ING vs ITUB Comparison

The merger of the Dutch postal bank and NN Insurance in 1991 created ING. Through a series of further acquisitions, ING built up a global footprint. The 2008 financial crisis forced ING to seek government support—a precondition of which was that ING should separate its banking and insurance activities, which saw ING revert to being solely a bank. ING has market-leading banking operations in the Netherlands and Belgium, and a range of digital banks across Europe and Australia. Its global wholesale banking operation is primarily focused on lending.

Itaú Unibanco is the largest privately held bank in Brazil, the result of the 2008 merger between Banco Itaú and Unibanco. In addition to Brazil, the bank has significant operations in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Itaú's commercial and consumer loans account for 35% and 43% of the bank's total loans, respectively, while foreign loans account for 22% of its portfolio. The bank also operates the fifth-largest insurer in Brazil and is the second-largest asset manager in the country, giving it broad reach over the Brazilian financial system.