The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was established in 1991 to help build a new, post-Cold War era in Central and Eastern Europe. It has since played a historic role and gained unique expertise in fostering change in the region - and beyond. Uniquely for a development bank, the EBRD has a political mandate in that it assists only those countries ‘committed to and applying the principles of multi-party democracy and pluralism’.
Safeguarding the environment and a commitment to sustainable energy are also central to the EBRD’s activity.
The KfW, formerly KfW Bankengruppe (banking group), is a German government-owned development bank, based in Frankfurt. Its name originally comes from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau ("Reconstruction Credit Institute"). It was formed in 1948 after World War II. It is owned by the Federal Republic of Germany (80 percent) and the States of Germany (20 percent).[4] It is led by a six-member Managing Board headed by Ulrich Schröder, which in turn reports to a 37 member Supervisory Board. The chair of the Supervisory Board changes annually between the German Federal Ministers of Finance and Economic Affairs.
The Austrian Raiffeisen bank group is the biggest bank group of the country. Nearly every second Austrian is a customer of a Raiffeisenbank. The Austrian Raiffeisengenossenschaften have adapted themselves in the course of this time to the changed economic-political and society-political basic conditions without giving up, however, her proven principles.
