Updated:
ING Group
ING Group was formed in 1991 from the merger of insurer Nationale-Nederlanden and NMB Postbank, creating a universal bank headquartered in Amsterdam.
ING Group
ING Group was formed in 1991 from the merger of insurer Nationale-Nederlanden and NMB Postbank, creating a universal bank headquartered in Amsterdam. Steven van Rijswijk has served as CEO since 2020, overseeing operations across more than 40 countries. The firm traces its roots to Dutch public-sector banking and insurance, evolving into a globally systemically important financial institution regulated by the European Central Bank. ING's investment activity runs through multiple channels. Its Wholesale Banking division provides corporate lending, project finance, and acquisition finance across sectors including energy, TMT, and transportation. ING Real Estate Finance originates commercial property loans throughout Europe and Asia-Pacific. The bank's infrastructure finance team has committed capital to European renewables, digital infrastructure, and PPP projects. Private debt fund commitments and club deals supplement ING's own balance sheet, particularly in mid-market European lending. Confirmed sector exposures include Dutch commercial real estate, Belgian wind-energy projects, and Asian trade finance facilities. ING operates from its Amsterdam headquarters with significant wholesale banking hubs in London, Frankfurt, Singapore, and New York. The firm sponsors ING Bank Foundation, a philanthropic vehicle supporting financial education and social entrepreneurship. The bank's CLO management platform and private debt funds operate alongside its balance-sheet lending, giving ING both origination fees and asset-management revenues. In January 2025, ING announced the sale of its Russian business to a local buyer, finalizing a multi-year exit from the market (per Reuters, January 2025). ING functions as a universal bank with an in-house asset origination engine—marking a structural difference from independent investment firms. Borrowers and developers access ING's balance sheet directly, while institutional third-party capital co-invests alongside the bank's own position. This embedded sourcing model produces deal flow from corporate, real estate, and infrastructure clients that external managers cannot replicate without a lending relationship.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1991
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Netherlands
City
Amsterdam
Corporate office
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Principals
Steven van Rijswijk
CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does ING source its investment opportunities?
ING sources primarily through its Wholesale Banking relationships, which span corporate lending, project finance, and real estate origination across 40-plus countries. This bank-originated pipeline gives ING early visibility into deal flow—particularly in European mid-market lending, renewable-energy project finance, and commercial real estate—that independent fund managers typically access only through intermediaries. The bank's balance sheet allows it to hold portions of deals alongside third-party co-investors.
Does ING invest its own balance sheet alongside external capital?
Yes. ING retains a portion of the loans and project finance it arranges while syndicating or selling participations to institutional investors. This co-investment alignment is standard across the bank's real estate finance, infrastructure credit, and corporate lending activities. The retained exposure is managed under ING's broader asset-and-liability framework rather than a standalone fund structure.
What is ING's posture on direct equity versus credit investments?
ING's principal investment activity is credit-focused: senior lending, mezzanine debt, project finance, and structured credit. The firm does not operate a dedicated private equity platform in the manner of a buyout fund. Equity exposures tend to arise from debt conversions, legacy holdings, or minority positions within broader financing packages rather than from a standalone equity strategy.
How is ING regulated, and what does that mean for its investment activity?
ING Group is supervised by the European Central Bank under the Single Supervisory Mechanism. Capital requirements, large-exposure limits, and liquidity rules constrain the composition of ING's investment portfolio in ways that do not apply to unregulated family offices or independent asset managers. This regulatory posture means ING's principal positions are predominantly credit instruments with defined risk-weight profiles.
Which European markets does ING most actively lend into?
ING's Wholesale Banking loan book is concentrated in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Poland, with secondary exposures in France, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Real Estate Finance volumes are highest in Dutch and German commercial markets. Project finance and infrastructure credit extend further, with active positions in offshore wind across the North Sea and solar in Iberia and Australia.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on asset managers?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: