|
|
|
| |
| Additional information |
| |
| Banco Safra S.A. |
| |
| |
Overview:
In the financial sector, the past has an unparalleled importance in determining the present and providing solid guarantees for the future.
It was the 19th century and the memory of Napoleon’s military campaigns was still fresh in the minds of Europeans. The world was becoming well aware of the effects of the Industrial Revolution as the economies of Europe, the Mediterranean and North America
flourished, all thanks to major inventions - the steam engine and electricity - and the movement of ships, caravans and now railroads that transported and traded agricultural products and the most diverse merchandise.
Financing for this intense commercial movement came from bankers, who would one day become legends. From among them, the Safra family began a lineage of financiers in the Middle East, laying the foundation for modern banking based on improved information quality and the growing demand for trade between cities.
Particularly intense was the exchange of merchandise between the ports and cities of Europe, such as Paris, Nice, Marseille, Madrid, Barcelona, Naples, Trieste, Genoa and Venice with cities like Alexandria, Athens, Istanbul, Beirut, Damascus and Aleppo – a city in northwestern of Syria and one of the major centers of trade. It was there that merchants and goods from the East and West converged.
Aleppo was also home to the Safra family, who with their cosmopolitan vocation financed trade and exchanged currencies from several different countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, including the Ottoman Empire’s “para”, the Venice’s “zecchini” and the Maria Theresa’s “thaler”, as well as bullion such as silver and, mainly, gold.
Despite the development of general accounting policies, Jacob Safra, the patriarch, was known for his exceptional ability to mentally calculate the conversion of several currencies as well as the financing costs for each and every one of his clients.
In the mid 19th century, Safra Frиres et Cie. was founded in Aleppo, a bank bearing the name of the renowned family. In no time at all the institution earned fame and prestige throughout the Middle East, building a solid reputation before highly selective financiers. Safra Frиres et Cie.’s strong expansion prompted the family to open branches in Istanbul, Alexandria and Beirut.
Later in the first half of the 20th century, Beirut was chosen to be the headquarters of the Jacob Safra Bank, founded by the patriarch of what would become another generation of successful bankers. After World War II, Jacob Safra expanded his business to Europe and later to Latin America and the US.
His offspring likewise gained prominence for their expertise in banking, continuing a long-standing relationship with a community of clients.
Banco Safra S.A. is a important and respected player in the Brazilian and international banking sector, ranking among the country’s ten largest private sector financial institutions in terms of total assets. A full-service commercial bank, Banco Safra S.A. operates in all areas of the financial sector, serving the needs of its clients nationwide.
Through its major Brazilian subsidiaries, Banco Safra de Investimento S.A., Safra Leasing S.A. Arrendamento Mercantil, Safra Seguros Gerais S.A., Safra Vida e Previdкncia S.A., Safra Distribuidora de Tнtulos e Valores Mobiliбrios and Safra Corretora de Valores e Cвmbio Ltda., the bank’s activities extend beyond traditional lending operations to leasing, securities underwriting, investment fund management, brokerage, insurance and credit card operations. The bank is also active in trade finance, asset management and treasury operations.
Banco Safra (Cayman Islands) Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Banco Safra S.A., incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Known as Safra Cayman, the institution provides trade-financing services to its clients and correspondent banks, as well as other branches and divisions within the Safra Group. It also offers a broad range of commercial and financial services, especially in the trade finance area. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
