Fransabank

Fransabank traces its origins to 1921, when it was established in Beirut as a branch of Crédit Foncier d'Algérie et de Tunisie (CFAT), a French financial institution active in North Africa and the Levant. In 1963, CFAT was renamed Société Centrale de Banque. In 1971, its Lebanese operations were acquired by Banque Française pour le Moyen-Orient S.A.L. (BFMO), a Lebanese banking company. Following a series of mergers with other local banks, the institution adopted the name Fransabank in 1982. During the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), Fransabank maintained limited operations. In the post-war reconstruction period, the bank expanded its domestic network and pursued regional and international growth through subsidiaries in Europe, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Following the Lebanese financial crisis that began in 2019, Fransabank, like other domestic banks, became subject to capital controls and restructuring measures imposed by the banking sector and the Banque du Liban. == Ownership ==

Fransabank S.A.L. is effectively controlled by interests associated with the Kassar family. Approximately 80% of the bank’s share capital is held through two holding companies, CEDARS I and CEDARS II, which together constitute the controlling shareholding. The remaining shares are held by a combination of institutional and minority investors, including Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG), Wafra International Investment Co. (KSCC), and other private shareholders. == See also ==