Extracting value from Russia via a stake in Strabag previously owned by Oleg Deripaska shouldn’t be confused with a proper disentanglement from Russia by Raiffeisen. The main impetus for the transaction may, in fact, lie with Deripaska and Strabag’s other shareholders.

The Signa Group of companies is complex, but its problems are simple: debt service costs are going up while property values are going down.

The activist shareholder highlights concerns about a former poster child for private equity ownership of banks.

Bernd Spalt’s rift with his board shows Austria’s biggest bank is still finding its way in the post-Treichl era, even as it outperforms peers.

Emerging Europe has been slow to join the fight against climate change. Now the region’s biggest banking group is making its voice heard.

With consumers and businesses demanding instant access to Covid-19 support financing, the RBI chief executive warns of a backlash against banks.

For 22 years, he has led banking in Austria and across CEE at the helm of Erste Bank. Even as he nears retirement, he is pushing to transform Erste into a ‘financial health company’. Euromoney’s Banker of the Year for 2019 talks about this vision and how digital transformation is at its heart.

Erste’s chief executive built its emerging Europe empire, rescued it after the financial crisis and successfully positioned the group for a sustainable and socially responsible future.

As part of Euromoney's 50th anniversary coverage, we profile some of the biggest names that we interviewed for our May CEE focus.

Andreas Treichl started his banking career in 1977 at Chase Manhattan. From 1986 to 1993, he headed the US bank’s Austrian operation, before moving to Credit Lyonnais in 1993. He became chairman of the board of Erste Bank in 1997 and chief executive of Erste Group in 2008.

CEO says bank liquidity and lavish social spending hamper capital markets development.

Three years ago, Raiffeisen Bank International was on the casualty list – today it is again one of the best-performing banks in Europe. New chief executive Johann Strobl discusses restructuring, regulation and getting back to ‘real banking’.

After a lot of provisioning and restructuring, CEE banks have returns on equity that others can only dream about.