Overview

Rabobank emerged from small agricultural cooperative banks, first founded by Dutch farmers and horticulturists in the late nineteenth century. They had been eager to improve the future of agriculture and horticulture and make farmers prosperous through a credit cooperative. From 1895 on, several banks modeled on this "Raiffeisen system" were set up in different parts of the Netherlands. Rabobank Group is comprised of independent local Rabobanks plus Rabobank Nederland, their umbrella organization, and several specialist subsidiaries.