Investing in Erste Group
Last update: 30.07.2026
Peter Bosek © Erste Group / Pavel Becker
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“The strong growth in our lending portfolio these past six months has already placed us near our full-year lending target of 285 billion euros. That’s why we’re now raising that target to 290 billion euros. Our position as the region’s undisputed leading lender is based on this ambition, as well as our unrivalled presence in Central Europe through fully fledged banks in eight countries.”
“Sustaining the region’s growth momentum will require significant investment in future-proof infrastructure across Central Europe. We stand ready to support both businesses and governments and to play our part in driving the region’s continued development and prosperity.”
Peter Bosek, CEO Erste Group
“Consolidating our new Polish subsidiary provided an obvious boost to our reported numbers. But we’ve also posted strong growth in our core business in the markets in which we have a long-established presence.”
“Our consistent delivery of solid results allows us to continue investing in our platform to make us more efficient, faster and more scalable across the group. That enables us to serve our 23 million customers and Erste Group’s investors in the best possible way.”
Stefan Dörfler, CFO Erste Group
Stefan Dörfler © Erste Group / Pavel Becker
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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. Since then Erste Group has grown through numerous acquisitions and organically to become one of the largest financial services providers in the Eastern part of the EU in terms of clients and total assets.
Information on the acquisition of Santander Bank Polska
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