The Inter-Alpha Group of Banks was created in 1971 by six European Community banks in order to provide a platform for the regular exchange of ideas and to explore areas for cooperation between its member banks. The Group is a non-hierarchical association and is maintained by mutual agreement with each bank retaining its full autonomy and independence.

Function

The Group’s function has evolved to:


- Provide a platform for the regular exchange of ideas at the executive and senior management level

- Allow specialists to meet and discuss topics of particular interest

- Establish areas of cooperation, particularly in international trade

- Train bank management through annual Inter-Alpha Banking School and annual Inter-Alpha Banking Management Programme at INSEAD at Fountainbleau near Paris

- Create a framework for individual banks within the Group to work together.

Members

Membership of the group has now grown to eleven banks, representing fifteen European countries, namely:

• AIB Group, Ireland
• Banco Espírito Santo
  Banco Espírito Santo
  Banco Espírito Santo is a private Portuguese bank, based in Lisbon.The Banco Espírito Santo’s origins began with the lottery, currency exchange and securities business carried out by José Maria do Espírito Santo e Silva between 1869 and 1884...
  
  , Portugal
• Commerzbank
  Commerzbank
  Commerzbank AG is the second-largest bank in Germany, after Deutsche Bank, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main.-Activities:Commerzbank is mainly active in commercial bank, retail banking and mortgaging. It suffered reversals in investment banking in early 2000s and scaled back its Securities unit...
  
  , Germany
• ING Group
  ING Group
  The ING Group is a global financial institution offering retail banking, direct banking, commercial banking, investment banking, asset management, and insurance services. ING is the Dutch member of the Inter-Alpha Group of Banks, a cooperative consortium of 11 prominent European banks...
  
  , Netherlands
• Intesa Sanpaolo
  Intesa Sanpaolo
  Intesa Sanpaolo is a banking group resulting from the merger between Banca Intesa and Sanpaolo IMI based in Turin, Italy. It has clear leadership in the Italian market and a minor but growing international presence focused on Central-Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa Intesa Sanpaolo...
  
  , Italy
• KBC Bank
  KBC Bank
  KBC Bank N.V. is a Belgian universal multi-channel bank, focusing on private clients and small and medium-sized enterprises. Besides retail banking, insurance and asset management activities , KBC is active in European debt capital markets, domestic cash equity markets and in the field of corporate...
  
  , Belgium
• Nordea
  Nordea
  Nordea Bank AB is a Stockholm-based financial services group operating in Northern Europe. The bank is the result of the successive mergers and acquisitions of the Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian banks of Nordbanken, Merita Bank, Unibank and Kreditkassen that took place between 1997 and 2000...
  
  , Denmark, Finland and Sweden
• National Bank of Greece
  National Bank of Greece
  The National Bank of Greece is the oldest and largest commercial banking group in Greece. The group has a particularly strong presence in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean...
  
  , Greece
• Royal Bank of Scotland Group, UK
• Santander
  Grupo Santander
  The Santander Group is a banking group centered on Banco Santander, S.A., the largest bank in the Eurozone and one of the largest banks in the world in terms of market capitalisation. According to Forbes Magazine Global 2000, it is the 13th largest public company in the world...
  
  , Spain
• Société Générale
  Société Générale
  Société Générale S.A. is a large European Bank and a major Financial Services company that has a substantial global presence. Its registered office is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, while its head office is in the Tours Société Générale in the business district of La...
  
  , France

Source

• Mauro Guillén , The Rise of Spanish Multinationals, European Business in the Global Economy

See also

• European Financial Services Roundtable
  European Financial Services Roundtable
  The European Financial Services Roundtable is a European organization, located in Brussels, Belgium, of financial service companies to provide a voice on policies of the European Union related to financial matters...
  
  
• Financial market
  Financial market
  In economics, a financial market is a mechanism that allows people and entities to buy and sell financial securities , commodities , and other fungible items of value at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect supply and demand.Both general markets and...
  
  
• Financial services
  Financial services
  Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies,...