Raiffeisen Zentralbank - Raiffeisen Bank International

Raiffeisen Bank International

Main article: Raiffeisen Bank International Via its listed subsidiary Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), RZB operates a banking network in Central and Eastern Europe. 17 markets are covered with subsidiary banks, leasing companies and representative offices. As of end-2010, RBI served more than 14 million customers via roughly 3,000 branch offices. At the end of February 2010, RZB CEO Walter Rothensteiner announced that a possible merger of RZB with Raiffeisen International Bank-Holding AG (RI) was being considered. This move would open up broader access to the capital, money and bond markets. As all of these changes would take place within the group, it would have no impact on the equity capital ratios. The newly-founded Raiffeisen Bank International AG would contain RI and those parts of RZB that do not involve business with the Raiffeisen sector. Business related to RZB's function as the central institution of the Raiffeisen Banking Group and those participations relevant for this sector were to remain at RZB. On 19 April 2010, the executive boards of the two institutions resolved to present a proposal on this merger to the shareholders for approval. At the general shareholders meeting on 7 July 2010, the shareholders of RZB voted to spin off the bank's commercial customer business and the related participations from RZB and to merge these with RI. The next day, the shareholders of RI approved this merger at a general shareholders meeting. The newly founded institution, Raiffeisen Bank International AG, began its activities on 11 October 2010.