Austrian Post
Austria's principal postal, parcel, express and logistics service provider.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Austrian Post, formally Österreichische Post Aktiengesellschaft, is Austria's principal postal and delivery company. Its modern corporate form was created in 1999 through the separation of postal operations from Post und Telekom Austria AG, the former state-owned telecommunications and postal organization. The company subsequently became a listed issuer on the Vienna Stock Exchange while continuing to perform the universal postal role associated with Austria's national postal system. The business covers traditional letter delivery, parcels, express services, logistics and related customer-facing postal services. Its Austrian network combines post offices and postal service partners with delivery infrastructure and parcel collection or distribution facilities. This physical presence gives the company a role beyond ordinary mail delivery: it provides access points for households and businesses, supports domestic and international shipments, and supplies channels through which other services can reach customers. Austrian Post's historical foundations extend well beyond the 1999 company. Organized postal routes linked Innsbruck with Mechelen in the late fifteenth century, and by the sixteenth century routes connected Vienna with major cities across Western and Southern Europe. Postal administration became a government monopoly under Emperor Charles VI in 1722. During the nineteenth century, the Austrian system introduced or expanded letter boxes, money orders, cash-on-delivery services and pneumatic mail delivery in Vienna. Postal codes were introduced nationwide in 1966, helping standardize addressing and sorting. The company also has a significant connection with postal innovation and philately. Austria issued its first postage stamps in 1850, while postmarks had been used earlier to identify the place and time of mailing. In 1918, a regular international airmail route operated between Vienna, Kraków and Lviv for part of the year. Austrian Post's modern express activity dates from 1986, and the company operates as an EMS Cooperative contracted delivery agent within the Universal Postal Union framework. A major diversification occurred in April 2020 with the launch of bank99. Austrian Post holds 80 percent of the financial-services business, with the remaining 20 percent held by CAPITAL BANK–GRAWE GRUPPE AG. bank99 uses postal branches and postal partners as distribution channels and combines online services with personal assistance at postal service points. Its offering includes current accounts, domestic and international payment services, credit cards and international money transfers carried out with Ria Money Transfer. The model is aimed at customers who value physical service locations, including people in areas where branch-based banking access may otherwise be limited. Austrian Post has also faced regulatory scrutiny. In 2019, Austria's data protection authority fined the company 18 million euros over the use of customer information, including age and address data, to estimate probable political-party preferences and sell the resulting targeting information. The episode became one of the most significant public controversies associated with the company and highlighted the sensitivity of data-driven commercial activities by a widely used public-facing service provider. Today, Austrian Post remains centered on postal and parcel delivery in Austria while participating in broader European logistics and express markets. Its positioning combines national network coverage, established postal infrastructure, parcel capabilities and selected adjacent services such as retail financial access. The company is therefore best understood as a diversified postal and logistics group rather than solely as a traditional letter carrier.
History
The history behind Austrian Post reaches back to the development of organized postal communications in the Habsburg lands. A standardized route between Innsbruck and Mechelen in present-day Belgium was established in 1490. By 1563, Vienna was connected by an expanding network with cities in Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1722, Emperor Charles VI made postal service a government monopoly, formalizing the central role of the state in administering communications. Postal services broadened during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Mail coaches began carrying passengers by the middle of the eighteenth century. Letter boxes, money orders and cash-on-delivery services were introduced during the nineteenth century, while Vienna developed a pneumatic mail system in 1875. These changes shifted postal administration from a system focused primarily on official correspondence toward a more extensive public and commercial service. Austria also played a role in the development of airmail. On 31 March 1918, a regular international airmail service began between Vienna, Kraków and Lviv. The service ended on 15 October of the same year, but its operation demonstrated that scheduled aircraft delivery could function even during wartime. Three definitive Austrian stamps were overprinted with the word “FLUGPOST” for the route, making the episode important both in postal history and in philately. The first Austrian postage stamps were issued in 1850. Earlier, in 1787, postmaster Georg Khumer had introduced postmarks in Friesach identifying the time and place of use. Nationwide postal codes were introduced in 1966, providing a standardized structure for addressing and sorting mail throughout the country. The modern company's express activity began in 1986. Austrian Post also became a contracted delivery agent within the Universal Postal Union's EMS Cooperative, linking its express services with the international postal system. The present corporate entity was established in 1999 after postal operations were separated from Post und Telekom Austria AG. It was subsequently listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, creating a publicly traded company while retaining its position as Austria's principal postal provider. In the twenty-first century, Austrian Post has operated across several connected service areas: letters, parcels, express delivery, logistics and postal retail. Its network of post offices and postal partners provides customer access for mailing, collection and related transactions. The company has also expanded beyond conventional delivery through financial services. In April 2020, it launched bank99, a credit institution intended to combine digital banking with personal assistance at postal locations. Austrian Post owns 80 percent of bank99, and CAPITAL BANK–GRAWE GRUPPE AG owns 20 percent. The business offers current accounts, payment services, credit cards and international money transfers, with Ria Money Transfer used for secure international transfers. The company's diversification has been accompanied by scrutiny of how postal customer information is used. In 2019, Austria's data protection authority fined Austrian Post 18 million euros over the processing of customer data to estimate political preferences and the sale of those findings. The case underscored the regulatory and reputational risks that can arise when a postal operator uses information gathered through a large, trusted customer network for commercial profiling. Austrian Post's current identity consequently combines a long national postal tradition with a modern listed-company structure. It remains anchored in Austrian mail and parcel delivery, while express logistics, international services, retail access and bank99 provide additional areas of activity.
