KBC Groupe NV

Major Shareholding Notification • Jul 20, 2018

Press release Outside trading hours – Regulated information*

Brussels, 20 July 2018, 9h00 CEST

Publication of transparency notification(s) received by KBC Group NV

(art. 14, 1st section of the Act of 2 May 2007 concerning the disclosure of significant participations)

Summary of the notification(s)

KBC Group NV has received a transparency notification dd.17 July 2018, which states that BlackRock Inc. has crossed the reporting threshold of 5% (voting rights, excluding equivalent financial instruments) upwards.

Content of the notification(s)

The notification(s) contain(s) following information:

• Reason for the notification(s): acquisition or disposal of voting securities or voting rights
• Notification(s) by: BlackRock Inc.
• Persons subject to the notification requirement: see annex 1
• Date(s) on which the threshold is crossed: 16 July 2018
• Threshold that is crossed: 5% (KBC Group's Articles of Association set a notification threshold of 3% of the total number of voting rights. In addition, the legal thresholds of 5% or any multiple thereof also apply)
• Denominator (number of shares KBC Group NV): 418 597 567
• Notified details: see annex 1
• Chain of controlled undertakings through which the holding is effectively held: See "11: Full chain of controlled undertakings through which the holding is effectively held" in the PDF-file on www.kbc.com (see below).
• The relevant notification(s) is (are) available at www.kbc.com > Investor relations > Shareholder information > Shareholder structure.

For more information, please contact:

Kurt De Baenst, General Manager, Investor Relations, KBC Group E-mail: investor.relations@kbc.be

Viviane Huybrecht, General Manager, Corporate Communication/Spokesperson, KBC Group E-mail: pressofficekbc@kbc.be

* This press release contains information provided in compliance with European transparency legislation for listed companies. KBC Group NV is listed at NYSE Brussels.

KBC Group NV Havenlaan 2 – 1080 Brussels Viviane Huybrecht General Manager, Corporate Communication/ Spokesperson Tel. + 32 2 429 85 45

Press Office Tel. + 32 2 429 65 01 Tel. + 32 2 429 29 15 Fax + 32 2 429 81 60 E-mail:pressofficekbc@kbc.be KBC press releases are available at www.kbc.com or can be obtained by sending an e-mail to pressofficekbc@kbc.be

Check this document's authenticity at www.kbc.com/en/authenticity .

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Annex Notification dd. 16 July 2018

A) Voting rights	Previous notification	After the transaction
	# of voting rights		# of voting rights	% of voting rights
Holders of voting rights		Linked to securities	Not linked to the securities	Linked to securities	Not linked to the securities
BlackRock, Inc.	0	0		0,00%
BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V.	40 470	40 470		0,01%
BlackRock (Singapore) Limited	11 210	11 210		0,00%
BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited	1 695 809	1 911 292		0,46%
BlackRock Advisors, LLC	355 010	355 452		0,08%
BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited	175 936	175 123		0,04%
BlackRock Asset Management Deutschland AG	1 623 146	1 541 475		0,37%
BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited	8 832	8 703		0,00%
BlackRock Capital Management, Inc.	0	124		0,00%
BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.	114 852	113 494		0,03%
BlackRock Fund Advisors	3 747 148	3 742 382		0,89%
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, National Association	4 153 078	4 164 049		0,99%
BlackRock International Limited	145 359	145 359		0,03%
BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited	79 008	79 008		0,02%
BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited	7 766 699	7 953 868		1,90%
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	567 583	565 449		0,14%
BlackRock Japan Co., Ltd.	347 497	338 287		0,08%
Subtotal	20 831 637	21 145 745		5,05%
TOTAL		21 145 745	0	5,05%	0,00%

B) Equivalent financial instruments	After the transaction
Holders of equivalent financial instruments	Type of financial instrument		Expiration date Exercise period or date	# of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised	% of voting rights	Settlement
BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited	Securities Lent			343 088	0,08%	physical
BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited	Contract For Difference			1 794	0,00%	cash
BlackRock Advisors, LLC	Contract For Difference			44 481	0,01%	cash
BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. Contract For Difference				4 292	0,00%	cash
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, National Association	Contract For Difference			170 097	0,04%	cash
BlackRock International Limited	Contract For Difference			401	0,00%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited	Contract For Difference			14 977	0,00%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	Contract For Difference			58 793	0,01%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	Depository Receipts			1 836	0,00%
	TOTAL			639 759	0,15%

TOTAL (A & B)		# of voting rights	% of voting rights
	CALCULATE	21 785 504	5,20%