This list of the oldest banks includes financial institutions in ''continuous'' operation, operating with the same legal identity without interruption since their establishment until the present time.
The world's oldest bank is
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. (), known as BMPS or just MPS, is an Italian bank. Tracing its history to a mount of piety founded in 1472 () and established in its present form in 1624 (), it is the world's List of oldest banks, oldest ...
, while the world's oldest merchant bank is
Berenberg Bank
Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, KG, commonly known as Berenberg Bank and also branded as simply Berenberg, is a Multinational corporation, multinational full-service private bank, private and merchant bank headquartered in H ...
. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena was founded in its present form in 1624, but traces its history to a
mount of piety
A mount of piety is an institutional pawnbroker run as a charity in Europe from Renaissance times until today. Similar institutions were established in the colonies of Catholic countries; the Mexican Nacional Monte de Piedad is still in operation ...
founded in 1472. The Berenberg company was founded in 1590 and has operated continuously ever since with the same family as owners or major co-owners. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is today a large Italian retail bank, while Berenberg Bank is primarily involved in investment banking and private banking for wealthy customers; in any event Berenberg Bank is the world's oldest merchant bank or investment bank. The world's oldest
central bank
A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mo ...
is the
Sveriges Riksbank
Sveriges Riksbank, or simply the Riksbank, is the central bank of Sweden. Founded in 1668, it is the world's oldest surviving central bank, and the third oldest bank in continuous operation.
Prior to World War I, it was also the only state- ...
, which was founded in 1668.
Banco di Napoli, which was absorbed by different entities between 2002–2018, had origins dating back to 1539, and until its absorption was likely the oldest bank worldwide in continuous operation; some scholars posit that its origins may be dated back to 1463.
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Banks established in the 15th and 16th centuries
Banks established in the 17th century
Banks established in the 18th century
See also
*
History of banking
The history of banking began with the first prototype banks, that is, the merchants of the world, who gave grain loans to farmers and traders who carried goods between cities. This was around 2000 BCE in Assyria, India and Sumer. Later, in a ...
*
List of oldest companies
The oldest companies in the world are the brands and companies which remain operating (either in whole or in part) since inception, excluding associations and List of oldest universities in continuous operation, educational, government, or relig ...
Notes
References
Literature
* Manfred Pohl; Sabine Freitag (1994)
''Handbook on the History of European Banks'', European Association for Banking History Cambridge University Press.
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