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ABN Amro

ABN AMRO is the largest bank in the Netherlands and has operations all over the world.

It is the result of the merger in 1991 of Algemene Bank Nederland (ABN) and AMRO - the Amsterdamsche-Rotterdamsche Bank.

ABN AMRO ranks 11th in Europe and 23rd in the world based on tier 1 capital, with over 3,000 branches in more than 60 countries, a staff of about 110,000 full-time equivalents and total assets of EUR 639.9 billion (as at 31 March 2004).

History

• On 29 March 1824 King Willem I issued a royal decree creating the Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij with the aim of reviving trade between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies.

• 1861: De Twenstche Bank was founded.

• 1863: The Rotterdamsche Bank was founded.

• 1871: The Amsterdamsche Bank was founded.

• 1883: Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij commenced banking operations.

• 1962: Rotterdamsche Bank acquired Nationale Handelsbank.

• 1964: Amsterdamsche Bank merged with Rotterdamsche Bank to form AMRO Bank. Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij immediately merged with De Twentsche Bank to form Algemene Bank Nederland (ABN).

• 1968: ABN acquired Hollandsche Bank-Unie.

• 1991: ABN and AMRO merged to form ABN AMRO Bank.

Negative publicity

From research done by the Campagne tegen Wapenhandel it appeared that ABN AMRO owns parts of INSYS, the British manufacturer of cluster bombs.

The ABN AMRO is also the bank of the Biomedical Primate Research Centre, the biggest primate vivisection center in Europe.