KBC Groupe NV

Major Shareholding Notification • May 3, 2018

Press release Outside trading hours – Regulated information*

Brussels, 3 May 2018, 08 h CEST

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

(art. 14, 1 st 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. 27 April 2018, which states that BlackRock Inc. has crossed the reporting threshold of 5% (voting rights, excluding equivalent financial instruments) downwards.

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: 26 April 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 1

Notification dd. 27 April 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.	39.119	39.119		0,01%
BlackRock (Singapore) Limited	10.735	10.735		0,00%
BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited	1.381.384	2.044.549		0,49%
BlackRock Advisors, LLC	326.504	326.142		0,08%
BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited	140.628	168.794		0,04%
BlackRock Asset Management Deutschland AG	1.796.704	1.751.422		0,42%
BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited	1.853	6.774		0,00%
BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.	143.297	146.456		0,03%
BlackRock Fund Advisors	4.045.649	4.068.507		0,97%
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, National Association	4.205.805	4.187.067		1,00%
BlackRock International Limited	141.575	142.334		0,03%
BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited	90.561	90.561		0,02%
BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited	7.717.917	5.281.850		1,26%
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	552.362	558.037		0,13%
BlackRock Japan Co., Ltd.	362.409	638.360		0,15%
Subtotal	20.956.502	19.460.707		4,65%
TOTAL		19.460.707	0	4,65%	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			69.925	0,02%	physical
BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited	Securities Lent			2.731.393	0,65%	physical
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	Securities Lent			7.295	0,00%	physical
BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited	Contract For Difference			1.794	0,00%	cash
BlackRock Advisors, LLC	Contract For Difference			42.894	0,01%	cash
BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.	Contract For Difference			4.292	0,00%	cash
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, National Association	Contract For Difference			184.574	0,04%	cash
BlackRock International Limited	Contract For Difference			808	0,00%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited	Contract For Difference			24.627	0,01%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	Contract For Difference			39.926	0,01%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	Depository Receipt			1.910	0,00%
	TOTAL			3.109.438	0,74%

TOTAL (A & B)			# of voting rights % of voting rights
	CALCULATE	22.570.145	5,39%