Erste Group

Erste Group was founded in 1819 as the first Austrian savings bank ("Erste oesterreichische Spar-Casse"). In 1997, Erste Group went public with a strategy to expand its retail business into Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Since then Erste Group's customer base has grown through numerous acquisitions and organic growth from 600,000 to 16.6 million. 95% of all clients are citizens of the European Union. The EU membership gives the countries of the region a stable regulatory framework that supports their economic development. Today Erste Group is one of the largest financial services providers in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of clients and total assets. It has always focused on retail and SME banking.