Founded in 1819 as the first Austrian savings bank, Erste Group went public in 1997 with a strategy to expand its retail business into Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Since then Erste Group has grown through numerous acquisitions and organic growth to one of the largest financial services providers in the Eastern part of EU in terms of clients and total assets:
- The number of customers has increased from 600,000 to approx. 16,1 mil. 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
