Jamesty
In a global financial world that is always shifting and undergoing digital transformation, where economic shifts and digital transformation are the norm, there are certain institutions that continue to be steadfast testaments to stability and tradition. The following are the oldest banks in the world that are still in business today; each of these banks has a history that is woven into the fabric of society and commerce that spans centuries. In the year 2025, these old establishments continue to play important roles, making sure to strike a balance between their illustrious history and the requirements of contemporary banking.
List Of Top 10 Oldest Operational Banks In The World 2025
1. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), the world’s oldest continuously running bank, was created in Siena as a monte di pietà (mount of piety) to lend money to the impoverished using Maremma land as collateral. It began as a humanitarian organization and became a commercial bank over generations. It has endured many wars, political changes, and financial crises, including major 21st-century issues that necessitated government assistance, and is strongly tied to Tuscany and Italy’s economies. After a massive recapitalization and restructuring, MPS remains a large Italian retail bank in 2025. It symbolizes banking’s resilience and longevity.
2. Berenberg Bank
World’s second-oldest bank and oldest commercial and private bank is Berenberg. The Flemish brothers Hans and Paul Berenberg, who fled religious persecution, founded it as a cloth and import/export business house. The Berenberg family has owned or co-owned it for almost four centuries, a rare feat in the financial world. Berenberg has weathered many economic disasters due to its conservative and smart management. It thrives as a modern private bank in 2025, providing wealth management, asset management, investment banking, and corporate banking services to wealthy individuals, institutions, and corporations worldwide.
3. Sveriges Riksbank
Sveriges Riksbank is the world’s oldest central bank and third-oldest bank still operating. Set up by the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) as the “Bank of the Estates of the Realm,” it provided financial stability to the country. Before it, Stockholms Banco issued the first European banknotes in 1661. As Sweden’s central bank, the Riksbank controls inflation, sets the policy rate, ensures financial stability, and promotes safe and efficient payment systems in 2025.
4. C Hoare & Co
C. Hoare & Co is the oldest privately owned bank in the UK. It is still a family business, with the twelfth generation of direct descendants of its founder, Sir Richard Hoare, running it. It has been known for hundreds of years for its highly customized and private banking services, and it is located in the heart of the City of London. C. Hoare & Co still serves wealthy people, families, and trusts in 2025, providing customized private banking, asset management, and loan services. Its long-term performance is due to its robust balance sheet, devotion to client relationships, and cautious, long-term approach to financing. Unlike other banks, it doesn’t take risks or grow quickly.
5. Metzler Bank
Bankhaus Metzler, also known as Metzler Bank, is Germany’s second-oldest bank and the oldest private bank in Germany that has been owned by the same family for a long time. Benjamin Metzler started the company as a trading concern, but it quickly expanded into banking and by the early 19th century it was only a bank. The Metzler family has run the bank for more than 350 years. Metzler Bank is still an autonomous private bank in 2025, and its primary areas of business are asset management, capital markets, corporate finance, and private banking. It has a long history in the financial capital of Frankfurt and is known for being stable, independent, and knowledgeable about complicated financial issues. This makes it a reliable partner for institutional clients, businesses, and affluent individuals.
6. Barclays
Barclays’ roots go back to the goldsmith banking firm that John Freame and Thomas Gould started on Lombard Street in London. James Barclay brought the name “Barclay” into the partnership in 1736. Barclays grew during the next few hundred years through a number of mergers and acquisitions. One of the most important was the creation of Barclays and Co. in 1896, which brought together many smaller banks. Barclays is one of the biggest and most well-known banks in the world in 2025. It is a worldwide financial services behemoth. It
7. Coutts
Coutts, one of the oldest and most distinguished private banks in the UK, served the British Royal Family. Starting with Scottish goldsmith and banker George Campbell, it was then taken over by John Campbell and joined the Coutts family in the mid-18th century. The first overdraft was granted in 1728. As part of NatWest (previously Royal Bank of Scotland Group), Coutts is a significant private bank and wealth management in 2025. It specializes in private banking, investment management, and financial advising for high-net-worth people. Legacy, confidentiality, and individual client connections make it a symbol of classic British banking expertise.
8. Bank of England
Bank of England was founded to fund King William III’s war against France. It became the government’s banker and managed the national debt after starting as a private bank. Over 330 years, it obtained power to print banknotes, determine interest rates, and govern the financial sector. The Bank of England remains the UK’s independent monetary policymaker in 2025. Its key duties include price stability (reaching the government’s 2% inflation objective), financial system stability through regulation and oversight, and government and other financial institution banking. Continuous operation is essential to the UK’s economic stability and global financial hub status.
9. Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland is the only Scottish Parliament-created commercial organization still operating. It was the first European bank to manufacture its own banknotes and promote Scottish trade and industry. Even after the Darien Scheme collapsed, which led to the Act of Union, it was vital to Scotland’s economic progress. In 2025, Lloyds Banking Group’s Bank of Scotland is a major retail and commercial bank. Although part of a larger institution, it keeps its Scottish identity and provides a wide range of banking products and services to Scottish individuals, businesses, and communities. Its lengthy history shows how Scottish commerce and finance developed together.
10. Caja Madrid
Father Francisco Piquer started Caja Madrid, formerly Monte de Piedad de Madrid, as a charitable savings bank to lend to the needy without interest. It became one of Spain’s largest savings banks over centuries. In 2025, “Caja Madrid” no longer exists, but its operational history is essential to comprehending Spain’s banking history. Seven Spanish savings banks merged to become Bankia in 2010, with Caja Madrid as its leader. Bankia was entirely integrated into CaixaBank in 2021, establishing Spain’s largest domestic bank.
