THE NATIONAL Bank of Slovakia registered the representation of ABN AMRO Bank NV, the biggest Dutch bank, in the country at the end of February. The office will reside in Bratislava.
Last year ABN AMRO made a profit of €3.16 billion. This figure was 31 percent higher than a year ago and has surpassed estimates by both analysts and the bank itself.
According to analysts, the bank's net profit was to grow 28 percent over the last year to €3.07 billion, while the bank predicted growth of only 25 percent.
The bank said that it expects further improvement in net and operating profits in 2004, although growth should slow down.
