The Euro Banking Association (EBA), also referred by its French acronym ABE-EBA (), is a trade association for the European payments industry with close to 200 member banks and organisations from the European Union and around the world aimed at fostering and driving pan-European payment initiatives. The ABE-EBA has strived to contribute to the creation of a standardised Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).
The EBA was instrumental in the establishment in June 1998 of EBA Clearing, to which it transferred projects that were under development at the time including EURO1, but has always been a separate organization.
History and structure The ABE-EBA was founded in Paris in 1985 by 18 commercial banks and the European Investment Bank. The European Commission as well as the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) supported the founding of the ABE-EBA. Since then, the number of members has risen to almost 200. The institutions come from all member states of the European Union as well as from Norway, Switzerland, Australia, China, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
In its early years, the agenda of the ABE-EBA included the promotion of the European Monetary Union (EMU) and the development and management of a private industry ECU clearing system stretching across Europe. This was transferred in 1999 to EBA Clearing.
Member banks
As of end-2024 the following banks were members of ABE-EBA, with national classification as indicated on the association's website:
Abanca ABN AMRO Aktia Bank Allied Irish Banks Alpha Bank Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena Banca Popolare del Lazio Banca Popolare di Sondrio Banca Sella Banco BAI Europa Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Banco BPM Banco Comercial Português Banco Cooperativo Español Banco Sabadell Banco Montepio Banco Santander Bank für Tirol und Vorarlberg Bank GPB international Bank of America Europe Bank of China Bank of Finland Bank of Ireland Bank of Slovenia Bank of Åland Bankinter Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État Banque Internationale à Luxembourg
Barclays Belfius
BNP Paribas Fortis
BPCE BPER Banca bpost BRED Banque Populaire
CaixaBank Caja Laboral Cassa di Risparmio di Fermo
Citibank Europe Commerzbank Credito Emiliano Crédit Agricole Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Danske Bank De Nederlandsche Bank Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bundesbank DnB Bank Helsinki branch DZ Bank Elavon Financial Services Erste Group Bank Eurobank Ergasias
Hellenic Bank HSBC Bank Plc HSBC Continental Europe ING Bank Intesa Sanpaolo Joh. Berenberg, Gossler und Co. JPMorgan Chase London Branch KBC Bank KfW La Banque postale Landesbank Baden-Württemberg Landesbank Hessen-Thueringen LHV Bank Ltd Lloyds Bank MUFG Bank Ltd National Bank of Greece National Westminster Bank Nordea Oberbank Oesterreichische Nationalbank OP Corporate Bank OTP Bank Rabobank Raiffeisen Bank International Raiffeisen Landesbank Südtirol Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich S-Bank Swiss Euro Clearing Bank Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken Société Générale Sparekassen Sjælland Standard Chartered Bank AG Svenska Handelsbanken Swedbank Sydbank UBS Europe SE UniCredit Bank Austria AG UniCredit Bank GmbH UniCredit Wells Fargo UK
Leadership
In 1986, the ABE-EBA appointed Gilbert Lichter as its secretary-general, a position he held until 1989 and again from 1992 to 2016. Since 2016, the secretary-general of the ABE-EBA has been Mr Thomas Egner.
References