KBC Group
Introduction


**KBC Group N.V.** is a [Belgian](/wiki/Belgium "Belgium") universal multi\-channel bank\-insurer, focusing on private clients and small and medium\-sized enterprises in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It was created in 1998 through the merger of [Kredietbank](/wiki/Kredietbank "Kredietbank") (KB), the cooperative , ABB Insurance, and Fidelitas Insurance. The [acronym](/wiki/Acronym "Acronym") KBC stands for **K**rediet**B**ank and **C**ERA.

KBC Group is one of Belgium's major companies and the second largest [bancassurer](/wiki/Bancassurance "Bancassurance") in the country. As of late 2020, it was the 15th largest bank in Europe by [market capitalisation](/wiki/Market_capitalisation "Market capitalisation") and a major financial player in Central and Eastern Europe, employing some 41,000 staff (of which more than half in Central and Eastern Europe) and serving 12 million customers worldwide (some 7 to 8 million in Central and Eastern Europe). KBC is a [Forbes Global 2000](/wiki/Forbes_Global_2000 "Forbes Global 2000") company.

The group is controlled by a group of core shareholders, and has a free float of approximately 60%. The core shareholders include KBC Ancora, a listed company controlled by CERA (or , a holding company formed by the cooperative clients of CERA Bank at the time of the 1998 merger), owning 19%; MRBB (), a vehicle of the [Boerenbond](/wiki/Boerenbond "Boerenbond") farmers' association, at 12%; a group of industrialist families, at 8%; and CERA directly, at 3%. Its shares are traded on the [Euronext](/wiki/Euronext "Euronext") exchange in Brussels.

KBC has been designated as a Significant Institution since the entry into force of [European Banking Supervision](/wiki/European_Banking_Supervision "European Banking Supervision") in late 2014, and as a consequence is directly supervised by the [European Central Bank](/wiki/European_Central_Bank "European Central Bank").


What services does KBC Group N.V. provide?