Sella Group
Italian banking group combining retail banking, private banking, asset management, consumer finance, leasing and financial technology.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
Sella Group is an Italian banking and financial-services group whose roots date to 1886, when Gaudenzio Sella and six relatives established Gaudenzio Sella & C. in Biella, Piedmont. The original institution was created to conduct banking discounts, advances, current accounts and securities transactions. It subsequently developed from a regional bank into a diversified group serving households, businesses, private clients, institutional investors and technology companies. The group’s principal banking company is Banca Sella S.p.A., while Banca Sella Holding S.p.A. acts as the holding company. Its activities extend beyond conventional deposit-taking and lending to include private banking, wealth and asset management, leasing, consumer credit, insurance distribution, fiduciary and family-office services, brokerage and digital financial infrastructure. The group also operates or has established specialist businesses such as Sella Gestioni SGR, Sella Leasing, Sella Personal Credit, Banca Patrimoni Sella & C., Sella Fiduciaria, Sella Broker and Fabrick. Expansion beyond Biella began in the late 1930s with branches in nearby towns. The institution became a joint-stock company in 1949 and adopted the name Banca Sella S.p.A. in 1962. Under Maurizio Sella, who became chairman in 1974, the bank expanded nationally and reached more than 300 branches during the first decade of the 2000s. The group also acquired or created specialist companies in northern and southern Italy, asset management, leasing, consumer finance and insurance. The organizational structure changed substantially in 2006, when the former Banca Sella S.p.A. became the group’s financial holding company and a newly formed subsidiary assumed the Banca Sella banking name. Further mergers consolidated regional banks and investment businesses into the principal operating companies. In 2008 the holding company adopted the name Banca Sella Holding S.p.A., and in 2011 and 2012 two regional subsidiaries were absorbed into Banca Sella S.p.A. Digital finance and innovation became increasingly important. The group introduced internet banking in 1997, created SellaLab in 2013 as an innovation and open-innovation hub, and launched HYPE in 2015 as an Italy-focused mobile-only electronic-money service. In 2017 it helped promote the Milan Fintech District and introduced an API-based open-banking platform ahead of the European PSD2 regime. Fabrick, launched in 2018, extended this strategy by providing an open financial ecosystem and API platform for banks, businesses and fintech companies. The group also acquired technology and fintech businesses including Vipera, Kubique and Smartika in 2018. In November 2017 the organization changed its name from Gruppo Banca Sella to Sella Group and introduced a new visual identity. The group remains centered on the Italian market, and its business model combines the stability and relationship orientation of a family-origin banking institution with digital banking, embedded finance and fintech infrastructure. According to Mediobanca research cited in the group’s Wikipedia article, its total assets ranked twentieth among Italian banks as of 31 December 2024.
History
Sella Group traces its origins to 1886 in Biella, Piedmont, where Gaudenzio Sella and six brothers and cousins founded Gaudenzio Sella & C. The firm’s original activities included discount banking, advances, current accounts and securities trading. Gaudenzio Sella led the institution until his death. The first branches outside Biella opened in the late 1930s in Ponzone, Trivero and Cossato. In 1949 the bank was converted into a joint-stock company, with Ernesto Sella as chairman and Giorgio Sella as chief executive. It adopted the name Banca Sella S.p.A. in 1962. After Ernesto’s death in 1974, Giorgio became chairman and Maurizio Sella, Ernesto’s son, became chief executive. Maurizio later guided a period of national expansion during which the bank grew to more than 300 branches in the first decade of the 2000s. The organization broadened through acquisitions of local banks and the creation of specialist subsidiaries in leasing, consumer finance, asset management and non-life insurance. Gruppo Banca Sella was established in 1992. Internet banking was introduced in 1997, followed by the sella.it online brand in 2000. After Giorgio Sella died in 2000, Maurizio became chairman and Pietro Sella became chief executive in 2002. A major restructuring took effect on 1 January 2006. The former Banca Sella S.p.A. became the group’s financial holding company, while a new subsidiary took the Banca Sella name and received the banking business. In 2008 the holding company was renamed Banca Sella Holding S.p.A. The group also consolidated asset-management activities, regional banking operations and investment businesses through mergers and reorganizations. Banca Patrimoni e Investimenti was created in 2005 through the combination of Sella Investimenti Banca and Gestnord Intermediazione. Sella Gestioni SGR was formed in 2006 from the merger of fiduciary and asset-management businesses. Regional entities Banca Sella Sud Arditi Galati and Banca Sella Nord Est Bovio Calderari were later absorbed into Banca Sella S.p.A. in 2011 and 2012. The group’s later history is marked by a shift toward digital finance and innovation. SellaLab was founded in 2013 to support startups, established companies and digital transformation. HYPE, a smartphone-focused electronic-money service, launched in 2015. In 2017 the group supported the creation of Milan’s Fintech District and opened an API-based banking platform ahead of PSD2. In 2018 it introduced Fabrick, an open financial ecosystem designed to connect financial institutions, companies and fintech developers. Acquisitions of Vipera, Kubique and Smartika during 2018 expanded the group’s capabilities in mobile financial services, supply-chain finance and peer-to-peer lending. The group changed its public identity from Gruppo Banca Sella to Sella Group in November 2017. Its present structure includes the holding company, Banca Sella, private and institutional banking, asset management, leasing, consumer credit, fiduciary services, brokerage, HYPE, Fabrick and Centrico. The organization remains primarily Italian and combines conventional banking with technology-led financial services.
