Erste Group Bank AG

Founded in 1819 as the "Erste österreichische Spar-Casse," Erste Group was listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange in 1997 with a strategy of expanding its retail business into the growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Through numerous acquisitions and organic growth, Erste Group has developed into 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 around 23 million in Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, and Serbia.
• Erste Group's core business is the entire spectrum of credit, deposit, and investment products, as well as account management and credit cards for private customers.
• In addition to its traditional strength in retail banking, Erste Group's core activities also include advising and supporting corporate clients on financing, investment, and hedging issues, as well as on access to international capital markets, public sector financing, and interbank market activities.