Listen

Fresh off the press: three books on the history of ING

03 March 2020 ... min read

Much has already been written about the history of ING, but we have never had a book about the complete history of ING as a bank. This has now been remedied because the banking history of ING has finally been written.

Former workplace at NMB.

Former workplace at NMB.

Insight

Postbank poster

Postbank poster

It is not something that ING rushed into. It took many years of work and research by authors, current and former employees, curators, editors, publishers and designers. The result: three Dutch-language books that describe as a coherent whole the history and developments of the banks and financial institutions from which ING emerged. They cover the Rijkspostspaarbank, the Postcheque- en Girodienst (PCGD), later the Postbank, and the Nederlandsche Middenstandsbank (NMB).

The books provide an exciting insight into the banking world of the past and the important players of the time. How did our legal predecessors handle changes? How did the various mergers come about? What were the cultural differences? Finally, ING and all those interested in it can now find out more and reflect on almost 150 years of banking history. The books are illustrated with images and photos from ING’s historical collection.

Our purpose then and now

The publication was celebrated with a speech by Ralph Hamers and a panel discussion with the authors of the books, attended by many current and former ING employees, alongside current and former Executive Board members, former chairs and former members of the Supervisory Board.

Ruud van Dusschoten, country manager ING in the Netherlands, presented Ralph Hamers with the first books. In his speech, Ralph Hamers emphasised the importance of the past. “The past provides us with a story, shapes, and in our case, colours our personality, gives us that orange feeling.

Ruud van Dusschoten presents Ralph Hamers with the first edition.

Ruud van Dusschoten presents Ralph Hamers with the first edition.

“If you dive into ING’s past, you can see that what underpinned ING then … helping people to save, to be financially healthy (Rijkspostspaarbank) and to support SMEs through lending (NMB) … is still what we stand for now.

Helping people to stay a step ahead in life and in business – we call that empowerment today – that’s our purpose. That’s what we stand for. Then and now.”

Ondernemend in financieel nut. Sparen en betalen bij de Rijkspostspaarbank, de Postcheque- en Girodienst en de Postbank, 1881-1989.
Authors: Jaap Barendregt, Rogier Overman
Amsterdam, Boom uitgevers, 2020. ISBN9789024409099
Van lokale bank naar wereldwijd bankieren De Nederlandsche Middenstandbank (NMB), 1927-1989
Author: Douwe van der Werf Amsterdam, Boom uitgevers, 2020. ISBN 9789024409105
Tussen nutsinstelling en bankplatform Ontstaan en ontwikkeling van de ING Groep, 1989-2019
Authors: Jaap Barendregt, Rogier Overman
Amsterdam, Boom uitgevers, 2020. ISBN 9789024409167

The books can be ordered from www.boomgeschiedenis.nl/geschiedenis_ing

Related stories

Back to top