OP Financial Group

{{Short description|Financial company in Finland}}

{{Infobox company

| name = OP Financial Group

| logo = OP Financial Group.svg

| logo_size = 100 px

| image = 0591 OP Financial Group Vallila 3.JPG

| image_caption = OP Financial Group headquarters in Vallila, Helsinki

| type = Private (cooperative bank)

| foundation =

| location = Helsinki, Finland

| key_people = Timo Ritakallio (President and Group Executive Chairman)

| area_served = Finland

| industry = Financial services

| products = Banking, Insurance

| revenue = {{increase}} €3.115 billion (2017)

| operating_income = {{decrease}} €1.077 billion (2017){{Cite web|year=2017|title=OP Ryhmän toimintakertomus ja tilinpäätös 2017|trans-title=OP Financial Group 's Report by the Board of Directors and Financial Statements 2017|url=https://op-year2017.fi/filebank/484-OP_Ryhma_Toimintakertomus_ja_tilinpaatos_2017.pdf|website=OP Financial Group|access-date=2 March 2019|language=fi}}

| profit = {{decrease}} €764 million (2017)

| assets = {{increase}} €137.242 billion (31 December 2017)

| equity = {{increase}} €11.121 billion (31 December 2017)

| num_employees = 12,269 (31 December 2017)

| parent =

| subsid = OP Bank Group Central Co-operative, OP Corporate Bank, Pohjola Bank, Helsingin OP Pankki, OP-Kotipankki

| homepage = [http://www.op.fi www.op.fi]

| footnotes =

}}

File:OP-Pohjola HQ January 31 2009.jpg, Helsinki]]

OP Financial Group is one of the largest financial companies in Finland. It consists of 180 cooperative banks and their central organization. "OP" stands for "osuuspankki" in Finnish, literally meaning "cooperative bank". The financial group has over 2 million customer-owners,{{cite web |title=OP Financial Group in brief |url=https://www.op.fi/op-financial-group/about-us/op-in-brief |access-date=30 July 2021}} offering retail and commercial banking services all over Finland, as well as insurance services.[https://www.op.fi/op?id=80100&_nfpb=true OP Financial Group in brief] Retrieved on 10 January 2015

In 2014 the group acquired the remainder of the shares of Pohjola Bank and consolidated its services under the OP brand, shortening its name to OP from OP-Pohjola, a name it had used since 2007.[https://www.op.fi/op/op-pohjola-group/media?cid=-66107&kielikoodi=en&srcpl=3 Pohjola shares removed from the book-entry system]. op.fi, {{Archive url|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821052058/https://www.op.fi/op/op-pohjola-group/media?cid=-66107&kielikoodi=en&srcpl=3|date=2016-08-21}}

OP's current headquarters are located in Vallila, Helsinki, and opened in 2015.

OP has been designated as a Significant Institution since the entry into force of European Banking Supervision in late 2014, and as a consequence is directly supervised by the European Central Bank.{{cite web |website=European Central Bank |title=The list of significant supervised entities and the list of less significant institutions |url=https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/ecb/pub/pdf/ssm-listofsupervisedentities1409en.pdf |date={{date|2014/09/04}} }}{{cite web |website=European Central Bank |title=List of supervised entities |date={{date|2023/01/01}} |url=https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/ecb/pub/pdf/ssm.listofsupervisedentities202302.en.pdf }}

History

The company's predecessor was founded in 1891 when the fire insurance company Palovakuutus-Osakeyhtiö Pohjola commenced its operations. Pohjola Bank was listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange in 1922, being one of the first companies to be listed in Helsinki.

The first local cooperative credit societies were founded in 1902 and received a large loan from the Finnish state the next year. The central organization for cooperatives was founded in 1928 as an ideological organization between local branches. As the business environment has changed and banking regulation has tightened, the central organization has increased its influence on local banks significantly.

In 2005 the central organization of OP Financial Group became a major shareholder of Pohjola Bank, which made the group the largest financial services group in Finland. The remainder of the shares were acquired in 2014.

Healthcare

In 2014 OP announced plans to expand into the health and wellbeing market. It operated a hospital in the Helsinki region. In 2021 it cancelled the plan and sold the hospital.[https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/business/19540-pohjola-insurance-to-sell-hospital-chain-to-pihlajalinna.html Pohjola Insurance to sell hospital chain to Pihlajalinna]

OP Corporate Bank

OP Corporate Bank Plc is the most significant subsidiary of OP Financial Group.{{Cite web|url=https://www.op.fi/op-financial-group/debt-investors/corporate-governance-op-corporate-bank-plc/structure-of-op-financial-group-and-pohjola-group|title=Structure of OP Financial Group and OP Corporate Bank Group - Corporate governance (OP Corporate Bank PLC)}}

OP Corporate Bank's customers are large companies in Finland. It is responsible for the Baltic business, operating as a bank for large companies and conducting financial services in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In addition, OP Corporate Bank offers financial services in internationalization. OP Corporate Bank also acts as the OP Financial Group's central bank.

Katja Keitaanniemi has been the President and CEO of OP Corporate Bank since 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.op.fi/op-financial-group/debt-investors/corporate-governance-op-corporate-bank-plc/president-and-ceo|title = President and CEO - Corporate governance (OP Corporate Bank PLC)}}

Gallery

File:Asemakatu Kauppakatu spring 1979.jpg|Jyväskylä OP-Bank

File:Osuuspankki Yhteistuki Lappeenranta.jpg|Lappeenranta OP-Bank

File:Vetelin Osuuspankki 2017.jpg|Veteli OP-Bank

File:Tampere - Hämeenkatu 12.jpg|Tampere OP-Bank

File:Seinäjoki Osuuspankki 20190509.jpg|Seinäjoki OP-Bank

References