UniCredit Bank Austria AG

Bank Austria Creditanstalt (BA-CA) is the clear number one in the Austrian banking sector and operates the leading international banking network in the growth region of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). With total assets of approx. EUR 139 billion and a market share of 25 per cent, BA-CA is by far the biggest bank in Austria. Four out of five large Austrian companies use Bank Austria Creditanstalt’s services. In the retail banking sector, the bank serves 1.8 million customers. BA-CA is represented throughout Austria with a network of about 400 offices. In CEE, BA-CA is among the leading banks with about 900 offices in 11 countries. In this growth region, 17,000 employees serve 4 million customers.

History

The history of Bank Austria Creditanstalt goes back to 1855, the year in which Creditanstalt was founded. In the past thirteen years, BA-CA made significant progress. The bank was the driving force behind the consolidation process in the Austrian banking industry: in 1991, Zentralsparkasse und Kommerzialbank AG and Österreichische Länderbank AG merged to form Bank Austria AG. In 1997, Bank Austria took over Creditanstalt, the country’s second-largest bank. In 2000, BA-CA finally joined forces with the German bank HypoVereinsbank. Within HVB Group, Bank Austria Creditanstalt is responsible for business development in Austria and in Central and Eastern Europe. In July 2003, BA-CA carried out a capital increase through an initial public offering. The bank uses the proceeds from the initial public offering to finance its further expansion in Central and Eastern Europe.

Market leader in Austria

Bank Austria Creditanstalt is a modern and dynamic universal bank. Based on its status as a major international bank, BA-CA gives its customers access to international financial markets. With a market share of 20 per cent in the retail banking sector and 36 per cent in the upmarket segment of private customers, BA-CA is the clear market leader in Austria. 81 per cent of all large companies and about 64 per cent of all small and medium-sized businesses in Austria are BA-CA customers. In the Austrian market, the bank operates a network comprising 400 offices with a total of 11,200 employees. In 2003, the British financial magazine ‘Euromoney’ named Bank Austria Creditanstalt ‘Best Bank in Austria’ for the thirteenth time in succession.

The largest network in Central and Eastern Europe

Since the early 1990s, Bank Austria Creditanstalt has been pursuing a policy of strategic expansion in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This early commitment has paid off: in 1991, BA-CA commenced operations in Budapest; today it operates the largest international banking network in Central and Eastern Europe. The Group’s CEE network comprises some 900 offices in 11 countries, with 17,000 employees serving 4 million customers. Total assets of EUR 23 billion make Bank Austria Creditanstalt the region’s largest international network bank. The market share held by BA-CA in the individual countries ranges from 5 to 10 per cent. BA-CA offers its customers sound local expertise in the CEE region combined with international service and the financial strength of one of Europe’s largest banking groups.

Recognised excellence

The financial magazine ‘Euromoney’ recognised the activities of Bank Austria Creditanstalt in Central and Eastern Europe by naming it ‘Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe’ in July 2003. In May 2003, the US magazine Global Finance rated BA-CA ‘Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe’. In September 2003, ‘The Banker’, a publication of the Financial Times Group, voted BA-CA ‘Bank of the Year in Central and Eastern Europe’. This title is among the most coveted distinctions awarded to banks.

Selected awards 2003:

‘Bank of the Year in Central and Eastern Europe’	The Banker, September 2003
‘Bank of the Year in Bulgaria’	The Banker, September 2003
‘Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe’	Euromoney, July 2003
‘Best Bank in Austria’	Euromoney, July 2003
‘Best Bank in Poland’	Euromoney, July 2003
‘Best Custody in Central and Eastern Europe’	Euromoney, July 2003
‘Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe’	Global Finance, May 2003
‘Best Trade Finance Bank in CEE’	Global Finance, February 2003

Region-wide presence in Central and Eastern Europe

BA-CA maintains offices in the following countries of Central and Eastern Europe:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Through HVB Group, BA-CA is also represented in Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic countries.