Sign in

Private company

Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État

Logo: Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Luxembourgish state-owned commercial bank

The Banque et caisse d'épargne de l'État (French pronunciation: State Bank and Savings Bank), also known by its Luxembourgish name Spuerkeess (lit. 'Savings Bank'), is the leading national financial institution founded in 1856 and governed by the law of 24 March 1989. Spuerkeess is a commercial bank wholly owned by the government of Luxembourg. Nowadays, it provides all the functions of a commercial bank, including retail banking and private banking.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Feb 21, 1856Founded1
  • Industryeconomics of banking, financial sector, financial services1
  • HeadquartersLuxembourg1
  • Websitewww.bcee.lu
  • Legal formpublic sector establishment1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Luxembourg, place de Metz BCEE (101)
Photo: GilPe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

The Banque et caisse d'épargne de l'État (French pronunciation: [bɑ̃k e kɛs depaʁɲ də leta], State Bank and Savings Bank), also known by its Luxembourgish name Spuerkeess (lit. 'Savings Bank'), is the leading national financial institution founded in 1856 and governed by the law of 24 March 1989. Spuerkeess is a commercial bank wholly owned by the government of Luxembourg.2

The story

Spuerkees was founded by Grand Duke William III as "Caisse d'épargne de l'État du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg" due to a Law on 21 February 1856. The board of directors had three members and had their first meeting on 18 August 1859 under the presidency of Professor Nicolas Martha. Headquarters of the Spuerkeess at that time were seated in Haus Ketter in Dräikinneksgaass in the city, while their desk offices were at the Krautmaart, at the headquarters of the government commission, which is today's Palais.

Since its foundation in 1856, the bank has been solely owned by the Luxembourg State. The statutory missions of the Bank consist in promoting savings, facilitating access to housing and supporting the development of the national economy.

Since 1862 it was allowed that foreigners could deposit their money at the Spuerkeess. The trust of the public was high from the first day on, one of the reasons the deposit already reached an amount of one million francs in 1869.

From Wikipedia’s article on Banque et caisse d'épargne de l'État, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. Feb 21, 1856Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5