Hypo Group Alpe Adria’s banking and leasing segments operate transnationally, employing over 6,100 people at more than 350 locations in 11 countries in the extended Alps to Adriatic region. The geographical expansion of the Austria-based finance group means that it now extends from the affluent countries at the heart of the European Union via the dynamic economies of the new EU member states to the emerging economies of Southern and Eastern European EU candidate countries. Hypo Group Alpe Adria’s role as a pioneer in this region, coupled with its distinctive corporate philosophy, have enabled the Group establish a unique position for itself in South Eastern Europe. Thinking internationally and managing transnationally have long been part of the corporate culture at Hypo Group Alpe Adria and second nature to its staff, while otherwise the new Europe was only gradually beginning to learn about integration in the 1990s.