Raiffeisen: 420 branches in 2009

The Raiffeisen Bank network is to reach 420 branches in 2009, against 265 at the end of 2006, according to the plan announced by the parent bank in Vienna. This will be the most significant network expansion among all subsidiaries in the region. Within Central and Eastern Europe Raiffeisen International’s biggest network is in Ukraine, where it has already taken over 1,312 branches from Bank Aval, and plans to refine its network to 1,278 by 2009. On the Romanian market, Raiffeisen’s territorial network lagged behind its competitors last year, being left behind even by Banca Transilvania’s network, after those of the CEC, the BRD and the BCR respectively. In addition to its branches, Raiffeisen also had 850 ATMs and 6,700 POS-es operating in large retail shops.