Portrait
Raiffeisen’s cooperative model guarantees that all banks within the Group and the cooperative members of each Raiffeisen bank can have a say in its running and share in its success. Raiffeisen operates nationally, with regional roots, positioning it close to its clients. As a cooperative bank, Raiffeisen connects people and creates added value – for clients, members, employees, the environment and society.
Cooperative by conviction
Strong local roots
The Raiffeisen Group now consists of 220 Raiffeisen banks with a cooperative structure. Each of them operates within their defined geographical area. The money stays in the region to the benefit of the local economy. Raiffeisen banks also demonstrate social commitment. Raiffeisen supports local associations, social institutions and cultural events in a way no other banking group does. Raiffeisen banks are also major taxpayers in their respective municipalities. In the year under review, Raiffeisen granted more than CHF 225 million to local communities and associations – partly through local sponsorship and donations, partly through taxes.
Raiffeisen also performs an important task as an employer with more than 11,000 employees. It sees meaningful activity, responsibility and initiative as the key elements of a socially responsible corporate policy.
The money stays in the region to the benefit of the local economy.
Attractive member benefits
Anyone who owns a share certificate will become a co-owner of their regional Raiffeisen bank. The cooperative members have voting rights and elect the executive bodies. They help decide on the further development of their Raiffeisen bank and benefit from its success. Members can also secure additional benefits. The share certificates earn an attractive interest rate. The museum pass, which grants free entry to over 500 museums in Switzerland, was again the most popular member benefit in the year under review, with around one million admissions. Raiffeisen members ordered more than 170,000 discounted tickets for concerts, festivals and events in 2022. In total, cooperative members enjoyed benefits worth CHF 140.7 million in 2022.
In the year under review, the members of the Raiffeisen banks enjoyed benefits worth CHF 140.7 million.
In 2022, the Raiffeisen community was able to welcome around 38,000 new members. There are now more than two million cooperative members actively shaping the Raiffeisen Group. This makes Raiffeisen the largest cooperative bank in Switzerland.
Raiffeisen is the largest cooperative bank in Switzerland.
Our vision
Raiffeisen defines the framework for what it does by the vision “Raiffeisen – the innovative cooperative bank that connects people”. The banking group inspires its clients with unique solutions. It is enhancing its proximity to clients and connecting people in Switzerland, in person and digitally. By putting its cooperative values into practice on a sustainable basis, Raiffeisen creates added value together with its cooperative members, its clients and its employees.
Connecting people means linking them both online and in person.
Our values
Raiffeisen acts in line with its cooperative values and its business policy is open and fair. The focus is on the cooperative members. They are involved in determining how their bank develops, resulting in exceptional proximity to clients. True to its origins, Raiffeisen wants to provide easy access to banking services for everyone. This will remain so in future.
Raiffeisen’s business policy is open and fair.
The cooperative values
Democracy
Joint ownership and participation – where every member has a vote – is the democratic essence of the cooperative. Decisions are reached democratically.
Solidarity
Mutual support and joint and several liability are, from a historical perspective, achievements of the cooperative movement. Ultimately, solidarity is based on mutual trust.
Liberality
We tackle tasks together, with self-motivation and self-reliance. Liberality emphasises the independence of the cooperative banks.
The entrepreneurial values
Credibility
We do what we say and keep our promises. We are credible in that our actions are reliable and consistent, and we reach transparent decisions.
Entrepreneurship
We take responsibility for our actions at all levels. We act independently, responsibly and entrepreneurially.
Sustainability
For us, sustainability means acting responsibly as a company and considering the ecological and social impact of our activities, in addition to the economic aspects. As a responsible financial institution with a cooperative structure, we aim to continuously boost our sustainability performance.
Proximity
Raiffeisen banks are rooted in the local population. They know and understand their clients. They have a local/regional focus and integrate into the market.
Areas of business and expertise
In the private client business, almost half of the Swiss population relies on the expertise of Raiffeisen banks in the pension and investment, and home and financing segments.
In the corporate client business, Raiffeisen can provide products and total solutions for financing, payments, trading in interest rates, currencies and precious metals, transactions in the money and capital markets, and corporate finance services.
Within the Raiffeisen Group, the Corporate Clients, Treasury & Markets department is also responsible for the management, intra-Group transfer and procurement of liquidity. It ensures access to the financial markets and, as a centre of competence, it offers financial market products and services across the Group.
Markets and clients
Private clients
In Switzerland, more than 3.64 million people and one company in three are Raiffeisen clients.
Corporate clients
Structure and governance
Raiffeisen Switzerland takes care of the strategic management of the entire Raiffeisen Group and creates the framework conditions for the business activities of the Raiffeisen banks. Raiffeisen Switzerland is responsible for risk management, liquidity and capital ratios, and refinancing for the entire Group. Raiffeisen Switzerland also takes on treasury, trading and transaction activities in the role of a Central Bank.
An important part of the governance newly established in 2019 is the owners’ committees: the Owners’ Meeting, Raiffeisen Bank Council, Expert Committee Coordination and the expert committees. The owner strategy brings together the interests, positions and expectations of the Raiffeisen banks as owners in relation to Raiffeisen Switzerland.
For more on the Raiffeisen cooperative, see the magazine covering the 2022 financial year (german only)