The Russia
house
Rabobank
International
What's NewS
Issue 11 November 1996
As the bank finalizes its rep office licence application in
Moscow, the Russians have actually come to the bank in
Utrecht. The Minister of Agriculture, Viktor Khlystun,
looked on as RIAS, our consultancy subsidiary, the
Russian Agroprombank and Interagrofond signed a joint
venture agreement to set up an advisory service there.
Although the new enterprise is still lacking a name, its
goals are firmly established. Agroprombank, Russia's
dedicated F&A bank with an extensive nationwide
network, and Interagrofond, which provides guarantees
for finance for the agricultural sector, will represent a
strong framework for the application of RI's own
expertise. Services soon to be availabie in Russia include
privatization and restructuring, business and investment
planning, marketing strategy and technological
development, management support and consultancy, and
- perhaps most interesting for the rest of the network -
advice on business partner selection.
For more on our Russian connection, see page 11.
Standing: Herman Wijffels (left) and mr. E.V. Ulyanov, president of
Interagrofond. SittingdViktor Khlystun (right) and Gerard van Empel.
in brief "*)-
contents
FURTHER EXPANStON
FOR ZURICH
A new team of investment
managers have joined the
private bankers in Zurich
following our acquisition of
Gutzwiller Partner Grüppe
AG last September. The nine-
person GUPA team, now
renamed Rabo Investment
Management AG, has been
engaged in independent
portfolio management and
enjoyed a solid reputation in
the market. They bring to our
Swiss activities their existing
cliënt base and, says general
manager, Heinz Zimmer, 'we
expect to see an ongoing
significant increase in assets
under management front these
activities, not least because we
have opted to offer very
flexible services to clients.'
This flexibility means that
clients who are happy with
existing relationships at other
private banking suppliers can
make full use of Rabo Invest's
expertise and portfolio
management skills - without
changing their existing
relationship. 'Of course, we
would rnuch prefer clients to
give us all their business,'
Zimmer says. 'But private
banking is very relationship
dependent and we understand
Latin America holds its first
ever corporate finance meeting
in late November - more next
issue.
that. A cliënt can be satisfied
with the relationship, but
perhaps less happy with
performance. By offering
services, such as portfolio
management, we can provide
added value. It is a very
specific selling point and in
this sense it is unique.'
GUPA has been highly
successful in the market but
elected to move under the
Rabobank umbrella as a full
subsidiary for a number of
reasons. The first is that our
name enhances both image and
credibility in the market. 'But a
second, and equally important
reason,' says Zimmer, is that
this team can now draw on
our considerable resources and
capabilities.'
WHAT'S NEW THIS
MONTH?
Working relations - from
grass roots to city slick 3
Rl organization - head
office 7
EMU - the bank's on the
money12
Going green - sustainable
development in the
bank 14
Talking heads - chairman
Herman Wijffels in the hot
seat 16
i
