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Rabobank

By: EconomyWatch Content Date: 30 October 2009

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Rabobank is a Dutch financial services provider, established in 1972. Rabobank is a global leader in sustainability-oriented banking. Food and Agribusiness is the core competency of Rabobank globally. Agriculture has always been Rabobank’s primary focus, and is heavily reflected in its banking model. The bank’s roots also lie in agriculture. In 1898, two cooperative banks, the Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Bank in Utrecht and the Coöperatieve Centrale Boerenleenbank in Eindhoven, decided to help each other. The partnership continued till 1972, when the two banks merged with each other to form what is today known as Rabobank.

In 1996, Rabobank spread its roots worldwide and established a new entity, Rabobank International. It opened branches in Europe, North America, Asia and South America. In the process, it acquired four overseas banking institutions:

· ADCA, Germany

· PIBA, Australia

· ACC, Ireland

· Valley Independent Bank, USA

Rabobank has the world’s highest credit rating of AAA, awarded by Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s Investor Services and Dominion Bond Rating Service. Rabobank Nederland is a core component of the Rabobank Group. It supervises the solvency, liquidity and other administrative functions of local branches.

Rabobank: Equity Services

As mentioned before, Rabobank has an AAA credit rating and has an extensive range of financial product offerings. The bank is one of the top banks in the world, with total assets of more than €400 billion.

The bank’s equity services track developments in the global stock markets, implement trading best practices and reduce the risks involved in equity-based trading.

Equity Derivatives: The Equity Derivatives units in Amsterdam and London provide clients with high performance equity and fund-linked products. The units provide comprehensive services on listed products, such as Warrants, Certificates, Convertible Bonds and Reverse Convertibles, Alternative and Mutual Fund Derivatives and Equity Financing Solutions. In addition to these services, the units also provide expertise in alternate investments.

Equity Brokerage: Rabobank’s Equity Brokerage units offer specialized services on shares, stock markets and portfolios for most of the Netherlands and Benelux listed companies. Rabo Securities, which takes care of all brokerage related equity trading, is the first Dutch banking establishment to offer Electronic Order Routing. Rabo Securities keeps tabs on the latest market developments of its institutional investor at any given moment in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium.

In addition to providing financial services to the European and global economies, Rabobank also contributes to sports. The Rabobank cycling team has been one of the most competitive teams in the famous Tour de France annual cycling event. In the 2009 Tour de France, Juan Manuel Garate won Stage 20 of the race. Juan represented the Rabobank team in the event. Rabobank’s legacy in European and global cycling events is unmatched and the bank has built its own niche in sporting circles.