Global Finance names «The World`s Best Internet Banks»  — RZB Group wins six awards.

High-profile jury awarded RZB Group the title"Best Consumer WebSite Design in Europe" as well as local awards for Austria, Croatia,Poland and Slovakia.

In its September issue, Global Financemagazine willannounce the winners of its"World`s Best Internet Banks" competition. Aworld-class judging panel consisting of Internet banking experts fromBearing Point,Deloitte, Tata InfotechandTowerGroupchose the winners. The Internet services of the RZB Group were selectedas winners of six awards, e.g."Best Consumer Web Site Design inEurope", both the Consumer and Corporate Award for Austria, as well ascountry awards for Croatia, Poland and Slovakia. The Global winners andthe continental winners for the categories"Best Corporate/InstitutionalInternet Banks" and"Best Consumer Internet Banks" will be announced atan Awards Ceremony in New York on 19 October and published in themagazine`s December issue.

The consistent utilization of the opportunities provided by theInternet and e-business is one of the core business strategies of theRZB Group."We are considered to be the leading Internet-orientedbanking group in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe and, therefore,are proud that the high quality of our Internet services has once againbeen recognized by an independent jury", says Walter Rothensteiner,Chairman of the Board of Management ofRaiffeisen ZentralbankOesterreich AG(RZB).

RZB provides a comprehensive range of Internet products andservices. These include finance portals, electronic banking, regionalwebsites, cash management, guarantee business, e-custody and research.RZB was the first financial institution to introduce most of thesee-products in Austria and the markets of Central and Eastern Europe(CEE). Security and user-friendliness, clear navigation, consistentdesign and speed are the common features of the RZB Group`s websites.

"Banks around the world have continued to refine and expand theirInternet offerings to corporate and private customers", says Joseph D.Giarraputo, publisher of Global Finance."The sophistication and utilityof the sites represented in this year`s award winners is unparalled."

Winning banks were selectedbased on the following criteria:strength of strategy for attracting and servicing online customers,success in acquiring clients for Web offerings, growth of onlinecustomer base, scope of product offerings, evidence of tangible benefitsgained from Internet initiatives, and Web site design and functionality.Category winners were selected based on the relative strength andsuccess of the respective Web products and services.

The complete list of awards won by RZB Group:

• Best Consumer Web Design in Europe-RZB/Raiffeisen Banking Group
• Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank in Austria- RZB
• Best Consumer Internet Bank in Austria-RZB/Raiffeisen Banking Group
• Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank in Croatia -Raiffeisenbank Austria
• Best Consumer Internet Bank in Poland-Raiffeisen Bank Polska
• Best Consumer Internet Bank in Slovakia-Tatra banka

Global Financehas 50,000 subscribers andmore than 300,000 readers in more than 160 countries, includingchairmen, presidents, CEOs, CFOs, treasurers and other financialofficers responsible for making investments and strategic businessdecisions for large global companies and financial institutions. GlobalFinance targets most of the 8,000 key portfolio investors who controlover 80 per cent of all assets under professional management.

RZBis the central institution of theAustrianRaiffeisen Banking Group, the country''s most powerful bankinggroup. RZB is a leading corporate and investment bank in Austria andalso considers CEE as its home market, where it operates, via its whollyowned subsidiaryRaiffeisen International Bank-Holding AG, anetwork of 15 subsidiary banks with more than 800 banking outlets, aswell as two representative offices, in 16 markets of the region.