Axa Bank Belgium
Axa Bank Belgium, located in Antwerp, is Axa Group’s banking arm that provides retail banking to individuals and small companies in Belgium. The bank works in close cooperation with Axa’s local insurance company to complement their financial product offering with a range of retail banking products and services. History. In June 2007, Axa Group’s management board decided to adopt a common European banking strategy. The deployment of this strategy led to the creation in Brussels of a European banking head-office, Axa Bank Europe, using the former Axa Bank Belgium’s legal structure. In  2008, Axa Life Europe Hedging Services joined AXA Bank Europe to provide financial engineering competencies to insurance companies of the group and Axa Bank Europe. In 2009, the Hungarian Ella Bank becomes a branch of AXA Bank Europe. The same year, a branch is launched in Switzerland and one year later, in Czech Republic. In 2011, a branch is launched in Slovakia. As of January 1, 2012, activities in Switzerland have been transferred to ZweiPlus Bank. In 2014, a transformation plan was launched to re-focus on the Belgian retail market. Since summer 2015 all teams of Axa Bank Europe  are working from the former Anhyp building in Berchem, Antwerp (Grotesteenweg 214). In June 2017, Axa Bank Europe changed its name back to Axa Bank Belgium. In October 2019, the Axa Group sold Axa Bank Belgium to Crelan for €620 million (US$688.51 million). Governance. Axa Bank Belgium's strategic decisions are taken by its board of directors, headed by Jef Van In and managed through its management board, headed by Peter Devlies. Axa’s banking presence across Europe. Belgium. Axa Bank in Belgium offers banking products and services to retail and small business customers, serviced through a network  of independent bank agents. Hungary (past). Axa Bank in Hungary focused on mortgage lending since July 2009. Products were marketed through nationwide mortgage centers, 300 tied insurance agents and over the Internet. Since January 1, 2012, Hungarian commercial activities had been put in run-off. In February 2016, Axa announced that it had entered into an agreement with OTP Bank to sell its Hungarian banking operations. France and Germany. Axa Group also owns banking activities in France (Axa Banque France) and in Germany (Axa Bank AG). Those two entities are not part of Axa Bank Belgium's legal structure, even  though they have developed some operational links and synergies, notably in sharing banking know-how.