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thumb|BNP Paribas Fortis head office, Brussels

thumb|KBC head office, Brussels

thumb|Belfius head office, Brussels

thumb|ING Belgium head office, Brussels

thumb|Crelan head office, Brussels

thumb|Multi Tower in Brussels, BNY head office

thumb|Beobank head office, Brussels

thumb|Euroclear head office, Brussels

The following list of banks in Belgium is to be understood within the framework of the European single market and European banking union, which means that Belgium's banking system is more open to cross-border banking operations than peers outside of the EU.

Policy framework

European banking supervision distinguishes between significant institutions (SIs) and less significant institutions (LSIs), with SI/LSI designations updated regularly by the European Central Bank (ECB). Significant institutions are directly supervised by the ECB using joint supervisory teams that involve the national competent authorities (NCAs) of individual participating countries. Less significant institutions are supervised by the relevant NCA on a day-to-day basis, under the supervisory oversight of the ECB. In Belgium's case, the NCA is the National Bank of Belgium.

Significant institutions

As of , the list of supervised institutions maintained by the ECB included the following five Belgian banking groups as SIs, with names as indicated by the ECB for each group's consolidating entity:

  • Investeringsmaatschappij Argenta NV / Société d'investissements Argenta SA / Investierungsgesellschaft Argenta AG
  • The Bank of New York Mellon SA/NV, subsidiary of BNY
  • Belfius Banque SA / Belfius Bank NV / Belfius Bank SA
  • Crelan SA / Crelan NV
  • KBC Group NV

In addition to these, other euro-area-based banking groups have significant operations in the country. A study published in 2024 assessed that the largest bank by assets in Belgium (as opposed to total consolidated assets) at end-2023 was BNP Paribas (€374 billion, via BNP Paribas Fortis and ), followed by KBC (€225 billion), Belfius (€179 billion), ING Group (€128 billion), Argenta (€60 billion), Crelan (€54 billion), BNY (€40 billion), and Crédit Mutuel (€10 billion, via Beobank). BPCE and Crédit Agricole are also present via their respective acquisitions of Banque Nagelmackers and Degroof Petercam in 2024. Belgium is also home to subsidiaries of other euro-area significant institutions, namely MDB Group and UniCredit. By contrast, Euroclear Bank, whose balance sheet grew rapidly to more than €200 billion as a consequence of the European Union sanctions against Russia which were introduced in late February 2022, remains designated by the ECB as a LSI.

  • Bank of India
  • State Bank of India
  • Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group

Other institutions

The National Bank of Belgium, which is half-owned by the Belgian government, is specifically exempted from EU banking law by the Capital Requirements Directives.

Defunct banks

A number of former Belgian banks, defined as having been headquartered in the present-day territory of Belgium and its colonies, are documented on Wikipedia. They are listed below in chronological order of establishment.

  • Banque de Commerce (1780-1989)
  • (1801-1874)
  • Société Générale de Belgique (1822-1934)
  • Banque d'Anvers (1823-1965)
  • Banque de Belgique (1835-1885)
  • Banque Lambert (1835-1975)
  • Banque Liégeoise (1835-c. 1940)
  • Caisse Générale d'Épargne et de Retraite (1850-1999)
  • Crédit Communal de Belgique (1860-1996)
  • (1866-1905)
  • Bank of Brussels (1871-1975)
  • Banque Philippson (1871-2024)
  • Caisse Générale de Reports et de Dépôts (1874-1953)
  • (1881-1999)
  • (1892-1998)
  • Crédit Anversois (1898-1941)
  • (1900-1919)
  • Société Belge de Banque (1901-1965)
  • Banque Belge pour l'Étranger (1902-2005)
  • (1906-1919)
  • (1906-1919)
  • Crédit Foncier d'Extrême-Orient (1907-1959)
  • Banque du Congo Belge (1909-1960)
  • Banque Italo-Belge (1911-c. 2000)
  • (1913-1934)
  • Société Nationale de Crédit à l'Industrie (1919-1997)
  • (1923-1927)
  • (1924-2001)
  • (1925-1998)
  • Banque Belge d'Afrique (1929-1971)
  • (1929-2001)
  • (1930-2009)
  • Antwerp Diamond Bank (1934-2014)
  • Générale de Banque (1934-1999)
  • Office Central de Crédit Hypothécaire (1936-2001)
  • (1937-2013)
  • (1938-1997)
  • (1940-1945)
  • Société Congolaise de Banque (1945-1970)
  • Banque Centrale du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi (1952-1961)
  • (1956-2013)
  • Banque Belgolaise (1960-2018)
  • Bank Brussels Lambert (1975-2003)
  • (1986-1999)
  • Fortis Group (1990-2009)
  • (1991-2016)
  • (1995-2024)
  • (1997-2013)
  • (2001-2016)
  • (2019-2025)

See also

  • List of banks in the euro area
  • List of banks in Europe

References