Wiebe Draijer
Our impact on society
Chairman of the Board
When people ask me what makes
Rabobank different from other banks,
I answer that it is our purpose as a
meaningful cooperative.
Of course, we are a banking business first
and foremost. And like all businesses, if the
basics aren't right, our customers will go
elsewhere. Our results for 2017 show that
we're doing the basics better than ever:
The Rabo Banking App in the Netherlands
has 4.6 stars in the Apple App store,
our digital reliability is 99.9%, our Net
Promotor Score has increased over the last
five years, and our products are relevant,
competitive and increasingly innovative.
From these foundations Rabobank
customers can choose to do all their
banking business online. Or they can
choose to have a conversation with one of
our advisers: professionals who understand
the customers personal or business
context and are part of their communities
and networks. They offer advice supported
by Rabobank's research expertise and
sector knowledge, embodying the
meaningful cooperative for our customers
in the Netherlands and around the world.
The final distinguishing factor of Rabobank
is our mission, Growing a better world
together.This is about being a meaningful
cooperative with strategies in place to
contribute to welfare and prosperity in
the Netherlands and using our leading
position in global Food Agri to help
resolve the global food issue.
We want existing and potential customers
to know that we are not just a bank that
does things right, but one that also does
the right thing, and does it well. We dare to
take a stand on issues that are important
to our customers. Our purpose is to help
improve the world by focusing on those
themes that are within our sphere of
influence. We combine finance, knowledge,
networks and partnerships so we can be
more than just a bank.
In 2017, local Rabobanks in the
Netherlands invested EUR 38.9 million in
local projects through the cooperative
dividend. Once again in 2017, Rabobank
Foundation, an independent foundation
set up by Rabobank over 40 years ago,
helped thousands of small farmers in
developing countries to achieve financial
self-reliance. The FAO acknowledged
Rabobank Foundation's long-term efforts
with the Jacques Diouf award. As part of
our efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable
Development Goals, we continued our
partnership with WWF and we joined the
World Business Council for Sustainable
Development. In October, we launched
the new mission Growing a better world
together and immediately partnered with
the UN Environment Programme in our
Kickstart Food programme through the
launch of a USD 1-billion facility to catalyse
sustainable food production. These are just
some examples of what it means to be a
meaningful cooperative.
