OeKB group's services are diverse, but they have something in common: They help drive the success of our customers and contribute to sustainable development in the economic and social spheres
A broad range of competences for private business and the state
OeKB Group has been strengthening Austria's economy with many services for small, medium-sized and large companies as well as the Republic of Austria since 1946, giving it a special position as a central financial services provider. With its broad range of competences, OeKB Group focuses on five main service areas:
- Export Services
- Capital Market Services
- Energy Market Services
- Development Financing
- Tourism Services
OeKB Group is a public-private partnership, fulfilling its role as a private company on the one hand, and carrying out its mandate from the Republic of Austria on the other.
OeKB in a nutshell (only in German)
Relevant services to make more possible
OeKB Group provides many services that promote economic growth and strengthen Austria as a centre for global competition through its five major business units and its subsidiaries and holdings.
The subsidiaries and holdings include Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG, Acredia Versicherung AG, OeKB CSD GmbH, CCP Austria Abwicklungsstelle für Börsengeschäfte GmbH and Österreichische Hotel- und Tourismusbank Gesellschaft m.b.H (OeHT).
An overview of OeKB Group's business units
Export Services: The safe way to international success
Export and invest abroad - this allows Austria’s companies to grow and secures jobs at home. Authorised by the Republic of Austria, OeKB issues export guarantees to cover payment defaults abroad. Its insurance subsidiaries cover short-term marketable export credit risks. Through commercial banks, as partners of OeKB's Export Services, small, medium-sized and large companies receive attractive financial solutions to help them grow - whether for export transactions, equity-capital financing abroad, or investments at home.
Capital Market Services: Everything regarding securities
All Austrian securities come into contact with the OeKB Group Capital Market Services on multiple occasions during their ‘lifetime’. Among the services provided are a number of statutory tasks, for instance, the running of the legal notification office under the Austrian Capital Markets Act (KMG) and the auctioning of Austrian goverment bonds. All market participants can benefit from our capital market expertise including comprehensive information on domestic and foreign securities, national ISIN allocation and the depositing of securities.
Energy Market Services: Clearing services for electricity and gas
With its Energy Market Services, the OeKB Group makes its decades of know-how in financial clearing and risk management available in the service of the liberalised Austrian energy market: OeKB checks the credit worthiness of market participants and takes over the financial clearing, payment processing and risk management. As a “General Clearing Member” of the “European Commodity Clearing”, the Energy Market Services offers "Non-Clearing Members" their services for spot trading with electricity and gas.
Development financing: For sustainable growth
As the official development bank for the Republic of Austria, the OeKB subsidiary, Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank (OeEB), finances investments for private companies in developing and emerging countries where access to financial products is often lacking. This generates inclusive and sustainable growth which ideally helps improve the living standards of people in these countries. OeKB project-related programmes strengthen the developmental effect of the projects. With low interest loans (soft loans) from the BMF (Ministry of Finance), OeKB can also offer financing for projects with specific requirements in selected developing and emerging countries which are not necessarily financially sound but nevertheless contribute to the development of the recipient country.
Tourism financing: For a strong tourism industry
Tourism is an important economic branch for Austria. OeKB Group offers a variety of services that support companies in the tourism and leisure industry in their growth and in maintaining their competitiveness. Österreichische Hotel- und Tourismusbank (OeHT; Austrian Hotel and Tourism Bank) has been the national point of contact for funding and financing for the tourism and leisure industry since 1947. On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism, it handles the federal funding of commercial tourism. The funding products range from cash grants to the assumption of liability to interest-based loans. OeKB provides tailor-made financing for tourism businesses with a high proportion of overnight stays of foreign tourists.
Frequently Asked Questions
The broad range of services is practical because all of the services have something in common: they promote economic growth and strengthen the Austrian economy in global competition - for example, by covering risks in export business, offering attractive financing, providing approved infrastructure and reliable data for the capital market.
In OeKB Group, Acredia Versicherung AG completes the services for foreign businesses. OeKB Group supports sustainable private sector projects in developing and emerging market countries jointly with the Development Bank of Austria (OeEB). Österreichische Hotel- und Tourismusbank (OeHT) handles the federal funding of commercial tourism on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism. As the Austrian central counterparty, the CCP Austria Abwicklungsstelle für Börsengeschäfte GmbH (CCP.A) performs an important function in the Austrian capital market, as does OeKB CSD GmbH, which is Austria’s central holder of securities.
No, OeKB is 100% privately owned. The owners are commercial banks headquartered in Austria.
The ownership structure of OeKB
However, OeKB carries out some tasks for the Republic of Austria, For instance, it processes the export guarantees for the federation and handles government bond auctions for the state.
Even if the name leads one to believe otherwise, OeKB has no supervisory or controlling function for Austrian banks. These tasks are done by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) which is the independent regulatory authority for Austria's financial market not subject to instruction.
OeKB is a special institution that supports the export economy and capital market with its services and not a credit institution that provides the conventional services for payments, loans and capital transactions. The answer to why OeKB is called the Austrian Control Bank can be found in its history.
No, this is done by commercial banks. OeKB only holds accounts for business customers. These are used exclusively for clearing services from the OeKB Group, for example, in export financing or within the framework of services from OeKB CSD GmbH.
Loans for exports or foreign investments are not issued by OeKB directly. It makes the capital available to the banks, which transfer it to the exporters or foreign investors, and which assumes the bank processing of guarantees for export businesses as the federally authorised agent.