Rabobank has in the past gained valuable knowledge and experience in the Netherlands in the
field of including people in the financial system. The environmental factors at that time are
comparable to the environmental factors that financial institutions in developing countries are
now facing. Rabo Development shares this knowledge with financial institutions in selected
markets in order to support them in their quest to make financial services available to more
people in a sustainable manner.The related focus of Rabo Development is on rural areas and the
agricultural sector, whereby it supports development that has far-reaching impact.
In order to genuinely transfer this knowledge, Rabo Development primarily enters into
partnerships with selected financial institutions in developing countries. It enters into a long-
term commitment by acquiring a minority stake in the financial institutions, supplemented with
the provision of management assistance and technical assistance. Capital is provided in order to
support the bank to achieve further growth and development. Management and technical
assistance are the primary channels for transferring knowledge, for example in the fields of IT,
risks, products and governance.The related aim is for the financial institutions to become leading
and sustainable local retail banks with a clear focus on rural areas.
The activities of Rabo Development are increasingly strengthened by the activities of the
Rabobank Foundation, which focuses on developing and financing groups of small farmers so
that they can continue to invest and grow.
Rabo Development has entered into partnerships with 8 financial institutions. The partner banks
are located primarily in East Africa and Latin America.There is also a partner bank in China.
Read more about this subject here.
Read more about Rabo Development here.
Read more about International cooperation here.
Investing in society: the Netherlands
Rabobank supports a large number of social initiatives in the communities in which we are active.
We allocate 3% of Rabobank Group's annual profit for social not-for-profit initiatives and use our
manpower, knowledge, networks and facilities to support these types of initiatives.
Local Rabobanks in the Netherlands also allocate a portion of their net profit to social investments
each year. We have a name for this type of allocation: 'cooperative dividend'. We paid a total of
EUR 64.8 (69.2) million in cooperative dividend in 2014.
All local Rabobanks in the Netherlands made substantial investments in their operating areas in
this way, resulting in new partnerships and innovative projects. In order to increase the impact
of these initiatives and raise their profile, we decided in 2014 to assign three themes to these
local activities: sustainability, economic vitality and liveability.
One example is a Limburg poultry farmer who discovered that egg yolk contains a substance
that delays the deterioration of eyesight. He went on to establish his own business, Newtricious,
to conduct further scientific research and market a food supplement. Rabobank Horst Venray
initially supported his initiative by paying a cooperative dividend, but the business required
more capital and a more substantial loan. The local Rabobank gave him advice and offered him
a loan. The resulting product named MacuView is now commercially available, backed by
scientific research.
Annual Report 2014 Rabobank Group
