Our History

UniCredit's new board was appointed: Pier Carlo Padoan is named Chairman and Andrea Orcel Chief Executive Officer.

In December of the same year, the new UniCredit Unlocked strategic plan for 2022-2024 was launched, optimising the Group's current structure and setting out a clear long-term programme for the future, moving towards a new period of growth and value creation for all our shareholders.

UniCredit Unlocked delivers the following strategic imperatives & financial ambitions: 

• Grow in our regions and develop our client franchise, changing our business model and how our people operate 
• Quality growth both from our existing and new clients; 
• Develop best-in-class products and services: either in house or with external partners; 
• Grow capital-light business, focusing on value-added products and services for clients; 
• Targeted cost efficiency to fund investment and deliver operating leverage.

The Group continues its path of capital solidification through the sale of non-strategic assets (stakes in Fineco and Mediobanca).

In August 2019, Chairman Fabrizio Saccomanni passes away. Cesare Bisoni is appointed as the new Group Chairman.

UniCredit successfully completes the Transform 2019 Strategic Plan, achieving its targets. In December, it launches the new four-year Team 23 Strategic Plan.

UniCredit's EUR 13 billion capital increase, the highest in the history of the Italian Stock Exchange, was successfully fully subscribed.

In the same year, the largest de-risking transaction (FINO) is completed, with the sale of 16.2 billion in non-performing loans.

The Transform '2019' strategic plan is announced on 21 July 2016 and officially presented on 13 December of the same year.

The Group undertakes significant de-risking and capital strengthening actions also through the disposal of assets (Pioneer, Pekao).

The strategic review covers all the main areas of the Bank in order to reinforce and optimise the Group's capital endowment, improve its profitability, ensure a constant evolution of business activities and maintain the flexibility needed to seize all value generation opportunities.

At the same time, there was a specific focus on capital optimisation opportunities, additional cost reduction, cross-selling between different Group entities and, above all, further improving risk management discipline.

UniCredit celebrates its 15th Anniversary with the opening of its new headquarters in Milan, the UniCredit Towers in Piazza Gae Aulenti. The Towers are named amongst the most beautiful buildings in the World by Emporis Building Data Company. Tower A, 231 meters high, is the tallest skyscraper in Italy. The building will help reduce the Group's CO2 emissions by > 40% and save nearly €25m in annual costs.

A new UniCredit is launched, a strong leading commercial bank in Europe, investing in the full integration of traditional and digital channels.

The "Insieme per i clienti" (Together for Customers) project kicks-off, a programme for the evolution of the Group's approach to the market, designed to better focus on customers' needs and to increase closeness to the territories, through a series of measures to simplify the corporate structure and specialise the bank's business.

UniCredit consolidates its presence in Italy and further expands in developing markets. 

In 2007, UniCredit acquires Capitalia Group which derived from the 2002 merge of Banca di Roma, Bipop Carire, Banco di Sicilia, MCC and Fineco.

The Group strengthenes its presence in Central and Eastern Europe with the acquisition of Ukrsotsbank in Ukraine.

UniCredit merges with the German HVB Group, born in 1998 by the merger of two Bavarian banks (BayerischeVereinsbank and Bayerische Hypotheken-und Wechsel-Bank), creating a single, large European bank.

Growth in Eastern Europe continues with the acquisition of Yapi Kredi by Koç (Turkey).

Acquired controlling interests in Croatia's Splitska Banka and Slovakia's Pol'nobanka (later named Unibanka) and Bulgaria's leading bank, Bulbank, making UniCredito Italiano the third-largest western banking group in Central and Eastern Europe.

Acquired Boston-based Pioneer Group, Inc., strengthening asset management operations in Milan and Dublin and creating the Pioneer Global Asset Management S.p.A. Group.

The UniCredito Italiano Group is formed by the seven Italian banks: Credito Italiano, Rolo Banca, CariVerona, Banca CRT, Cassamarca, Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto, Cassa di Risparmio di Trieste.

The Group's international growth begins with the acquisition of Bank Pekao SA in Poland.

UniCredito Italiano is created through the merger of Credito Italiano, Rolo Banca 1473 and UniCredito (Cassa di Risparmio di Verona, Cassa di Risparmio di Torino and Cassamarca).

In agreement with Carimonte Banca and RAS, Credito Italiano acquires control of the Credito Romagnolo Group then Rolo Banca 1473. Subsequently Credito Romagnolo and Carimonte merged, creating Rolo Banca 1473.

Credito Italiano is the first state-owned bank in Italy to be privatised. Banca Agricola Nord Calabria and Cassa Rurale e Artigiana di Palma di Montechiaro in Sicily were also integrated.

Credito Italiano is transformed into a 'Multifunctional Group', to be articulated in sub holdings alongside the already existing Credit Holding Italia.

The first image campaign called the 'Lady in the Grey Double Coat' was launched. It was the very first bank advertising campaign to focus on TV commercials. It subsequently received the European Financial Marketing Association's award as the best advertisement of the year.

A complete restyling of the branches was carried out, a new corporate brand was created, customer studies were strengthened and advertising activities took on a systematic attractiveness.

Alfredo Pizzoni was elected president, an official of the Central Directorate who chaired the Upper Italy National Liberation Committee while hiding throughout the Resistance.

IRI, the Italian Institute for Industrial Reconstruction, created as a provisional entity, changes the status of Credito Italiano from Public Law Institute to BIN - Banca d'Interesse Nazionale (National interest bank).

The banking law officially limits the banks' activities to ordinary credit only, unless specifically authorised. Credito Italiano, like the other former mixed banks, is declared a Credit Institution of Public Law.

Following the 1929 crisis, the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) is created, with the aim of disposing of all the holdings of mixed banks. IRI thus became the owner of 78% of the shares of Credito Italiano, which, however, always retained a certain shareholding of private shareholders.

Credito Italiano (Italy's second largest bank) carries out the largest bank merger ever in Italy, incorporating Banca Nazionale di Credito (the country's third largest bank).

Credito Italiano organises the creation of the National Bank of Albania and with it the monetary system of that country, which until then had no currency of its own. The task had been entrusted to Italy by the League of Nations.

Credito Italiano headquarters are moved from Genoa to Milan (Piazza Cordusio). The legal office remains in Genoa.

Credito Italiano participates in the rescue of Società Bancaria Italiana with Banca d'Italia and Banca Commerciale Italiana.

Banca di Genova takes over from Banca Vonwiller in Milan, increases its capital from 5 to 14 million and changes its name to Credito Italiano, to emphasise the action programme extended across the whole of Italy.

Banca di Genova is founded by local shareholders, nobles (Pallavicino, Balbi), bankers (Quartara, Polleri) and merchants (Lagorio, Dodero, Bacigalupo). President was The Marquis Camillo Pallavicini is named President. Capital totals 2 million lire.