Austrian Securities Market and Stock Exchange News and Analysis

Read the latest headlines and breaking news about the Vienna International Stock Exchange and the Austrian securities market (bonds, stocks)

Austria: Bawag to Pay Back State Capital

Bawag is expected to pay back the entire public participation captial tomorrow. The assets are urgently required for recapitalizing Austrian problem bank Hypo Group.

March 13, 2014

Austria: Who Will Pay for Hypo Group?

In the dispute around who is to pay for problem bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria Chancellor Werner Faymann intends to negotiate with the Austrian provinces about a contribution to the bank levy.

March 13, 2014

RBI Rejects Rumors of Delayed Pay-Back of State Aids

RBI is expected to pay back € 1.75bn in public state aids.

March 12, 2014

Poland: Bank Pekao with Ambitious Plans

Polish lender Bank Pekao intends to reduce costs and risks, and raise the number of clients by around one million until 2020.

March 12, 2014

Poland: Changes in Monetary Policy to Come Gradually

Polish macroeconomic conditions support a stabilization of monetary policy, according to Anna Zielinska-Glebocka, member of the Monetary Policy Council.

March 12, 2014

Bank Austria to Focus on Growth Markets in the Future

Because of the high value of write-offs Bank Austria, CEE affiliate of Italian UniCredit, had to face record losses amounting to € 1.6bn. CEO Willibald Cernko, however, does not consider the bank having made any mistakes in the past.

March 12, 2014

Austria: Banking Secret for Foreigners to be Abolished Forever

From 2017 on, the banking secret for non-Austrian residents will be abolished completely.

March 11, 2014

Poland: PKO BP to Sell Parts of Consumer Loan Portfolio

This year, the largest lender in Poland intends to sell a part of its consumer loan portfolio in the amount of PLN 2.3bn to 2.5bn.

March 11, 2014

Austria: Hypo Group Disaster with Exorbitant Costs

The extent of the disaster of Austrian problem bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria only starts to unfold bit by bit. A further capital injection of € 750m is needed only for the ailing bank to complete its balance sheets.

March 11, 2014

Poland: Share of Impaired Loans Increasing

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

March 10, 2014

Austrian Bank Secret Remains Until 2017

Austrian Finance Minister Spindelegger will present proposals for amendments of the EUSD tomorrow.

March 10, 2014

Austria: Painful Austerity Measures Ahead

The Austrian public debt level grows massively. The disaster of the nationalized Balkan lender Hypo Group Alpe Adria is not the only reason for the unfavorable situation.

March 10, 2014

Austrian Banking Sector Fears New Crisis in Russia

For both Bank Austria and Raiffeisen Bank International, the crisis in Ukraine is an enormous threat. What is more, Russia might develop into a serious danger for foreign banks.

March 8, 2014

S&P: Hypo Group Bankruptcy Would Trigger Downgrade in Austrian Banking Sector

In case of a bankruptcy of the nationalized bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria, the three largest Austrian banks Erste Group, Bank Austria and Raiffeisen Zentralbank might be downgraded by one or two notches.

March 8, 2014

Hungary: OTP Bank’s Profits Vanished by Provisions and Taxes

A decrease on the operating profit, increasing risk provisions and taxes drained almost all profits made in the fourth quarter last year.

March 7, 2014

Moody’s Raises Outlook on Austrian Banks

Rating agency Moody’s has raised the outlook on five Austrian Banks.

March 7, 2014

Poland: Rabobank Polska Gives up BGZ

Dutch financial institute Rabobank wants to get rid of BGZ.

March 6, 2014

Czech Republic: Economic Growth Speeding up

In the last quarter in 2013 the Czech economy grew faster than anticipated and even outdid all other EU member countries.

March 6, 2014

Serbia: Share of NPL Increases Dramatically

The share of bad loans in Serbia has increased to 21.3 percent.

March 6, 2014

VBAG to be completely Nationalized?

According to experts, VBAG is the only Austrian bank which will not pass the stress test. In this case, there are only two alternatives: liquidation or full nationalization.

March 6, 2014

Poland Reconsiders Joining Eurozone

The current political crisis in Ukraine is also causing turmoil at the Polish financial markets letting the national currency drop significantly against the Euro.

March 5, 2014

S&P: European Banking Sector Faces Worse Ratings

According to the rating agency, the public support for the European banking sector is essential in many cases. Without financial support, banks might be downgraded.

March 5, 2014

VBAG to Sell Romanian Subsidiary

The Austrian partly nationalized VBAG has started the sale of the loss-making Romanian affiliate.