- 2018
Fabrick launched
[1]Fabrick was introduced as an open financial ecosystem connecting banks, businesses and fintech companies.
- 2017
Open banking platform and Fintech District
[1]The group launched an API-based open-banking platform and promoted Milan’s Fintech District.
- 2017
Sella Group rebrand
[1]The public identity changed from Gruppo Banca Sella to Sella Group.
- 2015
HYPE launched
[1]The group introduced HYPE, a mobile-oriented electronic-money service for digital money management.
- 2013
SellaLab founded
[1]The group created an innovation center focused on startups, open innovation and digital transformation.
- 2006
Holding-company restructuring
[1]The former bank became the financial holding company and a new subsidiary assumed the Banca Sella banking operation.
- 2005
Banca Patrimoni e Investimenti created
[1]Sella Investimenti Banca and Gestnord Intermediazione were combined to form a private-banking-focused subsidiary.
- 1997
Internet banking introduced
[1]The group began offering internet banking services.
- 1992
Banca Sella Group established
[1]The banking business was organized into a broader group structure.
- 1962
Name changed to Banca Sella S.p.A.
[1]The institution adopted the Banca Sella name.
Products and positioning
A relationship-led Italian banking group that combines traditional banking and wealth services with digital finance, open banking and fintech infrastructure.
Retail and business banking · 1962
Banca Sella
The group’s principal banking business provides personal and business accounts, payments, lending and related financial services. It represents the traditional relationship-banking core of the organization while also incorporating digital channels and open-banking capabilities.
Digital payments and electronic money · 2015
HYPE
HYPE is a smartphone-oriented electronic-money and money-management service developed for paperless digital finance. It reflects the group’s effort to reach customers through mobile-first payments and account functionality rather than branch-centered banking.
Open banking and fintech infrastructure · 2018
Fabrick
Fabrick is an open financial ecosystem and API platform intended to enable cooperation among banks, companies and fintech providers. It supports the development and integration of financial services for end customers.
Private and institutional banking · 2005
Banca Patrimoni Sella & C.
Banca Patrimoni Sella & C. specializes in services for private and institutional clients, including wealth-related banking and investment support within the wider Sella Group structure.
Asset management · 2006
Sella Gestioni SGR
Sella Gestioni SGR consolidates group asset-management activities for retail and other clients, covering collective and related investment-management services.
Financial leasing
Sella Leasing
Sella Leasing provides leasing-oriented financing within the group’s specialist financial-services portfolio, complementing lending and other forms of business finance.
Consumer credit
Sella Personal Credit
Sella Personal Credit is the group’s consumer-finance business, focused on credit products for individuals and households.
Core banking technology · 2019
Centrico
Centrico provides an open core-banking platform for banks and fintech companies, extending the group’s technology offering beyond direct banking and into financial infrastructure.
Brand decisions
2018
Expand fintech capabilities through acquisitionsM&ABackground
The group aimed to broaden its digital-finance, supply-chain-finance and online-lending capabilities.
Action taken
It acquired Vipera, Kubique and Smartika during 2018.
Aftermath
The acquisitions added mobile financial solutions, supply-chain-finance software and peer-to-peer lending expertise to the group’s portfolio.
2017
Open the banking infrastructure to third partiesStrategyBackground
The group sought to support digital transformation and fintech collaboration before PSD2 formally accelerated open banking in Europe.
Action taken
Banca Sella introduced an API-based platform that allowed businesses and startups to connect with elements of its technology and information infrastructure.
Aftermath
The initiative became part of the group’s broader open-finance strategy and was followed by the creation of Fabrick.
2006
Separate the holding company from the operating bankStrategyBackground
The group undertook a structural reorganization to distinguish the financial holding company from the banking operation.
Action taken
The former Banca Sella S.p.A. became Banca Sella Holding S.p.A., while a newly formed subsidiary assumed the Banca Sella banking business.
Aftermath
The restructuring created the principal corporate architecture used by the group in later years.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Granarolo finalizes €450 million financing agreement[3]
Granarolo Group finalized a €450 million sustainability-linked financing agreement with a consortium of financial institutions. The financing is structured across two term facilities and a revolving credit line to fund its strategic expansion plan.
Reported
Tot announces launch of banking platform for microbusinesses[4]
Tot confirmed its market debut in March 2022 with a digital banking platform for self-employed professionals and microbusinesses. It said it would open platform access during March; the article describes the rollout as planned, not completed.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Raisin and Banca Sella launch deposit marketplace partnership in Italy[5]
Raisin and Banca Sella launched a partnership integrating Raisin’s marketplace into Banca Sella’s online banking platform. The pilot lets Banca Sella customers invest in selected deposits at other Italian and European banks.
Sources5 sources
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