KBC Groupe NV

Major Shareholding Notification • May 22, 2018

Press release Outside trading hours – Regulated information*

Brussels, 22 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. 16 May 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: 15 May 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. 16 May 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	39.783		0,01%
BlackRock (Singapore) Limited	10.735	10.735		0,00%
BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited	2.044.549	1.756.829		0,42%
BlackRock Advisors, LLC	326.142	321.029		0,08%
BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited	168.794	171.273		0,04%
BlackRock Asset Management Deutschland AG	1.751.422	1.783.221		0,43%
BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited	6.774	49.084		0,01%
BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.	146.456	125.590		0,03%
BlackRock Fund Advisors	4.068.507	4.035.579		0,96%
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, National Association	4.187.067	4.121.846		0,98%
BlackRock International Limited	142.334	140.785		0,03%
BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited	90.561	82.539		0,02%
BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited	5.281.850	8.093.261		1,93%
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	558.037	611.711		0,15%
BlackRock Japan Co., Ltd.	638.360	327.315		0,08%
Subtotal	19.460.707	21.670.580		5,18%
TOTAL		21.670.580	0	5,18%	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	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			113.485	0,03%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited	Contract For Difference			2.464	0,00%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	Contract For Difference			41.877	0,01%	cash
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC	Depository Receipt			1.910	0,00%
TOTAL				208.716	0,05%

CALCULATE 21.879.296 5,23%	TOTAL (A & B)	# of voting rights % of voting rights