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: Takeover of Nordea Bank Polska Granted

PKO BP, leading bank in Poland, was given green light by the financial market regulator KNF to take over Nordea Bank Polska, as announced in a statement by KNF.

March 4, 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: Decision about Downsizing Expected Soon

At the beginning of next week the final report for the planned downsizing of Hypo Group will be presented.

March 4, 2014

Slovenia: NLB to Break Even in 2014

As part of the restructuring plan, the Slovenian bank is closing branch shops all over the country and downsizing its personnel.

March 4, 2014

Raiffeisen Bank International Postpones Sale of Ukrainian Affiliate

Due to the extremely tense situation in Ukraine, the second-largest lender in CESEE (Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe) has stopped the sale of Aval Bank.

March 3, 2014

Poland: Lending Activity to Increase Significantly

Lending activity in the Polish finance sector is expected to increase significantly this year.

March 3, 2014

„Austria Needs an Excellent Minister of Finance“

Andreas Treichl, CEO of the third-biggest lender in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe expressed subtle doubt as to whether Michael Spindelegger is the right person for the job.

March 2, 2014

Fitch Keeps Slovak Rating Unchanged

Slovakia´s issuer default rating was kept unchanged at “A+”. The outlooks remain stable.

March 1, 2014

Treichl: „Not Afraid of Hypo Group Bankruptcy“

Andreas Treichl, CEO of Vienna-listed Erste Group does not think that a potential bankruptcy of the nationalized lender Hypo Group Alpe Adria would affect Erste Group´s rating.

March 1, 2014

Uniqa: „We Will Not Leave Ukraine“

Andreas Brandstetter, CEO of the Austrian insurance group is “highly satisfied” with the Ukrainian affiliate.

March 1, 2014

Hypo Group: Five Potential Buyers for CESEE Affiliates

Alexander Picker, CEO of the nationalized bank Hypo Group Alpe Adria, is optimistic that the affiliates in the Western Balkan countries may be sold until the end of 2014.

March 1, 2014

Moody´s Confirms Austria´s Rating Despite Hypo Group Disaster

The rating agency has reiterated Austria´s top sovereign debt rating. Moreover, the outlook was upgraded from “negative” to “stable”.

March 1, 2014

Polish Currency Suffers from Instability in Ukraine

The Polish Zloty has become weaker because of the political instability in Ukraine.

February 28, 2014

Erste Group: Profits Decline

Erste Group posts net profit of EUR 61.0 million in 2013 and improves capital ratios.

February 28, 2014

Poland: PKO BP Takes over Nordea’s Insurance Division

Polish financial market regulator KNF has finally approved the takeover of life insurance company Nordea TUnZ by PKO BP.

February 27, 2014

Austrian Banks with Significant Exposure in Ukraine

Ukrainian crisis hits Western Banks in different state compared to 2008/09, according to RBI.

February 27, 2014

Hypo Group: New Figures Added to Number Games

The number games in regard to Hypo Group’s downsizing to not seem to cease. New figures will be released by the bank’s task force at the beginning of next week.

February 27, 2014

Hungary: Customers Fleeced by Banks

For the first time in three years Hungarian commercial banks have returned to profitability. However, extra cost, caused by political circumstances, was passed on to clients.

February 26, 2014

The Bank Branch of the Future Already in its Beginnings

Since 2008 the branch network of banks in the Eurozone has been shrinking. Likewise, banks struggle for client contacts in order to increase the client base.

February 25, 2014

Ukraine: Austrian Banks Reopened Branches

After the political disaster in the Ukraine all bank shops in the country’s capital Kyiv have opened again on Monday.

February 25, 2014

Hypo Group: Nowotny Calls for Fast Proceeding

Newly designated head of Hypo Group’s task force, Governor of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) Ewald Nowotny, calls upon the government to fastly proceed with the downsizing of the ailing bank.

February 24, 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

Austria: Spindelegger under Attack

Finance Minister Spindelegger is under attack by former head of Hypo Group’s task force, Liebscher.

February 24, 2014

Slovenia: NLB Reports Losses in Business Year 2013

The biggest lender in Slovenia has amounted considerable losses because of having been forced to create loan loss provisions.

February 22, 2014

Hypo Group: Nowotny to Replace Liebscher

After Liebscher, head of Hypo Group’s task force, announced throwing in the towel Nowotny, Governor of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), will become his successor.

February 22, 2014

Felderer: Insolvency More Expensive Than Bad Bank

According to Felderer, president of the fiscal council, the option of insolvency for Hypo Group Alpe Adria is more expensive than the establishing of a national bad bank

February 22, 2014