Annual Report - Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo JSC

Raiffeisen-Glossary
Raiffeisen-Glossary
Gable Cross
The international Raiffeisen logo is the Gable Cross. It consists of two stylised crossed horses’ heads and
can be traced back hundreds of years to European folk traditions. It is a symbol of defense against evil
and life’s dangers and can still be found on rural houses in Central Europe. According to their founder’s
objectives, Raiffeisen’s members have safeguarded themselves against economic hazards by uniting
within the cooperative and therefore chose the Gable Cross as an emblem of protection under a shared
roof. The logo has developed into an internationally well-known and very positively associated trademark
and is in use around the world.
Raiffeisen Banking Group
The Raiffeisen Banking Group (RBG) is Austria’s largest banking group by total assets. As per year-end
2006, RBG’s consolidated balance-sheet total amounted to € 205.4 billion. It represents about a quarter
of all domestic banking business and comprises the country’s largest banking network with more than
2,250 offices (nearly 44 per cent of all banking outlets in Austria) and some 22,000 employees. RBG
consists of Raiffeisen Banks on the local level, Regional Raiffeisen Banks on the provincial level and RZB
as central institution. RZB also acts as the “link” between its international operations and RBG. Raiffeisen
Banks are private cooperative credit institutions, operating as general service retail banks. Each
province’s Raiffeisen Banks are owners of the respective Regional Raiffeisen Bank, which in their entirety
own approximately 88 per cent of RZB’s ordinary shares.
The Raiffeisen Banks go back to an initiative of the German social reformer Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen
(1818 - 1888), who, by founding the first cooperative banking association in 1862, has laid the
cornerstone of the global organisation of Raiffeisen cooperative societies. Only 10 years after the
foundation of the first Austrian Raiffeisen banking cooperative in 1886, already 600 savings and loan
banks were operating according to the Raiffeisen system throughout the country. According to Raiffeisen’s
fundamental principle of self-help, the promotion of their members’ interests is a key objective of their
business policies.
Raiffeisen International
Raiffeisen International Bank-Holding AG is a fully consolidated subsidiary of RZB. It acts as the steering
company for the RZB Group’s subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe, above all the Group’s banking
and leasing units. RZB is Raiffeisen International’s majority shareholder owning 70 per cent of the capital
stock. The remaining 30 per cent is free-float, owned by institutional and retail investors. Raiffeisen
International’s shares are traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange.
RZB
Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (RZB) is the central institution of the Austrian Raiffeisen Banking
Group. Founded in 1927 and domiciled in Vienna, RZB is the third-largest Austrian bank and a specialist
in commercial and investment banking. As the parent company of the RZB Group, it ranks among Central
and Eastern Europe’s leading banking groups, offering the full scope of commercial, investment and retail
banking services practically throughout the region.
RZB Group
The group owned and steered by RZB. Raiffeisen International forms one of the Group’s main units,
acting as holding and steering company for the network of banks and leasing companies in Central and
Eastern Europe.
Glossary Macroeconomic Environment Overview Segment Reports Financial Statements Addresses
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