- Business
- Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. operates as Brazil's largest private financial conglomerate, providing a comprehensive range of banking, insurance, and investment services to retail, small business, corporate, and private banking clients; core offerings include current and savings accounts, consumer loans, credit and debit cards, mortgage and vehicle financing, payroll-deducted loans, investment products such as mutual funds and pension plans, asset management, securities brokerage, treasury and foreign exchange services, real estate lending, lease financing, life and property-casualty insurance, and capitalization products; wholesale services encompass working capital loans, trade finance, cash management, investment banking including underwriting and mergers and acquisitions advisory, as well as capital markets solutions for corporations, governments, and institutional investors. The company, formed in 2008 through the merger of Banco Itaú and Unibanco and headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, maintains extensive operations across Brazil with over 4,300 branches, complemented by a robust digital "phygital" platform, and extends its presence internationally in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, the United States, and Europe including Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as Asia with offices in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Recent developments include the 2022 acquisition of control in Avenue Holding Cayman Ltd through phased investments starting with 35% ownership for R$563 million and advancing to majority control by late 2025, strengthening digital brokerage services; increased ownership in Itaú Chile to 67.42% via share purchases totaling R$193 million in 2023; full acquisition of operations in Colombia; ongoing digital transformation with expansion of platforms handling over 70% of transactions in 2024, new product launches like Íon, and technology investments including the ZUP acquisition; enhanced focus on sustainable finance reaching R$1 trillion in volume; and a strategic review announced at the end of 2024 impacting recovery and resolution planning.