[REVISION HISTORY]

Raiffeisen Bank International Russian legal disputes andexit

4 recorded revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-05 11:50 UTC → 2026-10-22 18:15 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) ~~is navigating significant legal~~ continues to navigate legal, regulatory, and ~~regulatory~~ strategic challenges ~~involving~~ regarding its Russian operations. ~~Initially, the bank faced scrutiny following a report~~ Following allegations by Grizzly Research ~~alleging~~ that RBI’s Russian subsidiary facilitated ~~trade transactions worth~~ $1.191 billion in trade transactions involving restricted ~~goods.~~ goods, RBI rejected ~~these claims, describing them~~ the claims as containing “numerous misleading statements and factual errors.” ~~Regarding its legal disputes,~~ While the report caused an 8% to 9% drop in RBI ~~secured~~ shares, Petrus Advisers Ltd. supported the bank, describing the report as “fact-poor and lacking substance.” In a ~~victory in~~ significant legal development, a ~~Vienna court where~~ default judgment by the Vienna Regional Court for Civil Matters ~~awarded the bank~~ has become legally binding, awarding RBI and its ~~Russian~~ subsidiary, AO Raiffeisen, approximately 3.15 billion euros in ~~damages. This award covers seized funds in Russia, lost interest, and legal costs following~~ damages from Rasperia Trading Limited. Rasperia, a Kaliningrad-based holding company linked to sanctioned billionaire Oleg Deripaska, failed ~~2023 transaction involving Strabag shares.~~ to appeal the ruling. RBI intends to recover these funds by ~~targeting Rasperia Trading’s~~ petitioning the Financial Market Authority (FMA) to release frozen assets in Austria, including 28.5 million Strabag shares and accumulated dividends. ~~While these assets are currently frozen under EU sanctions, RBI may petition the Financial Market Authority (FMA) to release them for liquidation if the ruling~~ The FMA is ~~upheld following any appeals. In terms of long-term strategy, RBI~~ expected to reach a decision within several months. Strategically, CEO Michael Höllerer has reaffirmed ~~the bank’s intention to exit the Russian market, stating~~ that maintaining Russian operations ~~there~~ is “no longer sustainable in the long term.” However, he noted that a complete withdrawal ~~faces significant hurdles, including~~ remains complicated by the ~~requirement~~ need for various approvals, ~~such as~~ including those from the Kremlin. Separately, RBI is expanding its digital services through a group-wide partnership with Bitpanda. This agreement aims to allow RBI’s network of banks to offer cryptocurrency trading to approximately 18 million customers across 11 markets in Central and Eastern Europe, with initial rollouts expected in the first half of 2027.

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