Grégoire Comte (ING Luxembourg): Wholesale banking with execution power

Grégoire Comte, Head of Sectors and Head of Financial Institutions at ING Luxembourg, on delivering scale, expertise and consistency for wholesale banking clients.

What attracted you to this role at ING Wholesale Banking?

What attracted me to ING was its background in Luxembourg as one of the leading banks in Wholesale Banking particularly in Private Markets and its clear ambition on becoming the best wholesale bank in Europe. Wholesale Banking at ING is the combination of sector expertise, a strong balance sheet and a global network, underpinned by a culture that values speed, accountability and long-term relationships. Within this model, Luxembourg plays a key strategic role. Luxembourg is now positioned as ING’s Centre of Expertise for Funds, supporting clients across the entire fund lifecycle (cash accounts, depositary bank, custody, Capital Call and NAV facilities, hedging). Wholesale Banking Clients highlight a strong ING franchise in transaction banking, hedging solutions and lending across its global network. In addition to its deep Sector Expertise, we can support clients with Capital Markets & Advisory (CMA) services: Debt Capital Markets, Equity Capital Markets and Acquisition Finance & M&A advisory. Our clients value our ability to connect these capabilities in a seamless way. They expect a reliable and scalable partner that supports them through all market conditions and that is precisely the role we play.

What does the account opening process look like, particularly for US-linked structures?

When KYC requirements are already met, accounts can be opened in less than 1 hour. For new entities, the onboarding process is typically completed within a few days, allowing accounts to become operational shortly thereafter.

To further streamline this process, ING has developed “FastTrack by ING”, an initiative designed to accelerate account opening for fund structures. It was first delivered by Luxembourg teams and is now being rolled out across the wider ING network. US-based players represent approximately 80% of the top 20 global financial sponsors. In this context, ING is able to manage the full end-to-end servicing chain for funds, including for US-headquartered sponsors, with Luxembourg acting as a natural gateway into Europe.

" Luxembourg is ING’s Center of Expertise for Funds, supporting clients throughout the entire fund-lifecycle ."

What are your priorities in your new role for the coming year?

My priorities are focused on consistent execution and clients.

First, we aim to further strengthen our partnerships with clients and particularly within the funds ecosystem by consistently delivering flawless execution, every day. Second, we will deepen the role of Luxembourg as ING’s Centre of Expertise for Funds, leveraging our local expertise to support clients across EMEA through a single and integrated platform. Third, we will build on ING’s key differentiators: sector expertise, global network and sustainability leadership. Sustainability is fully embedded in how we support our clients. We are actively involved in ESG-linked transactions, for example in Debt Capital Markets and fund finance, where we often act as facility agent and contribute the structuring of ESG components within financing structures.

Ultimately, our ambition is to become the best Wholesale Bank in Europe.