Erste Group, which was founded in 1819 as the first Austrian savings bank, went public in 1997 and pursued a strategy of expanding its retail business to Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Since then, through numerous acquisitions and organic growth, Erste Group has become one of the largest financial services providers in the eastern part of the EU in terms of customer numbers and total assets:
- The number of customers has increased from 600,000 to approx. 15.9 million in Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia
- Erste Group's key business is the retail business, covering the entire spectrum from lending, deposit and investment products to current accounts and credit cards
- Besides the traditional strength in serving private individuals, Erste Group's core activities include advisory services and support for corporate clients in financing, investment and access to international capital markets, public sector funding and interbank market operations
Erste Group at a glance | Erste Group Bank AG
