Photographs: Luke MacGregor/Reuters
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
Photographs: Stringer/Reuters
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
Photographs: Source, Karl-Heinz Meurer/Wikimedia Commons
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
Photographs: Source, amsterdam.nl/sbl/
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
Photographs: Source, Wikimedia Commons
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
Photographs: Bob Strong/Reuters
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
Photographs: Source, hoaresbank.co.uk
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
Photographs: Ralph Orlowski/Reuters
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
Photographs: Paul Hackett/Reuters
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
Photographs: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters
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
Photographs: Toby Melville/Reuters
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
Photographs: Source, Kim Traynor/Wikimedia Commons
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
Photographs: Susana Vera/Reuters
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
Photographs: Source, bancoetcheverria.es
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
Photographs: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
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
Photographs: Luke MacGregor/Reuters
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
Photographs: Source, Fvanlanschot/Wikimedia Commons
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
Photographs: Source, banque-courtois.fr
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
Photographs: Darren Staples/Reuters
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
Photographs: Source, andoltetcie.ch
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
Photographs: Source, RiseRover/Wikimedia Commons
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
Photographs: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters
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
Photographs: Sebastien Pirlet/Reuters
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
Photographs: Source, hsbctrinkaus.de
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
Photographs: Source, hottinger.com
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
Photographs: Source, lrc.ch
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
Photographs: Source, statestreet.com
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
Photographs: Source, hauck-aufhaeuser.de
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
Photographs: Source, lombardodier.com
Lombard Odier & Cie
Country: Switzerland
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Year of foundation: 1796
Lombard Odier & Cie, which is a private bank, was established in 1796.
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