COMPANIES

Citigroup

Office address: 388 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10013
Website: citigroup.com
Year established: 1812
Company type: banking
Employees: 229,000+ (global)
Expertise: investment banking, capital markets and advisory, securities services and custody, wealth and private banking, asset management and alternatives, treasury and trade solutions, foreign exchange and derivatives, corporate and commercial lending
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Jane Fraser (CEO), Nadir Darrah (chief auditor), Sunil Garg (head of NA), Mark Mason (CFO), Anand Selvakesari (COO), Andy Sieg (head of wealth), Sara Wechter (CHRO)
Financing status: shareholder-owned company

Citigroup is a major bank based in New York that serves companies, governments, and investors. It runs trading, capital markets, and investment banking businesses across 94 markets worldwide. Citi moves nearly $5 trillion daily, while managing wealth for institutional and US personal clients.

History of Citigroup

Citigroup's origins began in 1812 after City Bank of New York was chartered to help the city rival older financial centers. The charter followed a long political battle involving merchants aligned with President James Madison and supporters of Vice President George Clinton.

Samuel Osgood became the first president, and Clinton's allies held almost half the board seats. That small New York bank later evolved over 200 years into the institution now known as Citi.

Growing beyond New York

The bank opened a branch in Panama in 1904 at the US government's request and then expanded further. The National City Company sold bonds to ordinary investors, which helped fund companies and governments beyond Wall Street.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the bank built a broad New York branch network. It helped customers through the Great Depression and World War II, when women made up 43 percent of its almost 10,000 employees.

Citigroup's postwar and modern development

After 1945, the bank backed European rebuilding, financed major transport projects and expanded into the Middle East and Africa. In the 1960s and 1970s, it launched negotiable CDs, grew consumer banking and introduced ATMs for 24‑hour access.

From the 1980s, Citi expanded wealth and private banking services, including Citigold in Hong Kong. In 1998, a major merger created Citigroup, which later managed through the 2007–2008 crisis and reshaped its business mix.

It also supported the International Paralympic Committee through global sport partnerships. In 2021, Jane Fraser became Citi's CEO.

Investment banking and China growth

Citi has recently renewed its focus on investment banking under Viswas "Vis" Raghavan as head of banking. Since his arrival, the firm has hired at least 10 senior JPMorgan deal‑makers to strengthen M&A, equity capital markets, and technology coverage. This supports Jane Fraser's broader restructuring plans.

At the same time, Citigroup is pushing for growth in China as cross‑border activity increases. It has trimmed some consumer and technology roles, yet remains focused on Chinese companies expanding overseas and international clients. It's also pursuing a securities license and building on its existing capital markets permissions.

Citigroup's products and services

Citi offers a wide range of investment solutions that combine global reach and institutional‑grade platforms:

Institutional and corporate investment solutions

  • investment banking advisory
  • debt capital markets
  • equity capital markets
  • structured finance
  • foreign exchange and rates trading
  • treasury and trade solutions (TTS)

Securities services and investor support

  • global custody
  • fund services
  • securities finance
  • collateral management
  • transfer agency
  • trustee and depositary services

Wealth and private client investments

  • Citi Global Wealth Investments
  • Citi Investment Management
  • alternative investments
  • discretionary portfolio management
  • capital markets access for individuals

Citigroup also supports clients through its liquidity, risk, and cross‑border solutions that link investing to daily operations. Its global network and platforms help institutions and wealthy clients manage complex portfolios across markets.

Culture and corporate values

Citigroup says that it aims to be a merit‑based workplace where people feel included and engaged. The bank says this culture supports its vision, expressed through these core fundamentals:

  • thinking global
  • simplifying the bank
  • increasing connectivity
  • investing in its team

According to Citigroup, the firm offers benefits that support personal, professional and financial well‑being. Global opportunities, flexible work, and other resources help employees thrive in daily life:

  • global opportunities: build careers locally or in overseas roles
  • hybrid work: mix office collaboration with remote flexibility
  • professional development: access training, mentorship and skills programs
  • employee wellness: medical coverage plus mental health support resources
  • retirement planning: retirement contributions and investment choices for savings
  • parental and family support: parental leave, childcare help, and family programs
  • well‑being initiatives: programs that encourage healthy, balanced lifestyles
  • localized benefits: benefits tailored to each country's local needs

Citigroup also has a $1 trillion sustainable finance goal through 2030 to support a low‑carbon, inclusive economy. It also targets net zero emissions by 2050 while helping clients with their own transitions.

About CEO Jane Fraser and key people

Jane Fraser is chair of the board and CEO of Citigroup Inc. Fraser has spent more than 20 years at Citi in senior roles across its consumer and institutional businesses. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MA in economics from Cambridge University.

