OREANDA-NEWS. July 10, 2009. The esteemed British financial magazine Euromoney held its annual "Award for Excellence" reception yesterday evening in London. At the event, Raiffeisen Zentralbank Osterreich AG (RZB) together with its CEE subsidiary Raiffeisen International Bank-Holding AG received the "Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe" (CEE) award, marking the fifth year in a row that Raiffeisen has won the publication’s prestigious regional award, reported the press-centre of RZB.

At the same time, RZB was honoured as "Best Bank in Austria" and six out of Raiffeisen International’s 15 network banks in CEE received the "Best Bank" award in their respective countries, namely Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Ukraine.

"These awards are a sign of the trust placed in the course our Group has taken and represent important recognition of our achievements. In times like these, that trust and recognition are even more valuable than in previous years," said Walter Rothensteiner, CEO of RZB and Chairman of Raiffeisen International's Supervisory Board. "We always try to live up to our customers’ needs and expectations, especially in difficult times. These awards show that it is not only our almost 15 million customers who value our efforts," added Herbert Stepic, CEO of Raiffeisen International and Deputy Chairman of RZB’s Managing Board.

Euromoney's "Best Global Bank" title was awarded to HSBC, while Spain's Santander was recognised as the "Best Bank in Western Europe".

Austria
Raiffeisen Zentralbank Osterreich AG was once again honoured as "Best Bank in Austria". RZB is the central institution of the Austrian Raiffeisen Banking Group, the largest banking group in the country, and its balance sheet total of EUR157 bn at the end of 2008 makes RZB Austria's third-largest bank on an individual basis.

Albania
Euromoney selected Raiffeisen Bank Sh.a. as the "Best Bank in Albania" for the fifth time in a row. The bank, which has been owned by Raiffeisen International since 2004, had a balance sheet total of EUR 2 bn at the end of 2008, making it the largest bank in Albania.

Belarus
Priorbank, OAO won the "Best Bank in Belarus" award for the second year in a row. A part of the Raiffeisen International group since 2002, Priorbank had a balance sheet total of EUR 1.6 bn at the end of 2008, ranking it third in Belarus’s banking market and making it the country’s largest privately-owned bank.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
For the third time in a row, Euromoney honoured Raiffeisen Bank d.d. Bosna i Hercegovina with the title "Best Bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina". The bank’s balance sheet total of EUR 2.4 bn at the end of 2008 made it the largest bank in the country.

Kosovo
Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo  J. S.C won the "Best Bank in Kosovo" award for a second year running. The bank, which was acquired by Raiffeisen International in 2002, had a balance sheet total of EUR 598 mn at year-end 2008 and is Kosovo's second-largest bank.

Serbia
Since its founding in 2001, Raiffeisen banka a.d. has always won Euromoney’s "Best Bank in Serbia" award — this year, for the eighth time. With a balance sheet total of EUR 2.9 bn at the end of 2008, Raiffeisen banka is the third-largest bank in Serbia.

Ukraine
VAT Raiffeisen Bank Aval was recognised as "Best Bank in Ukraine". With a balance sheet total of EUR 6.3 bn at year-end 2008, Raiffeisen Bank Aval has the second-largest market share in the Ukrainian banking market.