Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinationalbanking and financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerateTravelers Group in October 1998 (announced on April 7, 1998) As of 2008 it was the third largest bank holding company in the US by assets. Its largest shareholders include funds from the Middle East andSingapore. At its height until the global financial crisis of 2008 Citigroup was the largest company and bank in the world by total assets with 357,000 employees.In 2007, Citigroup was one of the primary dealers in US Treasurysecurities.[9] Citigroup had the world's largest financial services network, spanning 140 countries with approximately 16,000 offices worldwide and holds over 200 million customer accounts in more than 140 countries