Number 31 Working Paper Series by the University of Applied Sciences bfi Vienna The Development of Austrian Financial Institutions in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe Comparative European Economic History Studies

This paper was written to provide students of banking and finance with an overview of the development of Austrian financial institutions in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and to offer them an insight into the most important literature in this field. Furthermore an attempt was made to assess whether there were historical reasons for the recent successes of Austrian banks and businesses in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. On the basis of interviews with people involved in this expansion of Austrian banks and businesses the intercultural aspect of the relationships between Austrians and their business partners in this region was analysed. I would like to warmly thank all those people who were prepared to give me their opinion on this issue of intercultural communication and business relationships. In my opinion many excellent and detailed analyses of individual phenomena are published in this field of research in Austria but few comprehensive, concise and readable overviews are written for student