Republic Bank

For the bank based in Louisville, Kentucky, see Republic Bank & Trust Company.
Republic Bank Limited
Public company
Traded as TTSE: RBL
Industry Financial Services
Founded 1837 (as Colonial Bank), Trinidad and Tobago
Headquarters Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Key people
 David J. Dulal-Whiteway, Managing Director
Nigel M. Baptiste, Executive Director
Products Financial services
Total assets $57.5 billion TTD (2013)
Website http://www.republictt.com/

Republic Bank is a bank and financial service provider in Trinidad and Tobago and one of the largest in the Eastern Caribbean. It has branches in Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, and offshore banking operations incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Formerly a division of Barclays Bank in Trinidad and Tobago,

History

As a subsidiary of UK banks

Flag of Republic Bank

The forerunner of Republic Bank, Colonial Bank was established on 15 May 1837 by Royal Charter.[1] John Irving MP was the first chairman.[2] Colonial Bank was reported to have a "virtual monopoly" on banking in nineteenth century Trinidad.[3]

In 1909 The Colonial Bank established a branch on High Street, San Fernando.[3]

On 1 April 1972, Barclays DCO became Barclays Bank International Limited.[1] The local operation changed its name to Barclays Bank Trinidad and Tobago.

After Barclays

In the 1970s, with pressure for local control of the banking industry, Barclays Bank began a process of divestment of shares.[4] In 1977 Barclays Bank Trinidad and Tobago sold the majority of its shares locally.[4] This prompted another name change, to Republic Bank Limited, on 1 April 1981.[1]

RB established Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago (Cayman) Limited, a wholly owned offshore bank.
RB purchased 51% of the National Commercial Bank of Grenada Limited,[4] a commercial banking operation with eight branches on the islands of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.[Note 1]
RB purchased 20% of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (West Indies) Holdings Limited. This gave RB linkages with the holding company's branches in the Caribbean islands of Barbados, St. Vincent, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia and Jamaica. The shareholding is currently 14%.
RB acquired 47.5% of shares of the National Bank of Industry and Commerce (NBIC) from the government of Guyana.[Note 2]
RB acquired 93% of the failed Banco Mercantil (est. 1984), the sixth largest bank in the Dominican Republic. It has since rebranded Banco Mercantil as Republic Bank (D.R.) S.A. This was the first of Republic Bank’s overseas subsidiaries to fully adopt the Republic Bank corporate identity.
Also in 2012, RB acquired 8.79% of the shares of HFC Bank (Ghana).[4]
Also in 2013, RB increased its shareholding in HFC Bank (Ghana) to 40%, making it the largest single shareholder.

Subsidiaries

In addition to its main banking operations in Trinidad and Tobago, Republic Bank has the following subsidiaries[5]

Largest competitors

Notes

  1. ↑ The government of Grenada had founded the bank in 1979. In 1980, the bank acquired the shares of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (Grenada) and also purchased the assets of Royal Bank of Canada (Grenville).
  2. ↑ National Bank of Industry and Commerce took over the operations of Royal Bank of Canada, which left Guyana in 1984 when the government acquired 51% of the capital. In 1914 Royal Bank of Canada had acquired the activities of the British Guiana Bank, which had been incorporated in 1836 and had begun operations in 1837.
  3. ↑ In 1978 the government of Barbados created Barbados National Bank through an Act of Parliament that amalgamated three institutions that the government already owned: Barbados Savings Bank (est. 1852), Sugar Industry Agricultural Bank (est. 1907), and National Housing Corporation (Public Officers Housing Loan Fund; est. 1958). The three functional divisions of the Bank provided services for commercial banking, agricultural credit and mortgage financing. Within days of the commencement of operations, Barbados National Bank the banking business of Bank of America's branch in Bridgetown.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Republic Bank Limited financial statement to the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange, December, 2003
  2. ↑ Colonel J.B.Irving, The Book of the Irvings, 1908
  3. 1 2 3 Anthony, Michael (2001). Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago. Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Md., and London. ISBN 0-8108-3173-2.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Republic Bank history
  5. ↑ Subsidiaries, Republic Bank website.
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