Contents Management report Corporate governance Consolidated financial statements Financial statements Pillar 3
Financial linking pin
The ultimate solution for business financing is not always
an old-fashioned bank loan.The role of private investors is
growing. Last year, Rabobank organised seven 'Meet Grow'
meetings, enabling entrepreneurs to meet a group of local
investors. We are also delving extensively into the phenomenon
of crowdfunding. For example, we are a partner in the
comparison website Fundipal that shows entrepreneurs the way
to crowdfunding initiatives that best meet their business needs.
O Read the story and watch the video about our client
Active Ants
O Read more about Meet Grow
Higher loan, less interest
Many business owners could use a little boost.That's why in 2015
we signed with our leasing subsidiary DLL and the European
Investment Bank an agreement to support Dutch companies.
Thanks to this credit facility a total of 400 million euros will be
available.This money is distributed among approximately 300
companies who receive an interest discount on their funding.
This facility is intended to encourage Dutch companies that
need investment to develop.The total amount is split between
Rabobank and DLL, who lend 200 million euros each.
The New Shopping Street
Changing habits, increasing competition and lack of distinctive
character are impacting on the Dutch retail sector and therefore
on shopping areas and city centres. Along with the platform De
Nieuwe Winkelstraat (The New Shopping Street') we are taking
on our role of finding solutions to these problems. For example,
we talk with shopkeepers, restaurateurs, property owners
and municipalities. Fifty of our local Rabobanks participate in
these meetings.
O Read more: A silent revolution right on the shop's doorstep
Insight for entrepreneurs
Through our Knowledge App and the website www.
cijfersentrends.nl website, we continuously provide Dutch
entrepreneurs insight into current developments in their
sectors. In the BenchmarkTool entrepreneurs can compare their
own financial performance with that of their peers. In addition,
we discuss sustainability services with our larger business
customers, to share our knowledge about this and to support
them in taking the next step.
O Read more about sustainability
We offer a site full of tips to new entrepreneurs:
www.ikaastarten.nl.This page attracted around 130,000 unique
visitors per month in 2015. We are a partner of the online
platform www.Port4GrowthnIwhich focuses on the exchange
of knowledge between entrepreneurs.
O Read more about start-ups
6 Agriculture and food
FHealthy common sense and entrepreneurial instinct are
innate at Rabobank. We have long had the broadest portfolio
of customers in global food and agri, with the vast majority
of customers in the Dutch agriculture sector. We are happy
to share our large amount of high-level knowledge of the
markets with our customers.This also applies to our networks.
For example, we help customers do smarter business and make
a greater contribution to the economy.
Banking for Food
Do we have enough to eat in the coming years for everyone
on earth?This question affects us all.The global population is
growing and becoming more prosperous. This will increase food
demand by 2050 by sixty per cent. Businesses in agriculture and
the food chains will thus have to produce more, with fewer raw
materials. Only in this way can they ensure sustainable food
production and a healthy economic situation in the long-term.
Banking for Food is Rabobank's vision for food security and the
bank's role in this. Fiere we combine our in-depth knowledge
of food and agri, our global network and our customer focus.
We serve the entire food chain: from small farmers to mega
companies, from the kitchen to the boardroom, from grower
to supermarket chain. Our specialists share their industry
knowledge, consulting power and solution-oriented approach
with our customers in over forty countries.
Exchanging knowledge
We are constantly expanding our knowledge of the food
chain through contact with customers and interest groups.
In 2015, for example, we announced a partnership with
UC Davis, a university in California with a world-renowned
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. We will
exchange knowledge and carry out studies together. We are
strengthening our collaboration with the Nuffield Farming
Scholarship.This Australian institute wants to make the
agriculture sector more dynamic and innovative. Nuffield offers
experienced farmers the opportunity to explore an important
topic thoroughly. It starts with a scholarship, but Nuffield also
opens doors to relevant companies, experts and knowledge
78 Rabobank Annual Report 2015
