Bank Audi

The story of Bank Audi begins long before its formal incorporation, with roots tracing back to 1830 in Saida, Lebanon. In the bustling trade environment of the Ottoman Empire, Hanna Audi established a "money exchange house," providing essential financial services to local farmers and traders. The modern chapter began in 1962 when Raymond Audi, along with Kuwaiti investors, officially incorporated Banque Audi SAL in Beirut. This marked the formal registration of a family enterprise that had been operating for over a century. The bank's growth strategy included expanding its footprint beyond Lebanon, establishing branches in Switzerland in 1975 and France in 1979, a move that helped it navigate the challenges of the civil war in its home country. A significant event in the bank's journey was the 1995 issuance of Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), making it the first Lebanese financial institution to offer public equity on international markets. This was followed by a major merger with Banque Saradar in 2004, creating the Bank Audi sal-Audi Saradar Group, though the two would later de-merge. This period saw aggressive regional expansion into Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Qatar. Bank Audi is listed on the Beirut Stock Exchange and its GDRs trade on the London Stock Exchange.