Citigroup's executive management team includes these key leaders and roles:

  • Nadir Darrah is chief auditor, overseeing Citigroup’s internal audit function and key risk reviews
  • Sunil Garg is CEO of Citibank NA and head of NA, leading North America-wide client franchises
  • Mark Mason is CFO, managing Citi’s financial strategy, reporting, and capital planning
  • Anand Selvakesari is COO, overseeing firmwide operations, technology, and transformation programs globally
  • Andy Sieg is head of Wealth, leading Citi’s global wealth business serving affluent and ultra-wealthy clients
  • Sara Wechter is CHRO, directing HR, talent strategy, and culture initiatives worldwide

Together, these executives guide Citigroup's strategy, people, and day‑to‑day operations. Their decisions shape client service and long‑term shareholder returns.

The future at Citigroup

Citigroup is using its global wealth arm to spot rich clients shifting assets from the US to the UK. Citi US stays central because those clients still need cross‑border advice, lending and portfolio management between American and British markets. This shift helps the bank grow international wealth revenue and refine its strategy for serving mobile, ultra‑wealthy families.

Elsewhere in Citi's ongoing transformation story, Citigroup hired outside counsel to review concerns about Andy Sieg, its head of Wealth. After the probe, the bank kept him in the role.

CEO Jane Fraser links that decision to strong results in the wealth unit and a broader turnaround that’s nearing its final phase. The bank also continues flexible work policies and sees clients more active in capital markets, which supports its long‑term wealth growth plans.

The latest Citigroup news

Displaying 1654 results
SEC's 'pit bull' lead lawyer in Goldman case toppled Crazy Eddie
RIA NEWS APR 26, 2010
SEC's 'pit bull' lead lawyer in Goldman case toppled Crazy Eddie

Sam Antar describes commission attorney Richard Simpson as 'an unbelievably tough guy.' Antar should know: he was CFO of Crazy Eddie, the crooked retailer that Simpson helped topple in the Eighties

White-hot investor? Uncle Sam
RIA NEWS APR 26, 2010
White-hot investor? Uncle Sam

So far, the unwinding of the government's stakes in once-distressed banks has paid off handsomely for the U.S. taxpayer. The profit on the planned sale of Citi stock should be the topper.

RIA NEWS APR 26, 2010
Citi to spin off Primerica

'Amway' of financial services to go public in deal valued at around $236M

RIA NEWS APR 23, 2010
Newly formed MSSB signs recruitment protocol

New York-based MSSB became an official signatory to the pact yesterday when Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc.’s Smith Barney brokerage unit closed on their joint venture.

Wall Street ramps up hiring as profits return
RIA NEWS APR 21, 2010
Wall Street ramps up hiring as profits return

The top firms are starting to expand payrolls, albeit gradually. If form follows, non-banks will soon start adding more employees, too

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to cut branches in the U.S. — but grow overseas
RIA NEWS APR 20, 2010
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to cut branches in the U.S. — but grow overseas

Morgan Stanley will continue to cut branches in the United States as it integrates its overlapping outposts with Smith Barney, but hopes to expand in the rapidly growing overseas market.

RIA NEWS APR 19, 2010
Citi exec William R. Rhodes to retire

After 53 years with Citigroup, the senior vice chairman steps down from his position to serve the company as a senior adviser.

Obama finds ally in Bank of America boss

The Obama administration has found a banker it can do business with: Bank of America Corp.'s Brian Moynihan.

Wall Street women still knocking on men's rooms
Wall Street women still knocking on men's rooms

Bloomberg's Susan Antilla offers her opinion on just how much (or little) progress women have made in the financial services industry over the last two decades

Merrill Lynch auction rate securities suit dismissed
RIA NEWS APR 16, 2010
Merrill Lynch auction rate securities suit dismissed

Merrill Lynch won dismissal of an investors' class-action lawsuit over auction-rate securities, at least the seventh such victory since the market collapsed in February 2008.

RIA NEWS APR 14, 2010
Baird hires longtime Smith Barney hand to open Oregon office

With the addition of David Perez, the Milwaukee-based Baird has now added 24 producers in a little more than three months. More coming?

WIREHOUSES APR 12, 2010
Tepid trading may spoil Morgan Stanley's 1Q results

As big investment banks prepare to report first-quarter earnings this month, many analysts are lowering their forecasts in light of weaker-than-expected trading by investors in February and March.

Brokerage, bond trading boosts JPMorgan Chase's results
RIA NEWS APR 08, 2010
Brokerage, bond trading boosts JPMorgan Chase's results

The bank's first-quarter profit easily beat expectations, as trading gains helped offset consumer loan losses