZB: „Hypo Group Is No Issue“

Walter Rothensteiner, CEO of Austrian RZB (Raiffeisen Zentralbank) will not bid for Hypo Group´s subsidiaries.

December 21, 2012

conwert acquires majority stake in German KWG

Acquisition of approx. 60% stake in German residential property company with 9,700 units. Purchase price of approx. 620 € / sqm.

December 21, 2012

CESEE: Deposit Growth Slows Down

Given the sketched regional loan growth dynamics and their most important drivers it comes as no surprise that deposit growth rates in CEE also decelerated in recent months, Raiffeisen Research states.

December 21, 2012