Writing History Together
Tradition meets modernity. Bethmann HAL has a fascinating history full of formative events and great personalities. Its roots date back to the 18th century. Find out what Goethe, the Eiffel Tower, and the early German “start-up scene” have in common with Bethmann HAL.
Frankfurt as an Early Financial Center: The Founding of the Banking Houses
The founding date of Bethmann Bank is considered to be January 2, 1748. On this day, Simon Moritz Bethmann joined his older brother Johann Philipp Bethmann's existing trading business as a partner. This step laid the foundation for the joint venture from which the bank developed.
Also in Frankfurt, Friedrich Michael Hauck became a partner in the bill of exchange, commission, and forwarding business Platz & Gebhard on January 1, 1796. This business had been in existence since 1753. After the Platz family left the company, it continued under the name Gebhard & Hauck.
Gebhard & Hauck initially only conducted banking business on a part-time basis, but in 1800 it granted a loan of 100,000 guilders to the Upper Rhine Circle.
Finance & Refinement: Encounters with Goethe
Bethmann Bank quickly expanded its asset management business. Many important figures of the time entrusted their money to the bank. These included Empress Maria Theresa, Tsar Alexander I, and Pope Pius VI.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also used the bank's services. His famous trip to Italy from 1786 to 1788 was made possible by a loan from Bethmann Bank.
Friedrich Michael Hauck also had dealings with Goethe. He was married to the daughter of Frankfurt publisher Johann G. Fleischer, who published several works by the great German poet. Goethe's diary reveals that he also visited the Hauck family during a stay in Frankfurt in October 1817.
Financial Clout for What Were then “Start-Ups” Such as Siemens
In 1857, Adalbert Delbrück and Heinrich Leo founded the Delbrück Leo & Co. banking house in Berlin, which is now part of Bethmann Bank. The bank supported innovative companies of its time from an early stage, including Siemens and Krupp, which later became industrial giants.
After the death of Georg Hauck, his son Alexander took over the management of the family bank. In the same year, he was appointed to the supervisory board of Farbwerke Hoechst. Over the following decades, the regional paint manufacturer developed into an internationally active chemical company, whose shares were traded on the stock exchange from 1888 onwards.
Frankfurt, London, Paris: At the Heart of World Events
At the end of the 19th century, Bethmann Bank held a leading position in Germany in asset management and industrial financing. It was also involved in an icon of engineering: the Eiffel Tower. Built as a monumental symbol for the World's Fair in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was financed in part by the bank in 1889.
Bank H. Aufhäuser was also involved in global financial affairs: Siegfried Aufhäuser began his banking career in London in 1907. When he later joined Bank H. Aufhäuser, he brought with him excellent connections to British banks. These included Coutts & Co, which managed the royal family's bank accounts. This gave Bank H. Aufhäuser the opportunity to conduct banking transactions for the royals.
Stronger together: The Years of Merger
Hauck and Aufhäuser merged in 1988, creating one of Germany's leading private banks.
In 2022, Hauck & Aufhäuser and Bankhaus Lampe merged to form HAUCK AUFHÄUSER LAMPE (HAL).
Bethmann Bank became part of the internationally active ABN AMRO Bank in 2004, under whose umbrella it merged with the renowned banking houses Delbrück and Maffei in 2011.
Bethmann Bank and HAL Become Bethmann HAL
The acquisition of HAL by Bethmann Bank creates one of the largest providers in the German wealth management and corporate banking market, offering a broader range of products and services for customers. Under the new name Bethmann HAL, we are combining our strengths and expertise. Together, we are achieving great things – today and tomorrow.
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