KBC Group was created in 2005 as a result of the merger of KBC Bank and Insurance Holding Company and its parent company, Almanij. 

KBC Bank & Insurance Holding Company itself was established in 1998 following the merger of three Belgian financial institutions, Kredietbank, CERA Bank and ABB Insurance . The Group's corporate history is a testament to the successful expansion into growth countries of Central and Eastern Europe which have joined the European Union in 2004, viz. Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

KBC  is one of the leading financial groups in Europe, active in the fields of banking,  insurance  and wealth management. One of the top bancassurers and asset managers in Belgium, the KBC Group also has a key position in Central and Eastern Europe and boasts a pan-European private banking network.

The KBC group has a stable shareholder structure : a syndicate of core shareholders controls 52% of the capital. The free float of KBC shares in the stock markets represents approximately 45.5%.

In terms of market capitalization (€ 35 billion), the KBC Group is the second largest financial institution in Belgium and number 11 in Euroland, with total assets of about € 325 billion and total revenues of € 12.5 billion in 2006. 

KBC employs some 50 000 people and caters for twelve million customers.

Strategy

KBC Group aims to be an independent, medium-sized, bancassurer for private persons and medium-sized enterprises in selected European countries, with expertise in asset management and the financial markets. It endeavors to achieve high profitability targets through efficiency, customer-centricity, employee-friendly policies and sound risk management.

Its strategy revolves around the following core activities:

Retail bancassurance

KBC engages in multi-channel retail distribution via its bank branches, insurance agents/brokers and the Internet. Cross-selling of banking, insurance and asset management products is a core profit driver. The bulk of this business is generated in Belgium and in a number of Central and Eastern European countries. With its unique formula for cooperation between its bank branches and its tied insurance agents, KBC succeeds in a bank/insurance cross selling ratio in Belgium of more than 40%.

Private banking

KBC has built up a network of financial institutions specialized in private wealth management activities, spread over 8 Western European countries.

Services for SME’s and corporates

KBC offers a broad range of expertise in corporate banking, leasing, factoring, re-insurance, insurance brokerage and project and trade finance in Belgium, Central and Eastern Europe and other countries (principally in Europe). The strategic emphasis is on providing services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s).

Treasury and Capital markets

Besides a wide range of interest-rate and currency products traded in the various dealing rooms, KBC is very active in the European debt capital markets, particularly in structured products. It enjoys a solid position in the domestic cash equity markets with KBC Securities holding the number one spot amongst brokerage firms in Belgium. KBC is also a prominent niche player in some global derivatives markets. KBC Financial Products holds leading positions in the world markets of equity derivatives and convertible bond trading.

International expansion

KBC established a second home market in mainly four Central and Eastern European growth countries which acceded to the European Union in 2004 (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), becoming a leading player, both in banking and insurance, in each of the respective countries. The same bancassurance concept, so successfully implemented in Belgium, is being introduced in this region. Further expansion is being pursued in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia.

Additionally, KBC’s international expansion has focused on setting up the ‘European Private Bankers’ concept, based on a valuable private banking network covering 8 European countries and operated by KB Luxembourg. Besides Luxemburg, KBL’s subsidiaries are located in France and Monaco, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK.

The KBC Group has also selectively established a presence in a number of other countries and regions around the world, in particular with corporate branches in the USA and in the Asia Pacific region.

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