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The European Association for Banking and Financial History (eabh) e.V.

We provide historical analysis and preservation consulting to bankers, supervisors and policy makers.
About

Historical research made relevant for the modern world

Accurate and accessible records of past activities are keys to understanding basic financial principles and developments within their historical context. This understanding is, in turn, an indispensable foundation for a sustainable global financial system. Based on this conviction, eabh encourages the proper preservation of historically relevant material and the circulation of high level historical research. eabh is a registered charity and relies on the annual subscriptions of its members.

Who is eabh?

Board of Management

Hugo Bänziger
Chairperson

Dieter Schlenker
Historical Archives of the European Union
Deputy Chairperson

Melanie Aspey
Treasurer

Harold James
Princeton University
Chairperson of the Academic Council

Filipe Fernandes
Banco de Portugal
Member of the Board

Isabel Schnabel
European Central Bank
Member of the Board

Honorary Chairperson

Manfred Pohl
Goethe University

Academic Council

Harold James
Princeton University
Chairperson

Niels-Viggo Haueter
Swiss Re
Deputy Chairperson

Lilia Costabile
University of Naples Federico II
Deputy Chairperson

Mike Anson
Bank of England

Melanie Aspey
Treasurer of eabh

Hugo Bänziger
Chairperson of eabh

Federico Barbiellini Amidei
Banca d’Italia

Mariastella Circosta
Fondazione 1563

Piet Clement
BIS

Juan Flores Zendejas
University of Geneva

Jaime Herrero
Bank of Spain

Carmen Hofmann
eabh Secretary General

Stefan Hofrichter
Allianz GI

Bianka Horváth
Central Bank of Hungary

Andreas Kakridis
Bank of Greece

Jakub Kunert
Czech National Bank

Marie Laperdrix
BNP Paribas

April Miller
World Bank Group Archives

Alexander Nützenadel
HU Berlin

Andrea Papadia
University of York

Pascal Pénot
Crédit Agricole

Moritz Schularick
Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Tobias Straumann
University of Zurich

Nathan Sussman
The Hebrew University and the Graduate Institute Geneva

Christoph Trebesch
Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Board of Patrons

Burkhard Balz
Deutsche Bundesbank

Ana Botín
Banco Santander

Agustín Carstens
BIS

Mário Centeno
Banco de Portugal

Piero Gastaldo
Fondazione 1563

Gikas A. Hardouvelis
National Bank of Greece

Mugur C. Isărescu
National Bank of Romania

Walter B. Kielholz
Swiss Re

Jean Lemierre
BNP Paribas

György Matolcsy
Central Bank of Hungary

Friedrich von Metzler
B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co.

Aleš Michl
Czech National Bank

Dimitar Radev
Bulgarian National Bank

Yves Robert – Charrue
Julius Baer

Christian Sewing
Deutsche Bank

Niels Thygesen
Institute for New Economic Thinking

Office

CarmenHofmannCarmen Hofmann
Secretary General

Gabriella Massaglia
Consultant

 

Design

Richard McBurneyRichard McBurney
Designer at Grand Creative

Key events in our history

1987-02

1987

Manfred Pohl, back then Chief Archivist at Deutsche Bank, realises that, in the prospect of a united Europe, co-operation between banking archivists and bank historians on a European level should be promoted and deepened.

1988

During three meetings held respectively in Brussels, London and Madrid, the foundation of eabh takes further shape.

29 November 1990

The European Association for Banking History (eabh) e. V. is founded in an inaugural meeting at the premises of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt am Main. eabh is constituted by 22 banks and one institution from eleven different European countries.

1990

Members of the first eabh Board of Management (Pictured clockwise)
Wilfried Guth – Chairperson of the Board of Patrons
Sir Evelyn de Rothschild – Chairperson
Herman van der Wee – Chairperson of the Academic Advisory Council
Pedro Martinez Mendez – Treasurer
Robert Lion – Member
Manfred Pohl – Deputy Chairperson

16 September 1992

De Nederlandsche Bank’s President Wim Duisenberg opens the 1st eabh annual conference under the title ‘How to Write the History of a Bank’.

