The Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) continues to look for a potential buyer for Russian assets that would suit all parties. This is reported by foreign media with reference to CEO Johann Strobl.
The RBI has announced plans to reduce its Russian business in 2022, but has recently begun taking real action under pressure from regulators in the United States and the European Union. In early October 2025, RBI once again failed in its attempt to sell a stake in a Russian business amid Russia's desire to maintain an important financial bridge with the West.
At the moment, Raiffeisenbank is important for Russia in order to pay for gas supplies and make other payments. From the point of view of the RBI representative, Russia's opposition to the sale of the stake was based on the desire to preserve the remnants of economic ties with Europe, which still buys billions of euros worth of Russian oil and gas.
RBI tried to sell a stake in Russian Raiffeisenbank to a local buyer in the hope of lifting the ban on the return of profits in the amount of 7 billion euros, but Russian officials refused to sell, taking into account possible Western sanctions against Raiffeisenbank due to the participation of a Russian investor.
On the other hand, the RBI is under pressure from the United States and the European Union, which insist on ceasing operations in Russia. The RBI representative stressed that the bank is reducing its presence in Russia, but any deal requires approval by Russian regulatory authorities.
Chairman of the Board of RBI J.Strobl personally attempted to sell a stake in the Russian business, but all efforts failed due to tensions between Moscow and the West. European leaders have stepped up preparations for the use of frozen Russian assets and intend to stop importing Russian gas, taking into account the demands of US President Donald Trump.
Austria has become the first Western European country to sign a contract for the purchase of Russian gas, becoming an important financial center for Russia. Raiffeisenbank processes payments for supplies via the TurkStream gas pipeline, which is the only remaining route for transporting gas to Europe.
Despite restrictions on outgoing payments in euros, a small number of large Russian companies are allowed to make foreign payments in euros through Raiffeisenbank. At the same time, the bank is subject to Russian fines. In 2025, a Russian court ordered RBI to pay 2 billion euros in compensation for the disruption of a complex asset exchange.
The RBI is in a difficult situation, as it is more profitable for the bank to remain in Russia as the only major Western lender servicing settlements between Russia and Europe since 1996.
Raiffeisen Bank International is an Austrian banking group in the field of corporate and investment banking. The headquarters is located in Vienna (Austria).
