Meeting in
CYBERSPACE
Rabobank
What's NewS
Monthly internal newsletter for the Central Banking Sector issue i .January 1996
Every Thursday, Rabobank treasury managers are
gathering in cyberspace. Thanks to an experimental
video conferencing link, coördinators for London, New
York, Singapore and Utrecht can act as if they were
actually in the same room. 'These people talk with each
other all the time,' remarks Theo van Koningsveld; 'the
added value is that they can now see each other as they
speak. It adds a new dimension.' At the end of the three-
month-long experiment, these new dimensions will be
converted into working applications. Some will be bilateral:
two account managers or systems support experts can
confer, see each other, and, most crucially, work on a
document at the same time. Another idea is to videolink
all the A-treasury trading floors, thus breaking down the
barriers of distance, and creating a sense of shared space.
On the photo Bernard Walschots of financial market.
in brief
contents
FAR EAST PRIVATE
BANKING PUSH
The bank is currently engaged
in a major recruitment drive to
bring its private banking
activities up to speed in South
East Asia. Says Rik van
Slingelandt: 'By its very
nature, private banking is
relationship based. If you
want to build the type of
portfolio we're looking for all
over the world, then you have
to do that by recruiting senior
private bankers.' The bank's
aim is to have in place an
ultimate core group of 80
people to cover the region.
'And we expect that group to
bring in portfolios of about
USD 2 billion within two to
three years,' he says. 'We've
already built up a considerable
activity in Switzerland
following the arrival of Heinz
Zimmer. And success breeds
success. We've got real
FX Match is operative. Mars, the
major UK-based food company,
is the bank's first signing for
this electronic confirmation
system on forex and money
market transactions.
impetus in this field and our
new people in the Far East will
keep it that way.'
POLISH PERMISSION
The Polish Central Bank has
formally approved Rabobank's
application for a banking
licence. 'We've just received the
official confirmation,' says
GM Henk Adams, 'and now
we're only waiting for the
foreign exchange licence which
usually takes a little longer.'
The approval brings
Rabobank's formal acquisition
of the Polish agri-industrial
Bank Rolno-Przemyslowy one
step further.
DEAL OF THE YEAR
In case you hadn't heard - the
medium-term US Eximbank
supported transaction has been
designated top deal of 1995
(see What's NewS, issue 6).
Rabobank Argentina provided
the cliënt, Buyatti SAICA. The
trade finance team in New
York picked up the ball and
ran with it. Congratulations to
both teams.
SWEETTALK
This year's now traditional
F&A conference, on sugar and
sweeteners, has been slated for
25 to 27 March. Venue is
Bangkok.
IN THIS MONTH'S
WHAT'S NEWS
Back to the future - review
1995, preview 1996,and the big
bash 3
Down-under special - why
Rabobank Australia is on top 10
Colleagues-in-law - our
unsung legal heroes 14
Raibo do Brazil - licenced to
bank 17
Madrid - see how the office
works 20
Talking heads - the private
side of Rik van Slingelandt 24
...and lots more