1994

eabh releases the ‘Handbook on the History of European Banks’, a unique reference tool containing entries on about 150 of the largest and oldest European banks.

1994

eabh releases the first issue of the ‘Financial History Review’ published by Cambridge University Press and edited by Youssef Cassis and Philip L. Cottrell.

April 1994

Hilmar Kopper, Spokesman of the Board of Managing Directors of Deutsche Bank, is unanimously elected as Chairperson of eabh Board of Patrons.

9 – 13 September 1996

The predecessor of the current ‘eabh Summer School for Archivists’ series, the successful course ‘Archives and Records Management in Banking’, is result of joint efforts of eabh and the Business Archives Council.

May 1998

eabh releases the first issue of its ‘bulletin’, aiming to ‘provide a means in which the latest research, publications, archive collections, exhibitions and other activities of our member banks and outside bodies can be documented’.

21 May 1998

Gabriel Tortella Casares, University of Alcalá, Madrid, is unanimously elected Chairperson of eabh Academic Advisory Council.

7 December 2000

eabh celebrates its 10th anniversary with the symposium ‘Banking in the Mirror of Time’ at the kind invitation of Deutsche Bank. Internationally renowned scholars contribute to the success of the event.

26 October 2001

Manfred Pohl is awarded with the European Culture Prize of the Pro-Europa -European Foundation for Culture for his work in the field of finance and banking history within the European Association for Banking History (eabh) e.V.

August 2002

Upon Hilmar Kopper’s resignation Rolf-E. Breuer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bank, is unanimously elected as new Chairperson of eabh Board of Patrons, thus ensuring continuity on the Boards of the Association.

2004-19

28 May 2004

Following the resignation of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild after 14 years chairmanship, Willem F. Duisenberg is officially elected as Chairperson of the eabh Board of Management.

28 May 2004

The Association demonstrates its commitment to embracing financial history by changing its name to the European Association for Banking and Financial History (eabh) e.V. in the 15th General Members’ Meeting.

December 2004

Gerald D. Feldman, Berkeley University, takes over the Chairmanship of eabh Academic Advisory Council from Philip L. Cottrell, thus widening the international dimension of the Association.

January 2006

Following Wim Duisenberg’s passing away, Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, is unanimously elected as his successor and new Chairperson of the eabh Board of Management.

3 July 2007

eabh Chairperson Jean-Claude Trichet holds the opening speech ‘History and Identity as a Pre-requisite for a United Europe’ at the official inauguration of the new eabh premises.

January 2008

Following Gerry Feldman’s passing away, Peter Hertner, University of Halle-Wittenberg, closes the occurring gap and becomes new Chairperson of eabh Academic Advisory Council.

29 May 2008

After six years, Rolf-E. Breuer hands over chairmanship of eabh Board of Patrons to Malcolm Knight, Bank for International Settlements.

7 June 2012

Following Peter Hertner’s retirement, Harold James, Princeton University, becomes the 6th Chairperson of eabh Academic Council.

8 June 2012

After Jean-Claude Trichet’s retirement from ECB and eabh, Hugo Bänziger, Lombard Odier, one of the Association’s founding members, becomes Chairperson of eabh.

July 2014

eabh transfers its documents to the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU) in Florence. This material includes eabh founding history, workshop material, board meeting protocols, publication material and photographs.

May 2015

The General Members' Meeting elects eabh Founder and Deputy Chairperson Manfred Pohl as Honorary Chairperson for life.

Feb 2016: eabh is celebrating its 25th anniversary!

Kindly invited by the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU) eabh celebrated 25 years of European cooperation, financial history and archival work in Florence, Italy.

2016/2017

Vol 1 (2016) and Vol II (2017) of the eabh bulletin special edition: Architecture & Finance are published. With a stronger focus and the up-dated design the new editorial team brings the publication to the next level and reaches a wider audience.

2017

eabh holds its first ever conference in the United States of America. In cooperation with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis the Association turns truly international.

2017

Pierre de Longuemar, Association pour l’Histoire de BNP Paribas is elected honorary member of the eabh for his life time of engagement for historical research in finance.

2018

With Banco de Moçambique eabh goes global and welcomes the first member institution from the African continent.