Letter from the Chairman of the Executive Board Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank International AG
Siegfried Grigg
Ladies and gentlemen,
In 2006, the Hypo Group Alpe Adria was able to further consolidate its leading market position in south-eastern Europe. With entry into Hungary and Bulgaria, we have added two additional upand- coming markets to our network, which has been further tightened through the opening of new locations in existing markets. As a consequence, our position as a strong partner to business in the countries of south-eastern Europe has again been strengthened.
The confidence of more than a million customers shows that in 2006, our approach, »Banking Business is People’s Business«, which was adopted over a decade ago, has lost none of its attractiveness and on the contrary, is a decisive factor for success in a globalised world. Absolute customer proximity, which allows us to develop customised solutions, represents a clear assignment for the future.
Although the competition in all our markets has increased markedly, which applies equally to the banking and leasing segments, in the past year, Hypo Group Alpe Adria was nonetheless able to achieve its ambitious sales and liquidity targets and again considerably raise its total assets by 26.2 % to EUR 30.6 billion. Consequently, Hypo Group Alpe Adria continues to be one of the leading financial groups in the region and disposes over great financial strength, which represents a solid basis for further expansion.
In 2007, our number one priority will continue to be additional, dynamic, qualitative and quantitative growth relating to both our existing markets and the expansion of our country portfolio to include new markets in the Alpe-Adria region. The financial framework needed for the systematic pursuit of this expansion course has been created through a capital increase for the Hypo Alpe- Adria-Bank International AG, which in total provide issue revenues of EUR 250 million.
With the start of the 2007 financial year, we are at the beginning of a new and challenging period in our company history. Entry into the Hungarian and Bulgarian markets with leasing companies has extended our radius for action in a region of economic dynamism and strong growth, containing over 70 million people. As a pioneer in this area, which has had a decisive effect on the economic progress in these countries over the past fifteen years, we both wish and intend to benefit from this development. Today, we already dispose over a tightly knit network linking eleven countries in south-eastern Europe. For our customers, this offers an opportunity to profit from the supraregional thinking and international action of the individual companies within the Hypo Group Alpe Adria, that extends beyond all linguistic and national frontiers, and the chance to use this know-how to a significant degree for cross-border activities. We have taken as our objective the strengthening of this network, wherever it will benefit our customers.
Yours sincerely
In 2006, the Hypo Group Alpe Adria was able to further consolidate its leading market position in south-eastern Europe. With entry into Hungary and Bulgaria, we have added two additional upand- coming markets to our network, which has been further tightened through the opening of new locations in existing markets. As a consequence, our position as a strong partner to business in the countries of south-eastern Europe has again been strengthened.
The confidence of more than a million customers shows that in 2006, our approach, »Banking Business is People’s Business«, which was adopted over a decade ago, has lost none of its attractiveness and on the contrary, is a decisive factor for success in a globalised world. Absolute customer proximity, which allows us to develop customised solutions, represents a clear assignment for the future.
Although the competition in all our markets has increased markedly, which applies equally to the banking and leasing segments, in the past year, Hypo Group Alpe Adria was nonetheless able to achieve its ambitious sales and liquidity targets and again considerably raise its total assets by 26.2 % to EUR 30.6 billion. Consequently, Hypo Group Alpe Adria continues to be one of the leading financial groups in the region and disposes over great financial strength, which represents a solid basis for further expansion.
In 2007, our number one priority will continue to be additional, dynamic, qualitative and quantitative growth relating to both our existing markets and the expansion of our country portfolio to include new markets in the Alpe-Adria region. The financial framework needed for the systematic pursuit of this expansion course has been created through a capital increase for the Hypo Alpe- Adria-Bank International AG, which in total provide issue revenues of EUR 250 million.
With the start of the 2007 financial year, we are at the beginning of a new and challenging period in our company history. Entry into the Hungarian and Bulgarian markets with leasing companies has extended our radius for action in a region of economic dynamism and strong growth, containing over 70 million people. As a pioneer in this area, which has had a decisive effect on the economic progress in these countries over the past fifteen years, we both wish and intend to benefit from this development. Today, we already dispose over a tightly knit network linking eleven countries in south-eastern Europe. For our customers, this offers an opportunity to profit from the supraregional thinking and international action of the individual companies within the Hypo Group Alpe Adria, that extends beyond all linguistic and national frontiers, and the chance to use this know-how to a significant degree for cross-border activities. We have taken as our objective the strengthening of this network, wherever it will benefit our customers.
Yours sincerely
Siegfried Grigg
Chairman of the Executive Board of
Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank International AG
