A leading force in promoting Iceland’s successful economic progress since its inception in 1886, Landsbanki is Iceland’s oldest full-service commercial bank. Landsbanki was the first issuer of bank notes in Iceland and performed central banking functions until the Central Bank of Iceland was established in 1961. Incorporated as a limited company in 1998, Landsbanki continues to be the market leader in virtually all segments of the financial services sector in Iceland with the largest share of deposits in Iceland and domestic lending. In terms of market capitalisation, Landsbanki ranks among the top three largest companies listed on the Iceland Stock Exchange.
Landsbanki and its subsidiaries have offices operating in the major financial centres of Europe, as well as North American representation in New York and Halifax.
The relatively limited size of the Icelandic market prompted Landsbanki, first among Icelandic commercial banks, to expand and diversify outside of Iceland when it acquired the London-based Heritable Bank in 2000. In 2005, Landsbanki acquired three European securities houses: Teather & Greenwood, located in London and Edinburgh; Kepler Equities, headquartered in Paris; and Merrion Capital Group in Dublin. Currently these subsidiaries deal in securities and prepare equity research in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich, Milan, Madrid and Amsterdam. Landsbanki's own branches in London and Amsterdam specialise in corporate finance and asset-backed lending, while Landsbanki Luxembourg handles private banking and wealth management, as well as corporate services.