The ratings on Rabobank Nederland--the trading name of Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank b.a.--and its subsidiaries reflect the group's extremely sound business and financial profiles, and low risk profile. Rabobank Nederland continues to work to bolster its strong market position in The Netherlands, despite tight competition and a subdued economic environment. It is also focusing on improving its operating performance, limiting the cost of risk to very low levels, and maintaining high capitalization. The main challenge for Rabobank Nederland, however, is to find ways to expand internationally (as an agricultural and food sector bank and in retail banking) and by product (such as insurance), while maintaining its low-risk and stable earnings profile. Markets outside The Netherlands now account for 24% of total
