| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Banking and Finance |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Headquarters | Libreville, Gabon |
| Key people | Patrice Otha, Chairman Henri-Claude Oyima, Chief Executive Officer |
| Products | Loans, Mortgages Investments, Debit cards, Credit Cards |
| Website | Homepage |
BGFIBank Group, whose full name is BGFIBank Group S.A., is a financial services organization headquartered in Gabon. The group has subsidiaries in seven (7) countries including Gabon, Benin, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar and France.
Contents |
BGFIBank Group is a large financial services conglomerate in Central, West and East Africa, with subsidiaries in seven (7) countries. The member institutions serve both individuals and businesses, with emphasis on small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). As of December 2009, the Group's assets were in excess of US$1.8 billion (Euro:1.3 billion).[1] In January 2010, BGFIBank Group was rated the second-largest bank group in Central Africa, by assets.[2]
In 1971, the Group started with one institution in Gabon called Bank of Paris and the Netherlands Gabon. That first bank was a joint venture between several private Gabonese investors, BNP Paribas and the Netherlands.[3]
The Group's first subsidiary was set up in 1987 under the name FIGADIM and was later renamed BGFIBail. In 1996, when Gabonese private investors acquired majority shareholding in the bank, it rebranded as the International Gabonese and French Bank known in French, as “Banque Gabonaise et Française Internationale” (BGFI). The Group's second subsidiary, Financiere Transafricaine (Finatra), was established in 1997.
In 2000, the bank rebranded to BGFIBank S.A., which is its current name. During the next ten (10) years, the group has pursued an aggressive expansion policy by opening a subsidiary in Republic of the Congo in 2000, Equatorial Guinea in 2001, France in 2007, Madagascar in 2010, Benin in 2010 and Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2010. During the same decade a plethora of non-bank financial subsidiaries were set up by the group, the majority being located in Gabon.[4]
The companies that comprise of the BGFIBank Group include, but are not limited to the following:[5]
Shareholding in the Group's stock is private, although dynamic. New investors can buy in, while existing investors have the opportunity to divest. However, the Group's stock is not listed on any publicly traded exchange. The detailed shareholding in BGFIBank Group is illustrated in the table below:[6]
| BGFIBank Group Stock Ownership | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GovernanceThe Chairman of the eleven (11) member Board of Directors is Patrice Otha. The Chief Executive Officer of the Group is Henri-Claude Oyima.[7] External links
See alsoReferences |