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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
A man uses a cash machine outside a branch of Royal Bank of Scotland in London.

Banking in one form or another has been around us for a long time. From a lone merchant dishing out loans to a smart investor selling shares to multinational financial institutions, banking has come a long way.

Amid all this unprecedented growth of financial institutions, some banks have managed to survive not just decades but centuries.

Let's take a look at some of the oldest banks in the world.

Source: Wikipedia

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Monte dei Paschi headquarters in Siena, Italy.

Monte dei Paschi di Siena

Country: Italy

Headquarters: Siena, Italy

Year of foundation: 1472

Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest bank in the world, was established by the magistrate of Siena, Italy, more than 500 years ago. Today the bank has about 3,000 branches, more than 30,000 staff and 4.5 million clients in Italy and around the world.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Berenberg Bank.

Berenberg Bank

Country: Germany

Headquarters: Hamburg, Germany

Year of foundation: 1590

Berenberg Bank, which is mainly a merchant bank and a private bank, was established by the Berenberg family in 1590. Their descendants still own the bank.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of Stadsbank van Lening website.

Stadsbank van Lening

Country: The Netherlands

Headquarters: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Year of foundation: 1614

Stadsbank van Lening, which is mainly a credit bank, was established in Amsterdam in 1614.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Child & Co branch, which is now owned by the RBS, at 1 Fleet Street in the City of London.

Child & Co

Country: England

Headquarters: London, England

Year of foundation: 1664

Child & Co, which is now owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was established in England in 1664.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Pedestrians walk past the Swedish Riksbank headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sveriges Riksbank

Country: Sweden

Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden

Year of foundation: 1668

Sveriges Riksbank, which was established in 1668, is Sweden's central bank.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of C Hoare & Co's website.

C Hoare & Co

Country: England

Headquarters: London, England

Year of foundation: 1672

C Hoare & Co, which is a private bank, is still managed by the Hoare family.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
People cross a road in front of the headquarters of private bank Metzler in Frankfurt, Germany.

Metzler Bank

Country: Germany

Headquarters: Frankfurt, Germany

Year of foundation: 1674

Metzler Bank, which is a private bank, is still primarily managed by the Metzler family.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
A woman sits close to a line of Barclays cash dispensers in central London.

Barclays

Country: England

Headquarters: London, England

Year of foundation: 1690

Barclays, which has operations in more than 50 countries, was established in 1690 in London.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
People walk past a sign marking the clients entrance of bank Coutts in Zurich, Switzerland.

Coutts

Country: England

Headquarters: London, England

Year of foundation: 1692

Coutts, which is now owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, is a private bank and wealth manager.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Workers relax during the lunch hour outside the Bank of England in the City of London.

Bank of England

Country: England

Headquarters: London, England

Year of foundation: 1694

Bank of England, which is the central bank of the United Kingdom, was established in 1694.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Bank of Scotland.

Bank of Scotland

Country: England

Headquarters: Edinburgh, Scotland

Year of foundation: 1695

Bank of Scotland, which was the first bank to print its own banknotes in Europe, was established in 1695.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Women use an ATM at a Caja Madrid-Bankia branch in Madrid, Spain.

Caja Madrid

Country: Spain

Headquarters: Madrid, Spain

Year of foundation: 1702

Caja Madrid, which was was established in 1702, merged with six other banks to form Bankia in 2011.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of Banco Etcheverria website.

Banco Etcheverria

Country: Spain

Headquarters: A Coruna, Spain

Year of foundation: 1717

Banco Etcheverria, which was established in 1717, is one of the oldest banks in the world.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
A woman is seen through scaffolding as she walks past a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland in London. Drummonds Bank is part of RBS's portfolio.

Drummonds Bank

Country: England

Headquarters: London, England

Year of foundation: 1717

Drummonds Bank, which is a private bank, is now owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
A worker walks in the foyer of a Royal Bank of Scotland office in the City of London.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Country: England

Headquarters: Edinburgh, Scotland

Year of foundation: 1727

Royal Bank of Scotland, which is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, was established in 1727.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Van Lanschot branch in the Hague, the Netherlands.

Van Lanschot

Country: The Netherlands

Headquarters: 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

Year of foundation: 1737

Van Lanschot, which focuses on wealthy individuals and families, was established in 1737.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of Banque Courtois website.

Banque Courtois

Country: France

Headquarters: Toulouse, France

Year of foundation: 1760

Banque Courtois, which is based in Toulouse, was established in 1760.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
A woman uses a Lloyds TSB's ATM in Loughborough, central England.

Lloyds Bank

Country: London

Headquarters: London, England

Year of foundation: 1765

Lloyds Bank, which is a retail bank, was established in 1765.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of Landolt & Cie website.

Landolt & Cie

Country: Switzerland

Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland

Year of foundation: 1780

Landolt & Cie, which is a private bank, was established in 1780.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
A view of the Bank of Spain, with City Hall to the left, in Madrid.

Bank of Spain

Country: Spain

Headquarters: Madrid, Spain

Year of foundation: 1782

Bank of Spain, which is the national central bank of Spain, was established in 1782.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
A cyclist rides past a Bank Of Ireland branch in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Bank of Ireland

Country: Ireland

Headquarters: Dublin, Republic of Ireland

Year of foundation: 1783

Bank of Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' Irish banks, was established in 1783.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
A woman walks past a logo at the office of the Bank of New York Mellon in Brussels, Belgium.

Bank of New York

Country: New York

Headquarters: New York, United States

Year of foundation: 1784

Bank of New York, which is now known as BNY Mellon after its merger with the Mellon Financial Corporation in 2007, was established in 1784.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of Trinkaus & Burkhardt website.

HSBC Trinkaus

Country: Germany

Headquarters: Dusseldorf, Germany

Year of foundation: 1785

HSBC Trinkaus, which is one of the members of the HSBC Group, was established in 1785.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of Hottinger & Cie website.

Hottinger & Cie

Country: Switzerland

Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland

Year of foundation: 1786

Hottinger & Cie, which is a private bank, was established in 1786.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of La Roche & Co website.

La Roche & Co

Country: Switzerland

Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland

Year of foundation: 1787

La Roche & Co, which is a private bank, was established in 1787.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of State Street website.

State Street

Country: United States

Headquarters: Massachusetts, United States

Year of foundation: 1792

State Street, which has operations in the United States and Asia, was established in 1792.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of Hauck & Aufhauser website.

Hauck & Aufhauser

Country: Germany

Headquarters: Frankfurt, Germany

Year of foundation: 1796

Hauck & Aufhauser, which is a private bank, was established in 1796.

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28 oldest banks in the world

January 09, 2014 10:05 IST
Homepage of Lombard Odier & Cie website.

Lombard Odier & Cie

Country: Switzerland

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

Year of foundation: 1796

Lombard Odier & Cie, which is a private bank, was established in 1796.