Banco Nacional De Bolivia
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Banco Nacional de Bolivia S.A. (BNB) ''(English: National Bank of Bolivia)'' is a Bolivian
bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...
and
financial institution Financial institutions, sometimes called banking institutions, are business entities that provide services as intermediaries for different types of financial monetary transactions. Broadly speaking, there are three major types of financial insti ...
headquartered in
Sucre, Bolivia Sucre () is the capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high altitude gives the c ...
. Founded in 1871, it is one of Bolivia's oldest banks. It is also the country's second largest bank by total assets. BNB is a full-service financial institution that provides a range of financial products and services to a diversified individual and corporate customer base in all the nine departments of Bolivia, including savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, commercial loans and investment management. The bank operated through 59 agencies and over 380 ATM's. The bank is part of BNB Corporacion S.A., a group which comprises also BNB Sociedad Administradora de Fondos de Inversión S.A. (SAFI) ''(BNB Administrative Society of Investment Funds)'', active in the investment and administration of funds, BNB Valores ''(BNB Stocks)'', a brokerage house, BNB Leasing, a leasing entity, and BNB Valores Perú S.A., Peruvian brokerage company. The latter makes BNB the only Bolivian-based bank with foreign operations.


History


19th century

Banco Nacional de Bolivia was conceived on 1 September 1871 by decree as a financial institution granted to issue banknotes, as well as to offer financial services such as deposits and loans. The bank was established in
Cobija Cobija is a city in Bolivia, capital of the department of Pando, is located about 600 km (373 mi.) north of La Paz in the Amazon Basin on the border with Brazil. Cobija lies on the banks of the Rio Acre across from the Brazilian ci ...
, an important port city located in the
Litoral Department The Department of the Litoral, also known as the Atacama Department and commonly known as the Bolivian coast, was the description of the extent of the Pacific coast of the Atacama Desert included in the territory of Bolivia from its inception in 1 ...
, Bolivia's only territory with access to the Pacific coast. An additional head office was established in the
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an city of
Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
, and thus BNB had dual legal addresses at the time. Since its founding, Banco Nacional de Bolivia provided inputs to national development at different stages of its history. The bank began providing financial assistance for the exploitation of nitrates in the Litoral region, particularly
guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...
, used for fertilizer and to make
saltpeter Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrat ...
for the manufacture
gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...
. The Bolivian Littoral was subsequently annexed by Chile after the
War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
. During the war, the bank loaned Bs. 600,000 to the
Government of Bolivia The politics of Bolivia takes place in a tree of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is head of state, head of government and head of a diverse multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the govern ...
in an effort to maximize the mobilization of the
Bolivian Army The Bolivian Army ( es, Ejército Boliviano) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. Figures on the size and composition of the Bolivian army vary considerably, with little official data available. It is estimated that the arm ...
in the war. Following the loss of the Bolivian Litoral, the bank moved its headquarters to the city of
Sucre Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...
, where it held its first board of directors meeting. In the following years, the bank expanded its network to the cities of
Tarija Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is the largest city and capital and municipality within the Tarija Department, with an airport (Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza Airport, (TJA)) offe ...
,
La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...
,
Cochabamba Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 63 ...
,
Oruro Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately above sea level. It is Bolivia's fifth-largest city by populat ...
,
Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...
and
Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; "Holy Cross of the Mountain Range"), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department. Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), P ...
.


