Strategy
Strategic Framework 2013-2016:
cooperative, robust and sustainable
Rabobank wants to be nearby its customers, be at the heart of society
and focus on sustainable development. Its banking products and services
should be as simple as possible and meet actual client needs. Rabobank
engages in universal relationship banking, both in the Netherlands and
abroad. It wishes to continue do so, based on its cooperative identity and
principles. Our employees have a key part to play in achieving this.
Among other things, a robust bank must have adeguate capital and
liguidity buffers. In order to achieve this, the reserves must continue to grow
and the amounts due to customers must grow faster than the bank's
lending. Measures have been taken in order to effect the desired changes.
The ambitions for the local Rabobanks and Rabobank Nederland have been
further elaborated in the Vision 2016 programme. An important element in
this is that the costs of the domestic retail banking division have to fall from
EUR 4.5 billion in 2011 to EUR 4 billion in 2016. A new sustainability strategy
has also now been formulated. Although Rabobank will look different in 2016,
it will still be a cooperative, robust and sustainable bank.
Strengthening our cooperative nature
Based on its cooperative origins and structure, Rabobank puts the customer's interests at the
heart of its service provision, with a focus on the long term. On the basis of its cooperative
principles, Rabobank always strives to help its clients in a responsible way, especially in times of
economic difficulty. The cooperative identity needs to be strengthened in order to maintain our
distinctive profile. Rabobank is thus developing initiatives designed to increase the influence
and involvement of its members. In December 2013, the Central Delegates Assembly decided
that Rabobank should more explicitly link its cooperative mission to its banking services.
This starts with the financial services provided to customers on a daily basis, but increased
participation in local and virtual networks is also required.
Catering to the Dutch market
In the Netherlands, Rabobank's ambition is to offer its customers suitable products from a
position of strength. Sufficient scale is needed for successful product development and
innovation, and to be able to operate efficiently. Its market leading position in the Netherlands
enables Rabobank to achieve the required scale. Rabobank is the market leader in savings, in
SMEs, in the wholesale segment and in the food and agri market. Rabobank intends to maintain
these leading positions and strengthen its position selectively in areas where its ambitions have
not yet been realised. Although Rabobank's share of the mortgages market declined in 2013,
with the local Rabobanks and Obvion it still has a strong position in this market.
18 Annual Report 2013 Rabobank Group
