Press release
Compagnie Bancaire Espirito Santo becomes
Banque Privée Espírito Santo
Lausanne, 18 April 2007 – Group Espirito Santo, the international financial Group,
heirs to an old traditional Portuguese banking family whose origins date back to 1869,
celebrates this year its thirty-year presence in Switzerland. On this occasion, its Swiss
Bank was renamed Banque Privée Espírito Santo SA.
In 1977, Group Espirito Santo established Compagnie Financière Espirito Santo SA in
Lausanne. In 1999, the financial company acquired banking status and became Compagnie
Bancaire Espirito Santo SA.
Compagnie Bancaire Espirito Santo played a dominant role in the reconstruction process of
the Group after the political upheavals in Portugal during the years 1974/1975. This phase
came to a conclusion in 1992 when Group Espirito Santo reacquired control of Banco
Espirito Santo (BES), which had been nationalized in 1975. BES is today the third most
important universal bank in Portugal.
In Lausanne, Banque Privée Espírito Santo SA has more than 9 billion Swiss Francs under
management and currently employs a staff of 130 persons. The new company name aptly
reflects the identity of the bank whose primary vocation is the wealth management for a
demanding international clientele.
Banque Privée Espírito Santo SA