20th century

Banco Nacional de Bolivia issued its own banknotes at a rate of 150% of its capital since its founding. On January 14, 1914, the
Central Bank of Bolivia The Central Bank of Bolivia ( es, Banco Central de Bolivia) is the central bank of Bolivia, responsible for monetary policy and the issuance of banknotes. The current president of the BCB is . History The bank was established by Law 632, pas ...
was established by the government, becoming the country's only
monetary authority In finance and economics, a monetary authority is the entity that manages a country’s currency and money supply, often with the objective of controlling inflation, interest rates, real GDP or unemployment rate. With its monetary tools, a moneta ...
. Despite a
central bank A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union, and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...
was established, Banco Nacional de Bolivia continued to offer significant financial assistance to the government. In 1903, BNB loaned Bs. 150,000 to the state in order to finance the Bolivian campaign of the
Treaty of Petrópolis The Treaty of Petrópolis, signed on November 11, 1903, in the Brazilian city of Petrópolis, ended the Acre War between Bolivia and Brazil over the then-Bolivian territory of Acre (today the Acre state), a desirable territory in the Bolivia-Braz ...
and in 1932, the bank granted US$210,000 of its
foreign reserves Foreign exchange reserves (also called forex reserves or FX reserves) are cash and other reserve assets such as gold held by a central bank or other monetary authority that are primarily available to balance payments of the country, influence ...
to support the efforts of the
Chaco War The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõprivate sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...
finally overcame difficulties and challenges imposed by the central regimes and political groups in power. During this period, Banco Nacional de Bolivia, experienced considerable growth and in 1959 it granted a credit loan to the Corporación Boliviana de Desarrollo ''(Bolivian Development Corporation)''. In 1993, Banco Nacional de Bolivia created its first division: "Nacional de Valores S.A.". It is the bank's first
brokerage A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confu ...
division. Later in 2005, it was rebranded to BNB Valores S.A. ''(BNB Stocks)''. In 1997, Banco Nacional de Bolivia created its second division: "Nacional SAFI S.A.". The division provides
investment management Investment management is the professional asset management of various securities, including shareholdings, bonds, and other assets, such as real estate, to meet specified investment goals for the benefit of investors. Investors may be institut ...
services. Later in 2000, it was rebranded to BNB Sociedad Administradora de Fondos de Inversión S.A. (SAFI) ''(BNB Administrative Society of Investment Funds)''.


21st century

Banco Nacional de Bolivia became one of Bolivia's largest banks. Currently, it is the second-largest bank in Bolivia by assets. BNB is a full-service financial institution that provides a wide range of financial products and services to a diversified individual and corporate customer base in all the nine departments of Bolivia, including
savings accounts A savings account is a bank account at a retail bank. Common features include a limited number of withdrawals, a lack of cheque and linked debit card facilities, limited transfer options and the inability to be overdrawn. Traditionally, trans ...
,
credit cards A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
,
mortgages A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any pu ...
,
commercial loans In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that de ...
and investment management. The bank operates a network of 105 branches and 253 ATM's nationwide. In 2009, Banco Nacional de Bolivia created its third division: BNB Leasing, a
leasing A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
entity offering financial services such as
mortgages A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any pu ...
, machinery and construction equipment leasing and car leasing. It's also the only Bolivian bank that has a subsidiary outside of Bolivia, specifically in Perú.


Operations


People Banking

Consumer Banking is the largest division in the company, and provides a wide range of financial services to consumers and small businesses. The consumer banking network of BNB includes over 100 branches and over 250 ATM's throughout Bolivia: *
Certificates of deposit A certificate of deposit (CD) is a time deposit, a financial product commonly sold by banks, thrift institutions, and credit unions in the United States. CDs differ from savings accounts in that the CD has a specific, fixed term (often one, th ...
/ Term deposits: Developed and marketed as ''DPF Rentable'', it is a CD in Bolivianos with interest rates of 4.5%, as weighted to pay for a five-year period. *
Mobile Banking Mobile banking is a service provided by a bank or other financial institution that allows its customers to conduct financial transactions remotely using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. Unlike the related internet banking it uses ...
: BNB launched its
mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
''Banca Móvil del BNB'' for
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
, Android and
Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...
operating systems. It allows BNB customers to conduct a number of financial transactions through their mobile devices as well as to see balance inquiries and statements. *
Credit cards A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
: BNB issues
Visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...
and MasterCard credit cards for purchases and online purchases. *Credits: vehicular, housing, consumer and educational. * Saving accounts and Debit Cards: The banks has three segments: Young Banking, Active Banking and Senior Banking. As costumers, they have benefits and discounts. *
Mortgage loans A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any p ...


Business Banking

Banco Nacional de Bolivia offers a wide range of corporate banking services including: *Mype Banking: Financial consulting and financing service for working capital or capital goods for micro and small companies. *Pyme Banking: Financing service for working capital or capital goods for medium and small companies *Corporate: Includes Checking Account, Safety Box, DPF's, External Guarantee, Guarantee Fund, Ach Transfers, Account Advance and Payment of Services.


Grupo

* BNB Safi: BNB Safi is an Investment Fund Management Company, offering funds in Bolivians and dollars. Manage the resources of each Investment Fund, investing them in different alternatives, in order to generate attractive returns for the participants. * BNB Leasing: Financial leasing is a form of leasing whereby a leasing entity such as BNB Leasing. grants the use, enjoyment and temporary benefit of a certain property to a lessee. * BNB Valores: BNB Stock Exchange Agency specialized in stock market operations.


References

{{Authority control Banks of Bolivia Banks established in 1871 Bolivian brands Companies listed on the Bolivian Stock Exchange 1871 establishments in Bolivia