What clients expect from an FX bank today | RBI

Following the recognition of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) as Best FX Bank in CEE, Austria and Serbia, RBI’s FX leaders Rainer Bunz and Martina Zimmerl, together with Aleksandra Maksimovic from Raiffeisen banka in Serbia, discuss what clients now expect from their banking partners, how local expertise is combined with Group-wide infrastructure and where technology could change foreign exchange services next.

Rainer Bunz: Clients ultimately value three things above all else: reliable pricing, dependable liquidity and consistency of execution. The importance of these factors has increased as markets have become more electronic and interconnected.

While those core expectations are common across all segments, the way clients consume FX services differs significantly. Institutional clients focus on execution quality, market access, liquidity provision and connectivity. They want confidence that prices remain competitive and executable, including during periods of market volatility. Corporate clients place greater emphasis on risk management, advisory capabilities and long-term partnership. Their success is often measured less by an individual transaction and more by their ability to manage currency exposure effectively over time. For retail and SME clients the digital integration of FX into their online banking channels has become a basic expectation:these clients value real-time rates, simplicity, immediacy, transparency and access through intuitive digital channels.

Aleksandra Maksimovic: The biggest change is that competitive pricing alone is no longer enough. Speed, digitalization and seamless execution have become basic expectations, while recent market volatility has increased demand for risk management and advisory services. With greater access to real-time information, analytics and research, clients increasingly look for tailored solutions and a trusted partner to help them navigate complex market conditions.

Martina Zimmerl: Clients increasingly want FX embedded in their wider treasury, hedging and payment processes.

Together with Group CIB Business Transformation, we recently conducted expert interviews with more than 20 large corporate clients to understand their practical challenges. The findings will help us address client pain points and further strengthen our offering.

Aleksandra Maksimovic: RBI combines deep local market knowledge with the capabilities of an international banking group. Local teams understand regulation, client needs and market dynamics, while the wider Group provides access to international markets, specialist expertise and support for more complex transactions.

Rainer Bunz: An additional distinctive element is the way we integrate local market-making capabilities. Key market makers in Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary can manage their local FX Spot exposure on RBI Austria's books, combining their proximity to the local interbank market with the capacity of the Group balance sheet and a common risk framework. This gives clients local service and specialised regional knowledge, supported by the infrastructure and liquidity of an integrated Group-wide FX franchise.

Rainer Bunz: RBI operates an integrated FX ecosystem rather than separate country-level businesses. Vienna serves as the central pricing, liquidity and risk-management hub, supported by our FX pricing engine, while local banks retain ownership of their client relationships. By creating a core price once and distributing it across the Group, we can centralise and net risk, internalise flows more efficiently and provide consistent pricing standards across client channels.

A large corporate client using our proprietary platform FX Raiffeisen or 360T, an institutional client accessing RBI through FXall or Bloomberg, and an SME client using our SME platform R-Flex can benefit from pricing produced according to the same underlying standards. IOur pricing engine thus is  the foundation that connects local distribution with central pricing, liquidity and risk management across the RBI network.

Martina Zimmerl: A common misconception is that currency risk matters only during extreme volatility. In reality, gradual exchange-rate movements can materially affect margins, cash flows and competitiveness.

Another is that hedging must eliminate all exposure or follow a rigid approach. Effective risk management should reflect the client’s objectives, cash-flow visibility and risk tolerance. Our role is to help clients understand their exposure and manage it deliberately – not simply to execute transactions.

Aleksandra Maksimovic: AI could make FX services more intelligent, personalised and easier to use. In a possible future scenario, a client could describe an upcoming payment and receive an initial exposure analysis and possible hedging options within a single digital process.

Rainer Bunz: Analytics and automation will increasingly support client execution and risk-management decisions. For banks, data-driven pricing, flow analysis, internalisation and automated hedging will be essential to delivering efficient and reliable liquidity.

Martina Zimmerl: Clients increasingly experience FX as part of a payment, investment or commercial process rather than as a standalone transaction. Integrating RBI’s FX capabilities into payments, custody and capital-markets systems is therefore a strategic priority.

Ultimately, RBI’s ambition is clear: to combine trusted advice, local expertise and Group-wide technology - so clients can manage currency risk with greater confidence, efficiency and ease.