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RLB Tirol AG management board statement
RLB Tirol AG management board
statement
Dear Readers,
2014 was a challenging year for banks. A year whose overall economic development was unsettling.
It showed that a company determined to keep pace with developments and changes to general
conditions must act in a foresighted manner. 2014 was also a year shaped by sluggish economic
growth in Europe and a year in which inflation fell to a level not seen for a very long time, raw materials
slumped, the situation in the labour market became more and more difficult and deflation became the
new nightmare scenario. The persistently low interest rate and the European Central Bank’s expansive
monetary policy did not have the desired effects.
Despite or because of these overall conditions, we look back on 2014 positively; we are going to
continue along the path that we have embarked upon and shall remain true to our strategy.
We are moving on …
… and are primed for the future: We adjusted to the new general conditions, the statutory and
regulatory standards at domestic and international level, and the changed customer requirements in
good time. Because we know that: Anyone who wants to explore new avenues must leave their well-
trodden paths at the right time. The fact that we did our homework at an opportune time has also
been confirmed by the international ratings agency Moody’s. Our rating is still the best among all the
Tyrolean banks.
We are moving on …
… with the aim of being a competent, reliable partner for our customers. Now and in the future, we
will continue to abide by the Raiffeisen principles. To do this, we will need a personal and trusting
relationship with our customers more than anything else. Our decentralised organisation makes us
optimistic about the future. We are convinced that this approach has a future because people are
looking for a trustworthy financial partner that is in the vicinity, knows the region and is capable of
understanding the point of view and the needs of its opposite number. We also know that changes are
necessary for a successful future. We are open-minded about that.
We are moving on together …
… because we are aware that we can achieve things together that we cannot achieve individually.
Our decentralised sector ensures us freedoms that make us strong – for our customers, partners and
owners. Another indispensable factor in our solid business trend is our employees, without whom
our corporate spirit of partnership on this scale would never have been possible in the first place.
Last year, we also subjected the Raiffeisen principle to a very close examination with the help of our
employees and supervisory board members. In 26 workshops involving 293 employees, we elaborated
the RLB Raiffeisen principle – a contemporary interpretation of our values and guiding principles. In
it, we define what we stand for and how we like to be assessed. This concerns, among other things,
our impeccable service quality, our genuine sense of community, the familiar relationship with our
customers, and our acknowledged loyalty and commitment to our region.
We thank all of our employees for their commitment and all of our customers, partners and owners for
their trust. We look forward to demonstrating to you once again in the next financial year that these
principles are the utmost priority in our cooperative working partnership and in everything that we do.
We are looking forward to paving the way for a successful future together with you.
Dr Hannes Schmid
Reinhard Mayr
Management board chairman
Management board director
