Allianz SE (/ˈæliənts/ AL-ee-ənts, German: [aˈli̯ants] ⓘ) is a European multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany.

Allianz AG was founded in Munich in 1889, but started its activities in Berlin on 5 February 1890, by the then-director of the Munich Reinsurance Company Carl von Thieme (a native of Erfurt, whose father was the director of the Thuringia insurance company) and Wilhelm von Finck (co-owner of the Merck Finck & Co. Bank).

Markets entered by 1914 included the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, France, the Scandinavian countries and the Baltic states, and Allianz had become the largest maritime insurer in Germany.

[11] Other places expanded into during the 1910s and 1920s included Palestine, Cyprus, Iraq, China, the Dutch Indies (nowadays Indonesia), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Siam (now Thailand).

In 1927, Allianz merged with Stuttgarter Verein Versicherung AG, which was then the leading accident and third-party liability insurer.

[15] Christian Stadler wrote of the history of Allianz that it "shows how important it is to diversify into related areas to hedge against the risk of fundamental changes in markets and economies".

On 30 June 1933, Kurt Schmitt, Allianz Director-General, was appointed Economics Minister for Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and became an SS honorary member.

From 1940 onwards, Allianz insured SS armaments factories, prisoners' barracks, material stores and vehicle fleets in concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Dachau.

[19] Following the end of the war in 1945, Hans Heß became head of the company, and Allianz shifted its headquarters to Munich in 1949 due to the split between East and West Germany.

In 1986, Allianz acquired Cornhill Insurance in London, and the purchase of a stake in Riunione Adriatica di Sicurtà (RAS) in Milan, strengthened its presence in western and southern Europe in the 1980s.

In the same decade, Allianz also acquired Fireman's Fund, an insurer in the United States, which was followed by the purchase of Assurances Générales de France.

The conversion was made in conjunction with Allianz's acquisition of 100 per cent control of its principal Italian subsidiary Riunione Adriatica di Sicurtà for around US$7 billion.

[25] The Allianz Group also simplified its brand strategy from 2006 and their previous emblem was replaced by the current combination mark.

[31] In August 2015, a consortium led by Allianz acquired German motorway service station group Tank & Rast for an undisclosed sum believed to be in the region of €3.5 billion.

[37][38] On September 30, 2021, it was reported that asset management chief Jacqueline Hunt would step down as part of a shake up that followed the investigations into the losses, staying on as a consultant to Bäte.

[39] On 17 May 2022, Allianz SE has agreed to pay $6 billion in the U.S. fraud case due to the collapse of its Structured Alpha funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[41] In December 2024, Allianz announced to withdraw its offer to acquire at least 51% of Singapore's Income Insurance which costed around $1.63 billion.

This offer was initial put forward in July 2024 but later sparked criticism in Singapore as it concerned that  it would detract from the mission of providing an affordable insurance for lower-income workers.

[58][59] Allianz acquired in 1999 60% of the shares of Colombian insurer Colseguros, 3 years later in 2002 it increases its shareholding, becoming the sole owner of this company in Colombia.

Bajaj Allianz has around 1,200 branches across India and offers services including unit-linked, traditional, health, child and pension policies.

Established in 1902,[68] Allianz plc is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, providing car, home, pet, boat, and travel products, as well as SME (small to medium enterprise) products including van, business, and schools insurance.

[74] In 2003, Allianz AG began its operation in the Philippines under the joint venture partnership with Pioneer Life Incorporated which lasted for five years.

[75] Allianz returned its operations in the country in 2016 as a subsidiary group with an exclusive distribution partnership with the Philippine National Bank.

In 2001 Allianz AG bought a majority stake in then state-owned Slovenská poisťovňa (SP, Slovak Insurance Company).

[96] The deal has concluded with both firms now part of the Allianz group of companies starting on 1 January 2020 with the L&G division being officially renamed Fairmead Insurance.

[99][100][101] The Allianz board of directors is chaired by Oliver Bäte and includes Sergio Balbinot, Sirma Boshnakova, Dr. Barbara Karuth-Zelle, Klaus-Peter Röhler, Ivan de la Sota, Giulio Terzariol, Günther Thallinger, Christopher Townsend, Renate Wagner and Dr. Andreas G.

[105] Allianz owned the Polish football team Górnik Zabrze but sold its shares in the club in April 2011.

[117][118] In 1993, Henning Schulte-Noelle commissioned an archive for corporate history, becoming the first Allianz CEO to address the company's activities during Nazi Germany.

In 1997, Schulte-Noelle asked Gerald Feldman, a University of California-Berkeley history professor, to undertake a larger research project on Allianz's past involvement with Nazi Germany.

Major General Gustav Lombard, the former commander of the Waffen-SS’ 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer, worked for Allianz in Munich after the war's end.