J&T Group was founded in 1994 in
Slovakia by Ivan Jakabovič and Patrik Tkáč, both former classmates. Their first major project was the development of luxury housing on Drotárska Street in Bratislava, Slovakia. An important milestone for the young company was the purchase of investment fund Creditanstalt IF in 1996. The company specialized in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but the group also invested in the markets of
Switzerland,
Canada,
Mexico and the
Caribbean. In 2022, J&T Banka acquired an 80% majority stake in Amista, one of the largest Czech managers and administrators of funds for qualified investors. In 2023, J&T Banka opened a branch in Frankfurt, Germany, operating under the brand J&T Direktbank and offering deposit products to German retail clients. Germany became the fourth market in which J&T Banka directly operates. Within its first year, J&T Direktbank attracted over 23,000 clients and deposits exceeding €1 billion. In 2023, J&T Finance Group sold its Russian subsidiary J&T Bank AO to Bjurokrat holding, controlled by Russian bank Realist, thereby exiting the Russian market entirely. J&T had entered Russia in 2007 through the acquisition of Tretij Rim bank. In 2025, J&T Banka established a representative office in Poland, providing loan financing to clients investing in the Polish market. In 2025, J&T Finance Group agreed to sell its 98.45% stake in Slovak 365.bank (formerly Poštová banka) to Belgium's KBC Group, the parent company of ČSOB, for €761 million. The transaction was completed in January 2026 at a final consideration of €708 million, following regulatory approvals. == Operations ==