extra mile
Rabobank International's retail banking operations are quite
diverse. Although business rationale and vision are shared across
the different regions, to leverage profitability, operations are
tailored for the specifïc regional markets. The Australia and
New Zealand operation, set up in 1994, and the bank's first retail
banking business outside the Netherlands, is completely focused
on the F&A market. The businesses in the US, Europe and Asia, on
the other hand, are much closerto the universal banking model,
offering corporate, SME and retail banking services to a much
wider audience.
Each country may demand a different approach, but one thing
remains the same: Rabobank is always willing to go that extra
mile for its clients, no matter where they are, says Cor Broekhuyse,
the head of Rabobank International in the Americas. Broekhuyse
has been responsible for setting up the Australian (since 2002
managed by Bruce Dick, CEO Rabobank Australia New Zealand)
and US retail banking operations, and subsequently oversaw the
launch of retail banking businesses in Chile, Brazil, Mexico and
Canada. The focus on the F&A sector in Australia was logical,
Broekhuyse says, given the bank's expertise. "It's in our genes.
We have so much know-how about financing the F&A industries
that taking that abroad was completely logical. We also acquired
a bank active in the agribusiness sector and immediately promoted
their revolutionary interest-only loan that was perfect for producers
issue 17 THE WORD
