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MEGA INTERVIEW
to establish Sparkasse in each country, also want to build our market position
including Macedonia.
In this respect, how do you coor-
dinate your strategy with Erste Bank,
one of your main shareholders?
G. Fabisch: Our strategy for the
Western Balkans is closely aligned
with Erste Bank, especially due to the
fact that it is partner of the banks in ket share of about 10%. Our Macedo-
Croatia and Serbia. Moreover, Steier-
märkische Sparkasse and Erste Bank
in Austria are in close cooperation,
which for us is an advantage because
together we bear the costs of develop-
ing new products. This form of connec-
tion has many advantages, but it inevi- finance the Macedonian economy and
tably leads to close cooperation among
all partners.
Overall, what would you point out
as key strengths of the Steiermärkische
Sparkasse-Group?
G. Fabisch: Strengths of Sparkasse
are its long-term sustainability, high
security, stability of the Sparkasse
Group and the high confidence we en-
joy among our customers. It is in our
interest to provide long-term support
for our customers in good and in bad
times, by which we earn a bonus of
trust. We have high banking expertise
with a long history. We gladly share
our experiences in the business rela-
tions with customers.
Sparkasse Bank Macedonia is a
member of your banking Group. How
do you assess your presence in the
Macedonian banking market so far?
G. Fabisch: Our subsidiary in Mace-
donia is a medium to small bank, but
perfectly matches the highest banking
standards. Product quality, core capi-
tal, risk management, skilled staff and ability and stability, which is certainly
organization, essentially correspond
to a Western European bank. Now we
want to grow from this reliable basis,
and to become a good partner for the
Macedonian customers. However, we
and pursue a market share of about
10%.
What are your expectations from
Sparkasse Bank Macedonia for the fu-
ture? Where do you see it in a medium
run?
G. Fabisch: We aim to achieve a mar-
nian customers enjoy the advantages
of using the Western European bank-
ing expertise and, additionally, they
can use the contacts with our bank
subsidiaries in other Balkan countries.
We have enough liquidity and equity to
we look forward to the joint invest-
ment projects with our customers in
Macedonia.
Let us conclude this interview with
a personal question. You come from
the Province of Styria in Austria where
the headquarters of Steiermärkische
Sparkasse are located and you have
been only with this bank during your
professional career so far. What kind
of unique value does this give to you?
G. Fabisch: Steiermärkische Spar-
kasse for me has always been a special
bank because, according to its model
of operation, it cooperates extensively
with customers, thus showing high
interest in offering support for them.
Moreover, the expansion of Steier-
märkische Sparkasse to the Western
Balkans was a particularly interesting
phase, which for me personally, was
very exciting. Moreover, the banking
crisis has shown how stable Sparkasse
is and that hard work in recent years
has paid off, after all. And finally, may-
be my 30 years of experience in Steier-
märkische Sparkasse present the reli-
very important for the Bank.
Thank you for the interview.
Zoran Jovanovski
September 2016 21