Download - Volksbank AG

THE BANK FOR CORPORATES
14
Management discussion
Specialist banking group
in Europe
Success through
specialisation
Strategic partnerships
with European
specialist banks
THE INVESTKREDIT GROUP. Together with its
Shares of the most important companies
holding companies, Investkredit Bank AG has in total assets for 2001
positioned itself as a specialist banking group
in Europe which has managed to stand out
against universal banks through its speciali-
Investkredit Bank AG
Kommunalkredit Austria AG
48 %
43 %
sation on corporate customers, local go-
Investkredit International 3 %
vernments and real estate. In the corporate
segment, Investkredit Bank AG offers the tra-
Other 6 %
ditional medium and long-term loans. The Bank holds about 48% of the Group’s total assets. Other
financing instruments such as private equity, mezzanine financing, as well as M&A consultancy services
are offered by the Investkredit’s subsidiaries. Local government financing is offered by Kommunalkredit
Austria AG, which held 43% of the Group’s total assets in the financial year. Furthermore, the Europolis
Invest Group is in charge of real-estate development as well as investments. The Investkredit Group is
building a European network both via its Austrian corporates (through representative and branch
offices) and its international holdings (such as Investkredit Bank p.l.c. or PKB).
STRATEGIC SPECIALISATION. Through its focus on a few selected customer groups, the Investkredit
specialist banking group stands out against universal banks by consciously refraining from engaging
in retail banking. The Investkredit Group has clearly focused on a combination of three business
segments, i.e. corporate customers, local governments and real estate, that is unique throughout Europe.
With regard to balancing the risk during the different phases of the business cycle, this combination
proves advantageous since all three segments have their own business dynamics. Investkredit, furthermore,
combines the functions of a
medium- and long-term financing
bank, an equity investor, an assets
management bank, a treasury bank
and a real-estate bank. It aims at
expanding its existing segments
in an extended European core
market while simultaneously
making use of profitable market
niches.
Thus, it is important for the Bank
to enter into strategic partnerships
with the leading specialists
in the respective European
market segments (such as EIB and
KfW in the field of private equity,
Dexia in the field of local government
financing and EBRD in the
Central and Eastern European realestate
market).
In the long term, Investkredit aims
at being among the most competitive
service providers in the respective
business segments where
it strives for quality leadership. In
the medium term, the Group
aspires to:
“A business that
makes nothing
but money
is a poor kind
of business.“
HENRY FORD