Commerzbank Posts Clear Growth in the Netherlands

FRANKFURT, Germany, October 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• 15 per cent rise in number of corporate clients
• Survey sees top marks for German companies
• Commerzbank celebrates 40^th anniversary in the Netherlands

Last year Commerzbank posted considerable growth in its corporate client business in the Netherlands. The number of German companies whose subsidiaries in the Netherlands are clients of Commerzbank increased by some 15 per cent to 680. "We have achieved our own targets with this growth. Through to 2017 we want to attain a figure of 750 here," said Country Manager Dirk Dreiskämper at a press conference in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Commerzbank was also able to increase the number of multinational Dutch clients with subsidiaries in Germany to 50, a rise of 10 per cent. Germany is the most important trading partner for the Netherlands. In return, the Netherlands is Germany's most important partner after France.

The country has traditionally also been of great significance for Commerzbank: Germany's second-largest bank opened its doors in the Netherlands 40 years ago. To mark the occasion the Bank had invited numerous clients, business partners, and employees, as well as representatives from the world of politics and society, to an anniversary reception in the Hermitage Amsterdam Museum on Tuesday. "We are proud that we have already been represented in this wonderful country for four decades already," said Mr Dreiskämper. That German products also enjoy a high reputation in the Netherlands is revealed by a recent survey conducted by Commerzbank. In the survey German companies represented through their own sites in the Netherlands state that they have observed that German brands enjoy a high reputation there. Nearly as important, according to the survey, is the fact that a German company controls the production process. Whether a product is actually manufactured in Germany or in another country is of less importance for customers, state the surveyed companies. "The quality seal 'Made in Germany' continues to be an asset, but it is now supplemented by the appreciation for 'Managed in Germany'," explained Mr Dreiskämper. Also pleasing, he added, was the fact that no specific difficulties in the international cooperation between Germany and the Netherlands were articulated in the study.

Commerzbank has for many years been the market leader in Germany for business with small- and medium-sized companies; following the integration of the former Dresdner Bank in 2011 it is represented in more than 50 countries with some 60 sites. Worldwide it has more than 5,000 correspondent relationships, and is thus an international leader. The merger here in the Netherlands was also a major step towards the internationalisation of the corporate client business. Commerzbank is now able to offer a range of products and services in corporate and investment banking. The objective of Commerzbank in the Netherlands is to achieve core bank status with Dutch corporate clients. The Bank is becoming the number one among the international banks for major Dutch companies with ties to Germany and for those doing cross-border business.

Commerzbank has been present in the Dutch market in corporate client business to date. Its business model is based on the traditional business relationship to clients through loans, liquidity control, and payment transactions. Furthermore, Commerzbank offers companies direct access to the capital market and accompanies them in their international activities. "Our Corporate Sales Team acts as a dedicated solutions provider in the risk management of our clients such as Dutch multinationals and subsidiaries of German groups," said Mireille Meens, Head of Corporate Sales Western Europe in Commerzbank Corporates & Markets. "We service transactional hedging requirements in the FX, interest rate, and commodities management on a day-to-day basis."

The overall context of international business gets more complex every day, with more regulatory changes imposed to the corporates, too. The corporate sales team focusses on assisting Commerzbank's clients with a holistic approach of risks analysis and by delivering tailor-made solutions. The Corporate Solutions group offers independent and product neutral consultation, starting with the identification and measurement of the global risks and designing the most appropriate solutions considering the risks-rewards and the corporate's hedging strategy. For example, Commerzbank has been working on cross-border acquisition financings, with specific focus on the optimal currency and duration risk profile, such as Asset Liability Management (ALM) that was carried out in cooperation with various Investment Banking experts from Corporate Finance, Loan and Rating Advisory. In other cases, the Bank has been working with corporate treasurers to present interest rate policy coping with business cyclicality and leverage. On another extreme, Commerzbank helped companies to manage exposures they have on equity - either related to employees' stock option plans or dilution derived from acquisition.

Through the cooperation between the two segments Mittelstandsbank and Corporates & Markets (CM), the investment banking arm of Commerzbank, clients have a one-stop shop for all financial services and products. Corporates & Markets can assist clients, both Corporates and Institutionals, with access to the capital markets, financing solutions, hedging and investment products, as well as advisory services. CM also supports its clients with capital measures (equity, debt, and hybrid instruments), handling the placement of the related securities and secondary market trading, mergers and acquisitions, as well as hedging instruments and investment strategies across all asset classes.

About Commerzbank

Commerzbank is a leading bank in Germany and Poland. It is also present worldwide in all markets for its customers as a partner to the business world. With the business areas Private Customers, Mittelstandsbank, Corporates & Markets and Central & Eastern Europe, it offers its private and corporate clients as well as institutional investors the banking and capital market services they need. With some 1,200 branches Commerzbank has one of the densest branch networks among German private banks. In total, Commerzbank boasts nearly 15 million private customers, as well as 1 million business and corporate clients. In 2012, it generated revenues of just under EUR 10 billion with approximately 56,000 employees on average.

Disclaimer

This release contains statements concerning the expected future business of Commerzbank, efficiency gains and expected synergies, expected growth prospects and other opportunities for an increase in value of the company as well as expected future net income per share, restructuring costs and other financial developments and information. These forward-looking statements are based on the management's current expectations, estimates and projections. They are subject to a number of assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and developments to differ materially from any future results and developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Commerzbank has no obligation to periodically update or release any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Press contact:
Martin Halusa: +49-170-8528638
Tim Seifert: +49-69-136-81771