Profits dip at Austrian banking giant RBI

Austrian banking group Raiffeisen Bank International, which has a major presence in central and eastern Europe, said Thursday that net profit fell 20 percent in 2013 to 603 million euros ($831.2 million). The drop was due to higher provisioning for bad loans, including in Russia, higher bank levies and a negative result from derivatives and liabilities, RBI said in a statement. Pre-tax profit was 835 million euros, down 203 million euros, but operating income rose 8.2 percent to 5.7 billion euros and net interest income was up 7.4 percent at 3.7 billion euros. "Our good operating result proves once again that our business model is sound, also in challenging times and despite allowing for high provisions," chief executive Karl Sevelda said. RBI operates in 15 countries with 14.6 million customers.