Bank Leumi
Bank Leumi is an
Israeli
bank.
Bank Leumi was founded in
London as the Anglo Palestine Company on February 27,
1902. It was founded by members of the
Zionist movement to grow the industry, construction, agriculture, and infrastructure of Israel. It was envisioned by Dr.
Theodore Herzl. The bank opened its first branch in
Jaffa, and soon expanded to other cities in the region, despite the opposition of the
Ottoman government. The bank was based in London until
1950, when it was refounded as Bank Leumi in Israel. It served as the
central bank of Israel until
1954, when it became a commercial bank. The bank was nationalized in
1983, as a result of the
Bank Stock Crisis.
Today, Bank Leumi is one of Israel's leading commercial banks, with (as of 2004) $50 billion in assets and a presence in over 19 countries.
As of June 2006, the bank is mainly in private hands, with the government as the largest single share holder, with 14.8% of the stock. The other large share holders are
Shlomo Eliahu and
Branea Invest, holding 10% of the stock each, which constitutes the control core of the bank. 60% of the bank's stocks are held by the public and traded in the
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
|
Anglo Palestine Bank Registered Bank Note |
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Official website *
Official website 
