The bank for a chaging world

From the Third Republic to World War I

1872 Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas

LouisRaphael.jpg
Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim
(1800-1873).

A bank founded in connection with the issuance of occupation indemnity loans

The Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas was created in 1872 as part of the consolidation trend in the banking industry which began in the middle of the 19th century. The new financial institution was formed through the merger of Banque de Paris and Banque de Crédit et de Dépôt des Pays-Bas. The share capital of the new company totaled 125 million French francs. The bank was headed by seven board members and one Director, Charles Sautter.

The new financial institution, with its head office in the former Banque de Paris building at 3 rue d'Antin in Paris, continued to exemplify through its practice and philosophy the tradition of high-level European banking from which it originated.

From its creation, the bank proved itself a great leader in the issuing of the 'liberation loans' used to fund France's payment of war reparations to Germany after the war of 1870. The funds were collected by the bank's headquarters in Paris and its three European branches in Amsterdam, Brussels and Geneva. These extensive placement capabilities proved to be one of the new bank's major assets.

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