The House of Habib () is a Pakistani
conglomerate company
A conglomerate () is a multi-industry company – i.e., a combination of multiple business entities operating in entirely different industries under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries. Conglomerates ...
based in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
, Pakistan. The group was founded by Habib Esmail in
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
(
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
) in 1841.
It is a prominent shia Khoja business family in Pakistan.
[Company Overview of House of Habib (Private) Limited on Bloomberg.com website]
Retrieved 25 July 2019[Economic Review, November 1984 (P 59) p 14]
History
The company has history going back to 19th century, when it started as Khoja Mithabhai Nathoo in 1841 based in then
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
as a family business.
In 1891, a family member named Habib Esmail helped the company to expand.
From this, company became a major trading firm. In 1921, his four sons joined the business when he established Habib & Sons which went on to become today's
HBL Pakistan
Habib Bank Limited ( ur, ) abbreviated as HBL, is a Pakistani multinational bank based in Habib Bank Plaza, Karachi, Pakistan.
Founded in 1939 by the Habib Family, HBL became Pakistan's first commercial bank. In 1951 it opened its first inter ...
or
Habib Bank Limited
Habib Bank Limited ( ur, ) abbreviated as HBL, is a Pakistani multinational bank based in Habib Bank Plaza, Karachi, Pakistan.
Founded in 1939 by the Habib Family, HBL became Pakistan's first commercial bank. In 1951 it opened its first inter ...
.
[Habib Bank Limited and Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited listed as members on Pakistan Banks' Association website]
Retrieved 25 July 2019
The House of Habib holds an important place in Pakistan's early history.
Habib Bank was shifted to Pakistan on the personal request of its first
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mono ...
. Mohammad Ali Habib came to the aid of the nascent state "even before the Government of Pakistan was ready to issue appropriate government paper" with a Rs 80 million loan when the
Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is responsible for ...
failed to deliver Pakistan share of Rs 900 million held by it. It is said that Mohammad Ali Habib gave a blank cheque on
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the "Big Four (banking), Big Four" clearing house (finance), clearing banks. Lloyds B ...
to
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...
who wrote Rs 80 million in it.
[A glance at the past (Habib Bank Limited history)]
Dawn (newspaper), Published 23 March 2018, Retrieved 25 July 2019[Habib Bank, Golden Jubilee Presentation on Dawn (newspaper)]
Published 23 March 2018, Retrieved 25 July 2019
The Habib family set up offices in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
as early as 1912 and incorporated Habib and Sons in 1921, which dealt in brass, metal scraps and gold with ''Lion of Ali'' and
Zulfiqar
Zulfiqar ( ar, ذُو ٱلْفَقَار, Ḏū-l-Faqār, ), also spelled ''Zu al-Faqar'', ''Zulfikar'', ''Dhu al-Faqar'', ''Dhulfaqar'' or ''Dhulfiqar'', is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed wi ...
embossed on it. The Habib Bank still used this as its insignia for a large part of its history. The house is run by the Rafiq Habib family and is not jointly with the Dawood Habib family, who, however, runs the Dawood Habib Group of Companies.
Sons of Habib Esmail
* Ahmed Habib
* Dawood Habib
* Mohamedali Habib
* Ghulamali Habib
Sons of Mahomedali Habib
* Rafiq Habib
* Suleman Habib
* Haider Habib
* H.M. Habib
Companies
The group owns following companies:
Listed
*
Toyota Indus
Indus Motor Company Limited ( ur, ), operating as Toyota Indus, is a Pakistani automobile manufacturer which is a subsidiary of Japanese multinational automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. It is based in Karachi, Pakistan.
Founded in 1989, as a ...
* Agriauto Industries Limited
* AuVitronics Limited
Thal Limited* Shabbir Tiles & Ceramics Limited
* Habib Insurance Company Limited
*
Habib Metropolitan Bank
Habib Metropolitan Bank, () commonly known as HABIBMETRO, is a Pakistani subsidiary of Swiss bank Habib Bank AG Zurich. It is based in Karachi, Pakistan. It has a branch network of 490+.
History
The bank was founded in October 1992 as Metropolit ...
[ a subsidiary of Habib Bank AG Zurich
]
Unlisted
* Thal Boshoku Pakistan (Private) Limited
* Thal Engineering
* Habib Metro Pakistan (Private) Limited
* Agriauto Stamping Company (Private) Limited
* Thal Nova Power Thar (Private) Limited
Educational institutes
* Habib Public School
Habib Public School is a school based in Karachi. It is situated in Sultanabad, M.T Khan road, Karachi, Pakistan.
Admission
Every year test for admission take place for class 1 and other classes as per the seats available. Thousands of students t ...
* Habib University
Habib University (HU) ( ur, ) is a private liberal arts university located in Karachi, Pakistan.
Funded by the House of Habib, the Habib University Foundation was established in 2010, and was chartered in 2012 as an independent university. B ...
See Also
*List of largest conglomerates in Pakistan
Following is a list of largest companies in Pakistan:
Conglomerates
Companies
References
{{Reflist
Pakistan
*Largest
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natur ...
References
External links
House of Habib website
Habib Bank AG Zurich
Habib Metropolitan Bank
{{House of Habib
Conglomerate companies of Pakistan
Habib
Habib ( ar, حبيب, ''ḥabīb''; ), sometimes written as Habeeb, is an Arabic masculine given name, occasional surname, and honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "my love", or "darling". It also forms the famous Arabic word ‘''Habibi’'' ...
Pakistani Ismailis
Indian companies established in 1841
1841 establishments in British India
Companies based in Karachi