The bottom line
Belgium
introducés
off-balance
products
USA banking
boost
Foreign office
focus
Russian ties
Giving credit its due
Fruitful finance
London calling
Staff communication magazine
for the Rabobank Group
Worldwide, 39,510 Rabo
bank employees input their
energy, expertise and dedi-
cation to make the bank profitable
and further build on its growth.
On March 5, the bank's results
were announced and showjust
how successful they have been.
As the annual report is publish-
ed, we look at the bottom line.
See page 4.
Rabobank's Antwerp office
began off-balance sheet prod
uct trading in mid-February as
part of the bank's ongoing
plans to expand its treasury de-
partment. Rabobank Belgium
already works in the spot, for-
ward and currency markets,
and will be looking at options at
some time in the future.
Rabobank North America's
corporate banking activities are
to be expanded in the near
future following the recruitment
of two new staff members. The
US operation aims to caputre a
larger corporate banking mar-
ket share. See People on page 2.
In the first of a new series,
Raboband International profiles
Rabobank Belgium's activities
on the food and agribusiness
and corporate markets. See
page 3.
Member-bank Huizen played
host to a group of 21 Russian
bankers on a fact-findingtrip to
explore the cooperative sys-
tem. The Russian visitors were
greatly surprised at the level of
automation used in retail bank
ing and at the range of products
on offer to clients. Their Dutch
hosts were equally surprised,
but their amazement had more
to do with the fact that 18 of
their Russian colleagues were
women. The lady bankers said
they would be taking home the
presentation Rabobank neck-
ties for their husbands.
A group of general managers from Rabobank offices all over
the world gathered in Utrecht recently to attend a pilot course
on credit analysis and applications. The aim is to structure and
develop a tailored course for account managers and credit ana-
lysts worldwide to introducé a more consistent and uniform ap-
proach to credit applications based on the strategie policy of
'quality before growth' concept.
'All-round,' says Rabobank
Duta's general manager Henk
Adams, 'I think it has been a
positive experience in two
ways. Not only does a course of
this kind give you a chance to
discuss how we approach credit
applications with people from
other offices, it also allows you
to define a procedure for
making these applications
which will result in sharper risk
and financial analysis and en-
sure their speedy and efficiënt
handling by the credit commit-
tees.'
The course has been designed
specifically for the bank by ex-
ternal advisor Ann Walters in
cooperation with Rabobankers.
'We first identified the bank's
training needs, the subjects
that should be covered and the
course objectives,' says Wal
ters. 'Then we put together the
pilot structure we've used this
week.'
Following evaluation and stream-
lining, the course will be taken
over by the Training Depart
ment in Utrecht which will then
organize around eight week-
long sessions over the next
year for groups of 15 parti-
cipants from the foreign of
fices.
The agri-project finance
team (APFT) and the Washing-
ton-based International Finance
Corporation (IFC) have agreed
to finance a $16-million joint
loan to fund a major new bana-
na plantation in Indonesia.
From the Rabobank's perspec-
tive, a co-financing project of
primary produce outside its
domestic market is rather un-
usual, but the bank's credit
committee agreed to the loan
in view of the strength of the
partners involved in the deal -
the Indonesian Gunung Sewu
Group and Del Monte. See
page 2 for more details.
A group of general man
agers from the largest Rabo-
banks in the Netherlands were
invited to London last month to
experience at first hand the
operations of both a foreign of
fice and a strategie alliance
partner.
The visit was co-organized by
the International Division as
part of its policy of emphasizing
the various facilities on offer to
member banks from Rabobank
offices and strategie alliances
overseas. At Rabobank London,
Cora Gelbstein of the Dutch
Desk outlined how her office
could provide assistance and
support to member banks. Stuart
Cracker, who has justjoined the
bank to establish a new Private
Banking Division, explained how
London is planning to carve out
its own specific niche in this
market. The target group will be
the top of the high net-worth in
dividuals sector who are looking
for professional portfolio man
agement by a solid and repu-
table bank. The member-bank
general managers also heard
presentations from alliance
partner Lloyds Bank and con-
tacts were established for a
series of informative meetings
and cliënt visits in the Nether
lands later this year.
Issue 16/March 22,1993
