Austria
In 1996, Salzburger Sparkasse was incorporated into the banking group.[13] Shortly before the turn of the millennium, Sparkasse Oberösterreich took over all Upper Austrian branches from Erste Bank, whereupon 26% of the shares in the now largest federal state savings bank were gained.[14] In 2000, Erste Bank acquired a 25% stake in the Steiermärkische Sparkasse.[15] In December 2001, 51% of the Tiroler Sparkasse was obtained.[16] In October 2007, shares in Bausparkasse der österreichischen Sparkassen were purchased;[17] in 2021, the remaining shares were acquired.[18]
In 2021, the Erste Bank Group still held 39.19% of the shares in Sparkasse Oberösterreich.[19] By the beginning of 2024, the shares had fallen to 16.84%.[14]
The shareholdings of Salzburger Sparkasse, Sparkasse Oberösterreich and Tiroler Sparkasse are still owned by Erste Bank, not Erste Group.[13][14][20]
Hungary
The first takeover in Hungary was Mezőbank in 1997 (which was privatised by GiroCredit). It was renamed the following year to Erste Bank Hungary Zrt.[21]
In 2003, the Hungarian Postabank was acquired, which merged with Erste Bank Hungary Zrt a year later.[22] In December 2021, Erste Group announced that it will acquire 100% of the shares of the Hungarian Commerzbank Zrt.[23]
Czech Republic
In 2000, majority stakes were acquired in the Czech Česká spořitelna (52% for EUR 530 million). Further shares were acquired in the following two years, with the result that 98% of the shares in the Czech credit institution were held at the end of 2002 and the total price of the acquisition increased to EUR 1.354 billion.[24] The remaining shares were acquired in October 2018.[25]
Slovakia
87.18% of the Slovak Slovenská sporiteľňa were acquired by Erste Bank in 2000 for EUR 425 million.[26][27][28] In the same year, 20% of these shares were sold back to the Eastern European bank European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), reducing the stake in SLSP to 67.2%. In April of the same year, the remaining 10% was acquired by the Slovakian state government. On January 1, 2005, the remaining 19.99% of SLSP was purchased by the EBRD.[29][30]
Croatia
In 2000, three small Croatian banks (Bjelovarska banka d.d., Trgovačka banka d.d. und Čakovečka banka d.d.) were merged to create Erste & Steiermärkische Bank, following their takeovers as of 1997 by Erste Bank and Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG.[31][32]
In 2003, the Croatian bank Riječka banka was merged with Erste & Steiermärkische Bank.[32] As of 2022, the Erste & Steiermärkische Bank d.d. is the third-largest bank in Croatia.[33]
Poland
In June 2025, the Spanish lender Banco Santander Santander announced the sale of 49% of Santander Bank Polska to the Erste Group. On 9 January 2026, Erste Group completed its purchase of the controlling stake in Santander Bank Polska and a 50% stake in the asset manager Santander TFI from Santander Group.
Romania
The acquisition of 61.88% in Banca Comercială Română S.A. (BCR), the largest Romanian bank with 2.8 million customers and 12,000 employees, for EUR 3.751 billion in December 2005 was the largest foreign direct investment ever by an Austrian enterprise.[34][35] Further shares in the Romanian bank were acquired in 2007 (7.2%) and 2012 (24%),[36] and in June 2018 the stake held by Erste Bank increased from 93.58 % to 99.88 %.[37] Banca Comercială Română has over 7,000 employees.[38]
Serbia
In July 2005, Erste Bank signed the purchase agreement for the acquisition of 83.28% of the shares in Novosadska banka a.d., Novi Sad, from the Republic of Serbia. At the time of the purchase agreement, the Novosadska banka served 260,000 customers and employed 889 people.[39]
The shares in the Serbian bank were increased from 83.3% to 95.6% in the fall of 2005, and 99.99% of the shares were held as of May 2006.[40] In January 2006, Novosadska banka was renamed Erste banka Novi Sad.[41]
Ukraine and other countries
In 2007, Erste Bank acquired 100% of Bank Prestige in Ukraine for EUR 79.4 million and renamed it Erste Bank Ukraine.[42] In April 2013, Erste Group sold its Ukrainian subsidiary for around EUR 63 million to the owners of the Ukrainian Fidobank.[43][44]
Furthermore, Erste Group Bank founded subsidiaries of savings banks and companies in Moldova (1998), Slovenia (1999 and 2006), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2006), North Macedonia (2008) and Montenegro (2009).[45][46]
