ING admits what everyone else knew about cross-border integration

Ralph Hamers’ project to centralize ING’s operations was flawed from the outset. Scrapping it is sensible, but a mark against his legacy.

As chief executive of ING, Ralph Hamers’ faith in the Dutch bank’s digital leadership was so strong that he embarked on one of the world’s most ambitious bank transformations.

This was a project to integrate ING’s various country-level operations more closely than a leading cross-border banking group had ever tried before. It wasn’t long before doubts started to emerge.

It is not that Hamers’ project has had no success at all. Previously, ING had two separate branch networks, even in Belgium.

Access intelligence that drives action

To unlock this research, enter your email to log in or enquire about access