For over 200 years, BNP Paribas Fortis has helped drive the growth and prosperity of Belgium’s economy and communities. The mission of our 12,000 colleagues is clear: be the trusted financial partner for four million individual customers, businesses and organisations. We do this by offering advice and solutions via the channels they prefer: digitally, by phone, via video call or in a bank or post office branch.
Bank of China, include BOC Hong Kong, BOC International, BOCG Insurance and other financial institutions, providing a comprehensive range of high-quality financial services to individual and corporate customers as well as financial institutions worldwide.
Over the past century, Bank of China played an important role in China’s financial history. It was established in 1912 pursuant to the approval of DR. Sun Yat-sen. In the following 37 years the Bank served as the central bank, international exchange bank and specialized foreign trade bank successively. In 1949, Bank of China became the state-designated specialized foreign exchange bank. In 2003, it was named by the State Council as one of the pilot banks for joint-stock reform of wholly state-owned commercial banks. On August 26, 2004, Bank of China Limited was formally incorporated in Beijing as a state-controlled joint stock commercial bank.
Bank of China is the most internationalized commercial bank in China. BOC London Branch, the first overseas branch of the Chinese banks, was established in 1929. Currently, it had over 10000 domestic operations and over 600 overseas operations. In 1994 and 1995, Bank of China became the note issuing bank in Hong Kong and Macao respectively.
The Bank prepared a new strategic development plan which was approved by the Board of Directors in March 2009. Strategic Positioning: To be a large multinational banking group based on a diversified and integrated cross-border business platform, with a core business of commercial banking. Strategic Goals: To be a leading international bank delivering growth and excellence.
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), a public limited liability company, was established as a bank holding company in 1985 under a private sector initiative spearheaded by the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry with the support of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In the early 1980’s foreign and state-owned banks dominated the banking industry in West Africa. Commercial banks in West Africa owned and managed by the African private sector were a rarity. Its founders created ETI with the objective of filling this vacuum.
The Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce promoted and initiated a project to create a private, regional banking institution in West Africa. In 1984, Ecopromotions S.A. was incorporated. Its founding shareholders raised seed capital for feasibility studies and the promotional activities leading to the creation of ETI.
In October 1985, ETI was incorporated with authorised capital of US$100 million. The initial paid up capital of US$32 million was raised from over 1,500 individuals and institutions from West African countries. The largest shareholder was the ECOWAS Fund for Cooperation, Compensation and Development (ECOWAS Fund), the development finance arm of ECOWAS.
Ecobank signed a Headquarters’ Agreement with the Government of Togo in 1985, which granted it the status of an international organisation. This status came with the rights and privileges necessary for ETI to operate as a regional institution, including the status of a non-resident financial institution. ETI commenced operations with its first subsidiary in Togo in March 1988.