Equity Markets

Austria Supports EU Capitalization Plans for Banks

Regulators in the European Union may be allowed to impose capital surcharges on banks

April 17, 2012

OeNB: “Nationalizations Are Clean Up”

Austria’s central bank (OeNB) said that the nationalization of three of the nation’s lenders helped clean up the structure of the domestic banking industry.

April 17, 2012

US and UK Dominating at CEESEG

Investors from the UK and the US are the most important participants at CEESEG in 2011.

April 16, 2012

Erste to Improve Equity Base

Austrian Erste Group will ask shareholders for permission to sell bonds that automatically convert into shares to cover potential capital shortfalls.

April 16, 2012

ÖIAG Offers Resistance to Pecik

The Austrian state holding ÖIAG seems to organize resistance against the new shareholder at Telekom Austria, Ronny Pecik.

April 13, 2012

Good Prospects for ATX

According to Paul Severin at Erste Asset Management, Austrian equities may face a significant upward trend.

April 12, 2012

Austrian Investment Funds down by € 10.7bn in 2011

Last year, Austrian investment funds registered a negative performance of 32%. Eurozone-funds were down by 19.52%, U.S. funds only by 3.0%.

April 11, 2012

Higher Earnings at RLB Tyrol

In 2011, Raiffeisenlandesbank Tyrol (RLB) could raise earnings by 37 %to € 24.2m.

April 6, 2012

RBI Is Optimistic to Reach Equity Requirements Without Capital Increase

The Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International sees no need to raise capital. The 9.0% Tier 1 quota should be reached by June.

March 30, 2012

Vienna Stock Exchange Calls for New Listings

Birgit Kuras, the new member of VSE´s management board aims to enhance the stock exchange´s importance and pushes for further privatizations.

March 27, 2012

Koren to Become VBAG´s New CEO?

Finance Minister Maria Fekter aims to nominate the former Vice-CEO of Bawag as board director of VBAG.

March 24, 2012

RBI: No Capital Increase

Christian Konrad, general attorney of the Raiffeisen sector, is against a capital increase at RBI (Raiffeisen Bank International). The 9.0% tier-1 quota will be reached without that measure, Konrad is convinced.

March 23, 2012

Lack in Low-Cost Apartments

In the near future, the Austrian real estate market threatens to show a drastic lack in low-cost apartments. Financing of real estate becomes more expensive.

March 15, 2012

Vienna Initiative an Insurance Policy, not a Game Changer, Fitch Says

The principles adopted Tuesday in “Vienna Initiative 2.0” do not change Fitch’s base case expectation that central, eastern and south-eastern Europe (CESEE) will continue to see weak, or marginally negative, credit growth in the near-to-medium term.

March 15, 2012

No Credit Crunch in CEE

Western European banks maintain the liquidity of their subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe. The equity provision is better than expected.

March 14, 2012

Austrian Supervisory Authority Published Guideline For Banks

The Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) has published a supervisory guideline to strengthen the sustainability of the business models of large internationally active Austrian banks.

March 14, 2012

KA Finanz: Disaster Was Avoidable

The „bad bank“ of the nationalized bank Kommunalkredit considered selling Greek sovereign bonds in spring 2009. Last week, KA Finanz wrote off € 423m.

March 12, 2012

Nowotny: Capital Shortfall at Hypo Group „Substantially Less Than € 10bn”

The governor of the Austrian Central Bank (OeNB) repulses reports stating that the nationalized bank Hypo Group needs capital injections of € 10bn.

March 10, 2012

Bawag Buys Back Hybrid Capital

The U.S. owned Austrian bank purchases € 300m in hybrid capital back in order to strengthen the equity base.

March 9, 2012

RBI Optimizes Its Structure of Participations

EBA decides not to recognize privately placed participation capital. RZB Group will nevertheless meet the EBA target, the bank argues.

March 8, 2012

IPIC Intends Further Increase in OMV

The second core shareholder of OMV, the Arab state fund International Petroleum Investment Company, which is situated in Abu Dhabi, plans another rise in its shareholding.

March 8, 2012

EBA Does Not Accept Participation Capital as Equity

Austrian banks face new difficulties. The European Banking Authorities does not approve participation capital by the Austrian state as Tier-1 Equity Capital.

March 8, 2012

Erste Group Has € 150m Gain Through Hybrid Buyback

Erste Group Bank AG, Eastern Europe’s second-biggest lender, said it has agreed to buy back € 828.3m ($ 1.1bn) of hybrid securities to boost net income and capital.

March 6, 2012

Drastic Decrease in Stock Market Turnover

In February, stock market turnover was down by 28% at Vienna Stock Exchange. In January, trade decreased by 35% compared to January 2011.

