Zagrebačka banka was formed in 1977, intended to provide loans for local companies, taking over some former assets and operations including from the City Savings Bank of Zagreb.

In the late 1980s these were merged again to form the very first banking joint stock company in the former SFR Yugoslavia.

[3] Zagrebačka Banka was an employer to Ankica Lepej (1948 – 2022) the first prominent whistleblower in modern Croatian history, who uncovered a secret bank account and funds of the wife of the Croatian president Franjo Tuđman.

[4] Bank originally offered a million-kuna reward in Jutarnji list for any info on the whistleblower.

Lepej presented herself with a lawyer and, subsequently, got fired by the bank (with only 11 months left to retirement) and arrested.