Austrian banks were early movers into central, eastern and south-eastern Europe. But the traditional Austrian-based parent companies with regional subsidiaries have transformed into modern, integrated entities that bring together staff and technology from across the region, to the benefit of all, says Österreichische Nationalbank governor Ewald Nowotny.
Western Europe
Latest articles from Austria


Addiko: turning around Hypo Alpe Adria
August 1, 2016Much has been written about Austria's Heta, the ‘bad bank’ which took on the toxic assets of Hypo Alpe Adria. But what of Addiko, which was created from the good parts of its south-eastern European network? Stefanie Linhardt investigates.

The rehabilitation of Austria’s Volksbanken
June 1, 2016After a scare from the European Central Bank, Austria’s Volksbanken banking consortium has pursued an ambitious strategy of streamlining and consolidation with the aim of returning to profitability and repaying €300m in state aid

Austrian province of Carinthia becomes a BRRD test case
June 1, 2016Hypo Alpe Adria – now known as Heta – is a 'bad bank' from the Austrian region of Carinthia that is the first to be wound down according to the EU's Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive. Stefanie Linhardt assesses the situation and looks at who the winners and losers will be.

Austria’s banking overhaul
June 1, 2016Austria is dealing with the same digitalisation and profitability issues as the rest of the eurozone, but insiders are confident the enforced upheaval in the country’s banking sector will have positive long-term benefits.

CEE Stock Exchange Group adopts new 'sharing' strategy
April 1, 2016Having shed two of its assets – the exchanges of Budapest and Ljubljana – the CEE Stock Exchange Group, with owner Vienna Stock Exchange at the helm, is steering a new strategic course. Its aim, as Stefanie Linhardt reports, is to become a leading service provider for central and eastern Europe's exchanges.
UK banks have the largest exposure to emerging markets
October 27, 2015UK banks have $878.2bn in claims on developing markets, making them vulnerable to a downturn.
Austrian banks’ profits in CEE hit all-time low
May 22, 2015For years, Austrian lenders Erste Bank and Raiffeisen Bank have enjoyed strong profits at their central and eastern European operations, but with growth in these economies slowing, more recent results suggest that they may need to rethink their strategies in the region.

CEE reels from Swiss franc exposure
March 2, 2015As the Swiss National Bank removed its cap against the euro, the risk of borrowing in foreign currencies was made clear, as countries that had been busily borrowing in the Swiss franc reeled at the impact of its sudden appreciation.

Transformation continues for European sovereign-linked issuers
April 2, 2013The European Central Bank has helped assuage fears of an imminent eurozone breakup, but sovereign, supranational and agency debt management officials must still contend with ratings downgrades and difficult political and fiscal situations in a number of countries. The Banker hears from a range of EU issuers both inside and outside the eurozone.