On 8 March 2026, Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIL) marked its 170 years anniversary, a journey shaped not only by Luxembourg’s development as a nation, but also by our constant commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our customers.

This anniversary is an opportunity to revisit the major milestones that have helped us continuously transform the way we support our clients: from expanding access to banking services to reinventing the customer journey through digital innovation.

A History of Progress for Our Clients

On 31 July 1856, the opening of BIL’s - and the country’s - first bank agency in the heart of Luxembourg City marked the beginning of a new financial era, with BIL also becoming the first institution in Luxembourg to issue banknotes. From day one, our mission has been to make banking more accessible, more transparent, and more supportive of people’s lives and ambitions.

Since 1856, the Bank has been closely aligned with every major transformation that shaped Luxembourg’s social and economic landscape. By steadily expanding access to modern banking services, we have enabled individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses to thrive, from the early days of industrialisation to the digital era.

At the turn of the 20th century, as Luxembourg grew under the strength of the steel industry, BIL supported the industrial players who defined the country’s economic identity. By contributing to the rise of major industrial enterprises, we helped lay the foundations for prosperity, progress that directly benefited generations of workers, families, and communities.

BIL’s story also mirrors the construction of the Grand Duchy’s financial foundations. Our contribution to the creation of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange in 1929 helped open new financial opportunities for companies and investors, while the issuance of the world’s first Eurobond in 1963 reshaped international markets and reinforced Luxembourg’s reputation for innovation.

After the Second World War, BIL supported the country’s opening to the world through aviation and broadcasting, helping to bring new services, new connections, and new possibilities to our customers.

With the inauguration of our Indépendance headquarters in 1989 and the creation of the Indépendance Foundation in 1999, we reaffirmed our long-term commitment to stability, culture, and community life in Luxembourg.

From 2011 onward, the Luxembourg State’s entry into BIL’s shareholding recognised the Bank’s strategic, systemic importance. In parallel BIL remained forward looking, becoming a founding partner of the Digital Tech Fund in 2016 and strengthening the country’s ambition to position itself as a European hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.

A New Era: Innovation Designed Around our customers

In recent years, our transformation has accelerated, always with one goal in mind: to make banking simpler, faster, and more intuitive for our clients.

When the COVID 19 pandemic struck in 2020, BIL provided essential support to businesses and the self employed, helping preserve economic activity during a period of unprecedented uncertainty.

In the following years, the deployment of our new Core Banking System presented significant challenges that affected our clients. This transition period tested us, but it also strengthened us. By listening carefully to customer feedback and mobilising teams across the Bank, we resolved the issues, stabilised the system, and transformed that difficult moment into a catalyst for improvement.

Today, the platform delivers faster, secure, and more efficient services across all channels. The progress has been so significant that today, new clients can open a BIL account through a fully digital process and in just a few minutes. What was once a difficult experience has become the foundation for simpler, smoother, and far more intuitive banking.

Since then, we have entered a new phase of innovation built around the opportunities of AI and digitalisation. This includes the launch of Berry, our AI powered assistant designed to simplify daily banking and provide instant, personalised support.

Berry: your intelligent, AI-powered banking assistant

Recently launched, Berry helps clients access information instantly, navigate their daily banking more easily, and benefit from personalised support. This is a major step toward making banking more intuitive and more accessible for everyone.

Instant, fully digital onboarding

In 2026, we introduced a breakthrough innovation: new clients can now open an account with BIL in just a few minutes, entirely online and without visiting a branch.

This is a milestone in our commitment to offering a modern, seamless, and customer friendly experience.

Building Tomorrow Together

As we celebrate 170 years, BIL does more than honour its heritage: we reaffirm our commitment to shaping the future of banking in Luxembourg, with our customers at the centre of every innovation.

Guided by our Building Tomorrow Together positioning and our 2025 2030 strategy, we remain focused on digitalisation, customer excellence, resilience, regional expansion, and operational simplicity.

Because our story is not just about history, it is about progress towards the future and the people we serve.

🔗 Look at some of BIL’s history milestones