- 2020
bank99 launched
[1]Austrian Post launched bank99, combining online financial services with customer support through postal branches and partners.
- 1999
Modern Austrian Post established
[1]Austrian Post was established after the postal business was separated from Post und Telekom Austria AG.
- 1986
Express mail services begin
[1]Austrian Post began express mail operations and later served as an EMS Cooperative contracted delivery agent.
- 1966
Nationwide postal codes introduced
[1]Postal codes were introduced across Austria to standardize addressing and support mail sorting.
- 1918
International airmail route begins
[1]A regular international airmail route connected Vienna, Kraków and Lviv from 31 March until 15 October.
- 1875
Pneumatic mail system introduced in Vienna
[1]Vienna introduced a pneumatic mail system as part of the nineteenth-century modernization of postal communications.
- 1850
First Austrian postage stamps issued
[1]Austria issued its first postage stamps, marking an important development in the country's postal and philatelic history.
- 1722
Postal service becomes a government monopoly
[1]Emperor Charles VI placed postal service under a government monopoly.
- 1490
Standardized postal route established
[1]A standardized postal service was established between Innsbruck and Mechelen, forming an early foundation for organized long-distance postal communication in the region.
Products and positioning
Integrated national postal, parcel, express and logistics provider with a broad physical service network and selected financial-services activities.
Postal services
Letter mail
Austrian Post's core postal activity is the collection, sorting and delivery of letters and documents within Austria and through international postal connections. The service builds on the country's long-established postal network and standardized addressing system, including nationwide postal codes introduced in 1966.
Parcel logistics
Parcel delivery
Parcel delivery extends Austrian Post beyond traditional letter service into domestic and international goods distribution. It is supported by the company's postal network, service points and broader logistics infrastructure, serving both individual senders and business customers.
Express logistics · 1986
Express mail
Austrian Post has offered express mail services since 1986. Its participation as an EMS Cooperative contracted delivery agent connects the Austrian express operation with the Universal Postal Union's international express-mail framework.
Financial services · 2020
bank99
bank99 is a financial-services business launched by Austrian Post in April 2020. It provides checking accounts, domestic and international payment services, credit cards and international money transfers. The service combines digital access with personal support through postal branches and partners, with Ria Money Transfer used for international transfers.
Controversies
2019
Political preference profiling and data-protection fine
Austria's data protection authority fined Austrian Post 18 million euros after determining that the company had used customer information, including age and address data, to estimate probable political-party preferences and sell the resulting findings.
2019
Austrian Post fined over customer data practices
Austria's Data Protection Authority imposed an €18 million administrative penalty on Austrian Post after finding that it violated data protection regulations. The case involved compiling customers' assumed political affinities. The authority issued the fine in connection with these customer data practices.
Brand decisions
2020
Launch bank99Product launchBackground
Austrian Post sought to extend its broad network of post offices and postal partners into financial services while combining digital banking with personal customer assistance.
Action taken
The company launched bank99, retaining an 80 percent ownership stake while CAPITAL BANK–GRAWE GRUPPE AG held 20 percent.
Aftermath
bank99 added current accounts, payment services, credit cards and international money transfers to Austrian Post's wider service portfolio.
1999
Separate postal operations into a listed companyStrategyBackground
Austria reorganized the former state-owned Post und Telekom Austria AG, separating its postal operations into the company that became Austrian Post.
Action taken
Austrian Post was established as a standalone corporate entity and later listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
The restructuring created the modern publicly traded postal and logistics company while preserving its central role in Austria's postal system.
Recent events
Reported
Austrian Post expands its Wolfurt logistics centre[4]
Austrian Post officially opened the expansion of its logistics centre in Wolfurt, increasing sorting capacity from around 5,000 to 8,000 parcels per hour. The expansion also created 40 new jobs.
Reported
Austrian Post fined over customer data practices[3]
Austria’s Data Protection Authority imposed an €18 million administrative penalty on Austrian Post after finding that it violated data protection regulations. The case involved compiling customers’ assumed political affinities.
Sources5 sources
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