The future bank: ABN AMRO + Fortis Bank Nederland
The Dutch Ministry of Finance has announced that after separation from their respective holdings, the state-owned businesses of ABN AMRO and Fortis Bank Nederland will be merged into a new and strong Dutch bank, led by former Dutch Minister of Finance, Gerrit Zalm.
The combined bank will be called ABN AMRO and at the moment has a pro forma presence in 33 countries and territories, employing over 33,000 people, of whom 5,000 are outside the Netherlands.
Before the banks can put their integration plans into practice, they need to obtain the approval of the European Commission, the Dutch State, the Dutch Central Bank (De Nederlandsche Bank - DNB) and the relevant foreign regulators. For reasons of fair competition, the European Commission requires the sale of a part of the business clients activities in the Netherlands. This so called ‘Remedy’ should be fulfilled before 6 July 2009.
What the new combined bank will stand for
ABN AMRO and Fortis Bank Nederland will create a new, combined and independent bank. They will build on their entrepreneurship, their professionalism and their experience abroad. The new entity wants to be a bank that always puts its clients first; a bank that understands and supports clients in achieving their ambitions; a financial services provider that shows integrity and keeps to its promises. It wants to build enduring relationships with its clients. The bank is willing to invest in its clients, and never take risks it doesn’t understand. In short: it will be a bank for the clients – a bank intent on achieving healthy returns, a bank with ambitions, but without pretensions.
The divisions of the future bank
Fortis Bank Nederland and ABN AMRO are banks with a long history. We want to retain and promote the best of both banks, while making an enduring relationship with our clients our top priority. The new, combined bank will be composed of businesses that fit together perfectly and that allow us to serve our retail, private and commercial clients well. We will focus on the segments and markets in which our strengths lie.
Retail Banking
The new retail bank will be a very large player in the Dutch market, offering expertise, professional advice and world-class products to retail clients at all stages of their lives. The focus is on attaining high customer satisfaction and providing products and services tailored to the specific needs of our clients.
Clients should experience added value in every contact they have with the bank and be offered excellent service via a multi-channel distribution network. The network includes a 24/7 telephone service provided by the customer contact centre, an extensive online banking service and a streamlined network of bank branches throughout the Netherlands.
The retail bank is active in the areas of assets (savings and investment), housing (mortgages), lending, insurance and payments. Our products and services rank among the best in the market and are transparent and straightforward. It also offers investors various products distributed by other banks and insurers.
Private Banking
The Private Banking business will be active in 14 countries and territories. It will build on our market leadership in the Netherlands and our strong, mainly European, international presence. We occupy key local positions in a number of European countries and in the relevant international private banking centres. Asia is our growth market, where we serve clients from a select number of locations. The private bank offers our high-net-worth clients the personal attention and service their financial position requires, which also serves to safeguard the continuity of the client-bank relationship.
Private Banking offers investment advice, discretionary portfolio management, financial planning and international estate planning. Where personal and professional financial needs overlap, we offer the unique Enterprise & Entrepreneur concept to entrepreneurs, their families and their businesses.
The private bank will conduct its operations in the Netherlands, Curaçao and Guernsey under the name ABN AMRO MeesPierson, while the brand names currently in use elsewhere – ABN AMRO Private Banking, Neuflize OBC and Delbrück Bethmann Maffei – will be retained.
Private Banking International will also include the International Diamond & Jewelry Group (ID&JG).
Commercial & Merchant Banking
The new Commercial & Merchant Banking business will be the market leader in the Netherlands for large commercial clients and will hold a number two-position for SMEs, but its ambitions go further. The group wants to be the primary bank for companies based in the Netherlands and for their businesses abroad. Its goal is to create a long-standing relationship that encompasses a broad range of products and services. It also holds a number of leading positions in global, specialist markets such as Energy, Commodities & Transportation and Brokerage, Clearing & Custody.
Commercial & Merchant Banking will offer an integrated package of services through its own network of offices in western Europe and financial centres worldwide, covering 80-90% of our Dutch clients’ international needs. It also teams up with other banks in its efforts to serve clients across the globe.
Energy, Commodities & Transportation offers standard and structured bank products and services to clients who are active worldwide in sectors such as commodity finance and shipping.
Brokerage, Clearing & Custody boasts an integrated service package for professional parties, such as market makers and professional traders, and is among the world’s biggest players in this market – and one of the few to offer global market access and clearing on more than 60 of the world’s main exchanges.