Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China , Chartered Bank

The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, known from 1956 as The Chartered Bank, was established by Royal Charter in 1853. It was an overseas exchange bank, based in and controlled from the City of London. It was established to take advantage of the end of the East India Company's monopoly in 1853.

The bank operated in India and throughout the Far East - in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Siam [Thailand], Burma [Myanmar], Singapore, Malacca, Penang and the Malay States, the Philippines, Japan, Java, Sumatra, Ceylon [Sri Lanka], North Borneo, Brunei, Sarawak, Pakistan and East Pakistan. There were also branches in New York [United States of America] and Hamburg [Germany]. Despite its name, the bank never operated in Australia.

Further UK branches opened in Manchester (1937) and Liverpool (1948). The bank gained a second London office and additional branches in India, Pakistan, China and Ceylon with the takeover in 1938 of the P and O Banking Corporation.

The bank's activities in the Far East were severely disrupted by World War Two and nationalist post-war governments in the region. The takeover in 1957 of rival Eastern Bank presented new opportunities. Eastern Bank was active in Chartered Bank's traditional areas of operation, but also had branches in the Middle East - in Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Lebanon, Qatar, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Oman. In the same year, Chartered Bank purchased the Ionian Bank's interests in Cyprus.

The bank operated from various City of London addresses: 1852 first two meetings of directors at 8 Austin Friars; November 1852 offices acquired at 21 Moorgate. December 1853- 1855 rented offices at South Sea House, Threadneedle Street. 1855 rented offices at 34 Gresham House, Old Broad Street. June 1857-1866 rented offices in the City Bank building at Threadneedle Street. 1867 Former Hatton Court building on Threadneedle Street. In 1909 they moved into newly built premises on the former site of Crosby Hall where they were still at the time of the merger with Chartered Bank in 1969.

For further information on the history of the bank see Sir Compton Mackenzie, Realms of silver: one hundred years of banking in the East (London, 1954) and Geoffrey Jones, British multinational banking 1830-1990 (Oxford, 1993).

George Ure Adam (appointed London Manager of the Bank in 1857, retired 1870) was in charge of opening the first branches and agencies abroad. By the late 19th Century the management of Bank premises and property had become the responsibility of the premises department based at Head Office. This department oversaw the physical management of property, fixtures and fittings, both abroad and in the UK, including branches, staff accommodation and Head Office. The premises department was also responsible for the sourcing and purchase/rental of new premises as required and was involved in insurance of premises, fixtures, fittings and cash and goods in transit as well as overseeing rental of Bank owned property to private individuals/companies. As with many other departments, the majority of correspondence was addressed to the Secretary with copies sent to the premises department for action/response.

Opening of key branches (by year opened):
1858: Calcutta, India; Bombay, India
By 1860: Singapore; Hong Kong; Shanghai, China
1862: Rangoon, Burma
1863: Batavia [Djakarta, Indonesia]
1866 (briefly): Karachi, Pakistan
1872: Manila, Philippines
1877: Surabaia, Indonesia
1877 (briefly): Colombo, Sri Lanka (reopened in 1892)
1880: Yokohama, Japan; Foochow, China
1880s (briefly): Iloilo, Philippines
1888: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Taiping, Malaysia
1892: Colombo, Sri Lanka (reopened)
1894: Bangkok, Thailand
1895: Kobe, Japan; Tientsin, China
1900: Madras, India; Cebu, Philippines
1906: Karachi, Pakistan (reopened)
1907: Ipoh, Malaysia
1909: Klang, Malaysia

1910: Seremban, Malaysia
1911: Delhi, India; Iloilo, Philippines (reopened)
1911: Canton, China

1924: Kuching, 1924
1958: Brunei.