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Leading Austrian and Central and Eastern European banking group Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI) has conducted its grand opening ceremony for its Hong Kong branch today (June 10). RBI intends to capitalise on the city's position as a global financial centre to enhance the bank's Asian operations.
The move is the latest by RBI to cope with the increasing demand from clients in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) for institutional banking and financing services, particularly from those clients planning to increase their presence or set up operations in Hong Kong as part of their Greater China strategy.
The General Manager of RBI Hong Kong Branch, Mr Edmond Wong, said, "Compared to other Asian cities, Hong Kong has strong strategic integration with and geographical proximity to Mainland China, which is a prime target market for many of our customers. In view of the continuous integration of Hong Kong into China's economic plans and the ongoing liberalisation of the Renminbi (RMB), our Hong Kong branch, jointly with our Beijing and Xiamen branches, will form a comprehensive banking platform in the Greater China region. This will help the RBI Group serve its customers with China-related business."
He added, "Hong Kong is one of the most important financial centres in the world with well-established regulatory and legal infrastructure, as well as world-class financial and corporate institutions. Through our presence in Hong Kong, we will build a new local customer base and reinforce services for our customers from around the globe."
The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Simon Galpin, welcomed the opening of RBI Hong Kong Branch and said, "RBI's decision to set up the Hong Kong branch is testament to the unique role of Hong Kong as one of the most preferred international banking hubs in the world. The fact that our city is the leading offshore RMB centre makes us an even more crucial platform from which global banks like RBI can enhance and diversify services to their customers."
About the RBI Group
RBI regards both Austria, where it is a leading corporate and investment bank, and CEE as its home market. In CEE, RBI operates an extensive network of subsidiary banks, leasing companies and a range of other specialised financial service providers in 17 markets. RBI is the only Austrian bank with a presence in both the world's financial centres and in Asia, the group's further geographical area of focus. In total, more than 59 000 employees serve some 14.2 million customers through more than 3 000 business outlets, the great majority of which are located in CEE. For more information, please visit www.rbinternational.com.
About Invest Hong Kong
Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government established in July 2000 to take responsibility for Foreign Direct Investment and support overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services to help businesses succeed in Hong Kong's vibrant economy. As at December 2012, InvestHK had completed over 2 700 investment projects, creating more than 32 000 new jobs in the first year of operation or expansion and HK$69 billion of investment. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
Ends/Monday, June 10, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:00
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