Unico Banking Group:
Cooperative banking
in Europe
'T
Rabo
band
Founded in 1977, the Unico Banking Group provides a platform
for seven major European cooperative banks to discuss their
strategies, to exchange information and know-how and to en-
gage in combined activities in various segments of the market.
Examples to date are the establishment of the Unico Investment
Fund, the Unico Equity Fund, the Unico Trading Cy. and the vari
ous international financing operations which the member banks
of the Group have been able to accomplish together.
Unico member banks
US$b 710.6
US$b 506.5
US$b 423.6
36,251
293,576
Issue 5/December 13, 1989
Flexible approach Not everything is di-
rected from Utrecht to the offices outside
the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, the
local Rabobanks have a high degree of
freedom. The same is true of the foreign-
based offices. Nillesen: 'Our people
abroad have often previously worked with
other banks. They are frequently surprised
about the flexible, somewhat detached ap
proach of the head office. We discuss a lot
and they have a big say in many matters.
These men and women are not used to
that. Their head offices sent them manu-
als and everything they had to know was in
these.'
Consensus The basic principle is that
Rabobank's specialists, wherever they are
in the world, should contribute to policy. As
Nillesen says, the head office in Utrecht
does not have a monopoly on wisdom: 'If
we were to follow strict guidelines, there
would be a risk of creating conflict situa-
tions. In Utrecht we do everything on the
basis of consensus. First we all have to be
in agreement and then we take another
step forward. That's what actually happens
in 'Foreign Offices' too. We first check
everything out with the offices. That's why
we also have the Managers' conferences.'
Tasks Nillesen and his staff are not
sitting still. That is quite clear. But what,
broadly speaking, does this department
actually do? The department manager lists
the activities one by one: 'Actually, we
have three main tasks: location research,
setting up offices, branches and represen-
tative offices and the liaison function for
the existing offices abroad. But', says
Nillesen, 'in addition we have a number of
typical Utrecht tasks. We do the reporting
for the International Division, are respon-
sible for the budget, the annual plans and
our own automation.'
Exchange Some of the Foreign Offices
Department's activities take place at the
home base in Utrecht. Largely, however,
they extend beyond the frontiers of the
Netherlands. 'Yes, we go to all these of
fices and there you see all kinds of things.
So we are not only concerned with policy
matters. Computer problems, the range of
banking services, personnel aspects, we
deal with everything.' Nillesen gives an
other example. 'In America, we have a very
good disaster recovery plan. It has been
tested and appears to work well. Just how
important that could be is clear after the
San Francisco earthquake. If something
happens in New York we can start providing
a number of elementary banking functions
again within a few hours. We have pre-
sented that plan to the ADCA-Bank in West
Germany, which will start using it next year
after it moves to a new building. And to
London and Singapore. They can use it too.
We show people the possibilities.'
he further unification of Europe
however', according to the Secre-
tary General of the Group Antony
~'k, 'has led to the fact, that at present
,ore emphasis is placed on finding stra
tegie niches, where cooperation between
the member banks in Europe can give us a
competitive edge and lead to an enlarged
service package for the members and
clients of the banks. The traditional strong
local know-how and the large networks of
the banks involved have led to the deci-
sion that, particularly in the field of retail
banking stronger cooperation should be
envisaged.' Other areas of strategie impor-
tance to be considered are in the field of
small and medium-sized companies, capi-
tal markets and securities and communica-
tion. Apart from the more strategically ori-
ented committees, the Group strives to
foster cooperation via a number of other
committees in various segments of the
market. Coordination takes place in the
Standing Secretariat in Amsterdam, where
Tuk is assisted by the Deputy Secretary-
General Mathijs Matthes.
Organization Unico's common policy is
based on decisions of the Steering Com-
mittee, which determines the strategie
policies for Unico. At present Herman Wijf
fels, Chairman of the Executive Board of
Rabobank Nederland, is Chairman of the
Unico's Secretary-General Antony Tuk: 'The Unico
Banking Group is a platform for the cooperative
banks in Europe.
Steering Committee. In addition, Unico has
an Executive Committee, which implements
the policies. Rabobank is represented on
this Committee by Henk Gentis, Deputy
General Manager International Division.
Future As for the future, Tuk empha-
sizes the importance of the fact that in Eu
rope the Group will be able to mobilize the
large network of its members and clients.
'When we succeed in guiding our clients
through Europe via our network, the com
petitive edge which the local banks gain
from the cooperation within Unico Banking
Andelsbanken Danebank, Denmark
CERA Spaarbank, Belgium
Crédit Agricole, France
DG BANK, W.Germany
Okobank, Finland
Rabobank Nederland, The Netherlands
RZB-Austria, Austria
Group will be clearly demonstrated. For the
time being it is therefore important that,
as established in the past, only one bank
per country can be a member of the Group.
There is, however, clear interest on the
part of other banks in participating in the
activities of the Group and I therefore do
not exclude the possibility that in the fore-
seeable future the Group will be enlarged
to include other banks. An expansion out
side Europe should not be excluded in this
respect.'
Training An important aspect in this
field is the training programmes provided
by the Unico Banking Institute. This insti-
tute, which falls within the framework of
the Standing Secretariat, provides the
European cooperative banking community
with international training facilities. The
seminars of the institute, of which Ben van
Tol is Programme Director, supplement the
individual training programmes of the
member banks and stimulate interbank
contact in various spheres of activity. Ac
cording to Tuk, it is to be expected that the
number of training programmes will in-
crease in the years to come as a conse-
quence of further internationalization of
the partner banks individually as well as
together within the framework of the Unico
Banking Group.
Unico Banking
Group
December 31,1988
Group balance
sheet total
Total deposits
Volume of loans
Number of offices
Number of employees
