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RLB Tirol AG management board statement
RLB Tirol AG management board
statement
Dear Readers,
It is an undeniable statistical fact that the average lifetime of companies across Europe is less
than 20 years. One reason for this could be that the formulas and strategies conducive to business
success change just as frequently – indeed are often forced to change – as the corporate environment
itself changes.
Raiffeisen-Landesbank Tirol AG and the Tyrolean Raiffeisen banks represent a pleasing statistical
outlier here, last year celebrating 125 years of Raiffeisen in Tyrol – an anniversary that fills us with pride.
Raiffeisen-Landesbank, then known as Raiffeisen Zentralkasse, was founded in 1895 in Innsbruck, but
the first Tyrolean savings and loan association organised according to the principles of F. W. Raiffeisen
saw the light of day seven years earlier in the small town of Ötz.
To this day, those principles retain their validity for the Raiffeisen sector. That was apparent in 2013 as
all the Tyrolean Raiffeisen banks collaborated in the formulation of the Raiffeisen principle, whereby the
precepts of F. W. Raiffeisen were reinterpreted and reformulated for application in the dynamic world of
modern banking. These principles continue to guide our business and commercial activities, embodying
as they do values which have endured for a great deal longer than 20 years and are certain to
remain intact for many years to come.
However, the events of the past year have shown us that, on top of our stability, we must also be ready
and willing to evolve and change. Though Europe has taken the first steps out of recession, economic
growth remains sluggish. Furthermore, persistently low interest rates pose a serious challenge, as
do the more stringent regulations faced by banks. In view of all this, it comes as no surprise that last
year’s result cannot be viewed in isolation from the future demands we face.
Raiffeisen-Landesbank Tirol AG is on the right track though, and we have done the necessary ground-
work. This is attested by the fact that international rating agency Moody’s has assigned us an out-
standing rating of A2, coupled with a positive outlook. This rating is the best conferred on any Tyrolean
bank. Furthermore, we succeeded in increasing our profit from ordinary activities, thus strengthening
our ability to meet future capital requirements. For this reason, too, the decisions and steps implemented
in 2013 were taken with an eye to the future.
The banking industry is undergoing a transformation which Raiffeisen-Landesbank cannot afford to
ignore. In the face of all these changes, we take confidence from the strength of our community and
the security that comes from a clear value system. Together with the 78 Tyrolean Raiffeisen banks, we
look on our past with pride and our future with optimism.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers, partners, owners and employees
for their part in a successful year together, and we look forward to a continuation of our profitable
collaborative endeavours throughout 2014.
Dr Hannes Schmid
Dr Thomas Bock
MMag Reinhard Mayr
Management board chairman
Management board director
Management board director