Raiffeisen loans for SMEs triple

Moreover, the time for dealing with loan applications was reduced by half and the bank’s products have been adjusted to the needs of small entrepreneurs, according to Raiffeisen officials.

“Raiffeisen Bank decided to invest in the SME loan sales task force, with a final goal of improving services and products for our clients,” according to Raiffeisen’s SME Department Manager, Alexandru Ciobanu, for Business Standard.

“We know that there are people behind any business, and they have both needs related to the development of their business and for constant information,” the manager added.

Currently, top lenders for SMEs are Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR), with a 36 percent market share, BRD Groupe Société Générale, with a 16 percent market share, Raiffeisen and Banca Transilvania, both with 11 percent. Raiffeisen’s Romanian branch is following the bank’s regional trend. Raiffeisen Bulgaria and Raiffeisen Croatia are also developing their SME segment, with loans worth €10 million for each branch from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Raiffeisen International is coordinating one of the major banking networks in Central and Eastern Europe, with branches and leasing companies operating in 16 countries.  Its branches have a total of 2,775 offices and 11.7 mil-
lion clients.

Raiffeisen International is the consolidated subsidiary of Raiffeisen Zentralbank Oesterreich AG (RZB), which owns 70 percent of Raiffeisen International shares. A further 30 percent are traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange.

Raiffeisen Romania posted total assets worth €4.096 billion for 2006, a 35 percent year-on-year increase, excluding externalized loans. The net profit for 2006 amounted to €53 million, the same as in 2005.

Raiffeisen ranks third on the domestic market, after BCR and BRD-Groupe Société Générale.

“We know that there are people behind any business, and they have both needs related to the development of their business and for constant information'' Alexandru Ciobanu Raiffeisen’s SME Department  Manager