March 2, 2012

Nowotny: „Austrian Banking Activities in CEE Better than their Reputation”

According to the governor of the Austrian Central Bank (OeNB), Ewald Nowotny, Austrian banks engaged in Central and Eastern Europe are more stable than they are supposed to be.

March 1, 2012

Banking Industry As „Cash Cow“?

For RZB´s CEO Rothensteiner, the increase in bank tax is “not fair”. The government plans to raise bank taxes by 25%.

February 29, 2012

Austria Discussing Top Banks’ Capital Rules With EU Commission

Austria’s regulators are discussing rules for its top banks that will curb excessive lending in Central and Eastern Europe with the European Commission.

February 25, 2012

Raiffeisen Aims to Purchase Securities

In order to strengthen the capital structure, Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International wants to retain perpetual non-cumulative securities.

February 23, 2012

Stepic Criticizes Rating Agencies Sharply

For Herbert Stepic, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), statements given by the U.S. rating agencies are “undifferentiated”.

February 20, 2012

Cernko Against „Talking Down Austrian Banks“

Bank Austria´s CEO is strictly against an undifferentiated view on CEE-countries. Austrian banks with an exposure in the CEE region shall not be talked down.

February 17, 2012

Erste Group to Strenghten its Capital Structure

The Austrian banking group offers to buy back Tier1 and Tier2 securities .

February 17, 2012

„Financial Transaction Tax Could Cause Recession“

According to the CEO of Vienna Stock Exchange, Michael Buhl, a financial transaction tax would cost productivity at enterprises.

February 14, 2012

Erste Group Plans Complete Takeover of BCR

The Austrian bank wants to become the sole owner of Banca Commerciala Romana.

February 9, 2012

RBI: „Capital Increase is Pure Speculation“

The Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International, which is said to plan a capital increase, points out that this information is a “pure rumor”.

February 9, 2012

Intercell Plans to Achieve Turnaround in 2014

The Vienna-listed pharmaceutical company Intercell expects to return to the profit zone in 2014.

February 6, 2012

AMAG to Become New Owners?

About one third of Austrian aluminum producer´s shares are for sale. Raiffeisen and B&C are potential buyers.

February 4, 2012

IPIC May Raise Stake in OMV

IPIC’s request to increase its stake in the Austrian oil and gas company OMV beyond 25% doesn’t require an approval by the Austrian Ministry of Economics.

February 3, 2012

Lending Conditions of Austrian Banks Worsened

According to the Austrian Central Bank (OeNB), stricter lending conditions at Austrian banks were due to the decline in economic growth and detrimental refunding conditions.

February 2, 2012

Pecik Aims For Becoming Chairman of TA´s Supervisory Board

The Austrian investor Ronny Pecik is said to put effort in replacing the current chairman of Telekom Austria´s supervisory board, Markus Beyrer.

January 31, 2012

Scharinger: „Rating Agencies Are Instruments of Torture“

The leaving CEO of RLB Upper Austria, Ludwig Scharinger, is convinced that Europe needs must make itself more competitive against the U.S. financial industry.

January 24, 2012

VBAG No Systemic Bank Anymore

After the sale of VBAG´s subsidiary VBI to Russian Sberbank, the bank will not be systemic anymore, the Austrian Financial Market Authority announced.

January 21, 2012

Telekom: Pecik Beyond 20%

The Austrian investor Ronny Pecik exercised existing Telekom Austria call options.

January 20, 2012

Austrian Banks Claim to Continue „Vienna Initiative“

In 2009, international banks agreed on maintaining their lending operations in Eastern Europe. Now, the cooperation should be extended.

January 18, 2012

Austrian Banks Must Downsize in Hungary

Erste Group and Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) must streamline their operations. Nevertheless, a further capital increase could become necessary.

January 12, 2012

Slow Growth in CEE Expected

According to Raiffeisen Research, real GDP in CEE to grow by 2.0 per cent in 2012, while Austria set to post GDP decline of 0.5 per cent.

January 11, 2012

Experts Consider Sale of Bank Austria

After the sluggish capital increase of UniCredit, experts do not exclude a sale of Bank Austria, which operates the CEE business.

January 10, 2012

Supervisory Board of Telekom Austria Calls For Dividend Suspension

The supervisory board member Alexander Sollak claims that not dividends should be paid out for 2011. Instead, the equity base should be strengthened.

January 9, 2012

Erste Group: Core Shareholder Endangered to Reduce Stake

Erste Group´s main stockholder, the Erste Stiftung, needs 2012 dividend to avoid stake sale.

December 28, 2011

Raiffeisen to Strengthen Equity Base

RZB shareholders' general meeting resolves the issuance of participation capital worth € 600m.

December 28, 2011

Erste Group: Capital Shortfall to be Covered by Profits

The new equity requirements will be fulfilled, Erste Group´s CEO Treichl says. The capital shortfall amounts to € 743m.

December 27, 2011
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