TEN CROATIAN BANKS AMONG TOP 100 IN CENTRAL EUROPE

ZAGREB, July 27 (Hina) - Ten Croatian banks have been included among 100 major banks in Central Europe, which ranks Croatia as the third country with the largest number of banks among the top 100, after Poland and Hungary and before the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania, according to the business supplement of the Zagreb-based Vjesnik daily. According to their overall capital, two highest positioned Croatian banks are Zagrebacka Banka, which is placed 13th, and Privredna Banka Zagreb, 20th. Others are Splitska Banka, ranking 53rd, Raiffeisen Bank Croatia, 61st, Hrvatska Postanska Banka (postal savings bank), 65th, Erste Steiermaerkische Bank, 68th, Hypo Alpe Adria, 85th, HVB Bank Croatia, 88th, Dalmatinska Banka, 94, and Rijecka Banka, 96th. Poland has the largest number of banks among the top 100 -- 22. It is followed by Hungary, with 15 banks, Croatia with 10 and Slovakia with nine banks. Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Romania have eight banks each. The list also features seven banks from Bulgaria, three from Serbia and Montenegro, Lithuania and Latvia, and two from Macedonia and Estonia. Analysts from Vjesnik say that the banking markets of transitional countries are dominated by foreign banks and investors, which now own two-thirds of the banking systems of eight countries due to join the European Union next year. The share of foreign capital in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Croatia, which will have to wait for its entry into the EU, exceeds 90 percent. (hina) vm