Annual Report 2010 - ProCredit Bank

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Annual Report 2010
liquid throughout the year and our cost of funds
declined.
Looking forward, in addition to the savings services
they provide, ProCredit banks will continue
to be very conservative with consumer loans for
their private person clients, but will expand their
provision of convenient banking services, such
as e-banking and direct debit, and will continue
to provide responsible housing improvement, energy
efficiency and other loans which help build
a family’s assets.
For our staff, ProCredit banks offer unique opportunities
for professional development and job
satisfaction given our strong client orientation,
open communication culture and unusual commitment
to staff training. In terms of institution
building activities, ProCredit banks in Eastern
Europe were, like the rest of the ProCredit group,
focused above all on quality and efficiency rather
than quantity in 2010. The pre-crisis boom
years in Eastern Europe encouraged all banks,
including ProCredit banks, to invest heavily in
staff numbers and branch infrastructure, which
needed to be brought back in line with prevailing
economic conditions. This has provided the
context for ProCredit banks to also review staff
standards and our training efforts as well as bank
processes and procedures – to ensure our institutions
are ideally aligned with demand and the
efficient services required by our clients. As a
result, branch infrastructure has been reviewed,
staff numbers reduced and greater job specialisation
implemented.
Our staff is the key element in our approach to being
a stable, down-to-earth and personal banking
partner. The ProCredit group invests a lot to
achieve high standards in staff recruitment and
development. Staff exchanges, cross-border
training programmes and regional workshops
are an important part of our approach. To complement
the international academy in Germany, we
have an Eastern European Academy, located near
Skopje in Macedonia, which is dedicated to the
training of ProCredit middle managers. The regional
academy is an important channel for rapid
and consistent communication region-wide and
one that helps us adapt quickly to face new challenges.
A language centre at the academy also
provides residential English courses, maximising
the potential for international exchange within
the group. Investment in our staff is an ongoing
commitment and will remain a central plank in the
ProCredit Bank approach. A qualified, motivated
and professional team lies at the root of our lasting
success across Eastern Europe.