Challenges and opportunities in CEE banking industry

Foreign banks, especially Austrian banks, dominate the Central and Eastern European market. But why is it like that? This book points out the challenges (new regulations, changes in technology, competition, etc. ¿) and the opportunities (still existing growth potential due to unsaturated market, etc. ¿) Austrian banks face in CEE. It is pointed out how subsidiaries of Austrian banks perform compared to other banks in CEE. The aim of this book was to find an answer to the following question: Which internal and external factors lead to success or failure of Austrian subsidiary banks in Central and Eastern Europe? There already exists much literature which concentrate on the potential and the difficulties of the CEE market and many reports and journals focus on the effect of foreign banks on domestic competitors. However, in this book more detailed information about the development of Austrian banks in CEE provided. Experts of Austrian banks with subsidiaries in CEE were asked about internal (strengths/weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities/threats) which have impact on their business activities in Central and Eastern Europe. All in all, this book emphasizes which advantages and disadvantages Austrian banks have compared to their competitors and which factors they have to consider in their strategic planning process.