Abrupt
The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was an extraordinary institution in the history of international banking.
Founded in 1972, BCCI developed an extensive international network, operating across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Its history includes the people who built and worked for the Bank, the customers and communities it served, its management philosophy, its international operations, its growth and, ultimately, its closure in 1991.
Much of this history is scattered among former employees, customers, families, researchers, libraries and private collections.
Our objective is to bring as much of this material as possible together, preserve it and make it available for serious, independent research, so that the allegations made against BCCI can be revisited and assessed in the light of the documentary evidence.
What we are preserving
BCCI Insights is building an expanding digital resource containing historical material such as:
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internal publications and BCC International magazines;
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policy and procedure manuals;
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management and organisational documents;
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reports and correspondence;
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annual reports and financial material;
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photographs and personal recollections;
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advertisements and brochures;
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memorabilia and corporate publications;
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documents concerning BCCI's foundations and charitable activities;
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research papers, essays and theses;
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audio-visual material;
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books and contemporary publications concerning BCCI.
The website's existing library demonstrates the breadth of material that can be preserved - from governance and internal management documents to the former BCC International house magazine and corporate memorabilia.
The books project
The Books Project will begin once the BCCI Insights website and its underlying archive have reached an advanced stage of development.
The books will draw extensively on the material assembled through BCCI Insights, including archival documents, contemporary records, personal recollections, research already undertaken, and further documents and information obtained through disclosure and RTI processes.
The books will not simply duplicate the contents of the website. Rather, the material collected and researched through the website will provide the foundation for a series of carefully researched and documented publications, bringing together evidence and research in a permanent historical record.
The initial programme envisages four books, each addressing a different aspect of BCCI's history and legacy. Detailed synopses of the proposed books are already available in the Library / Books section of this website.
The first planned publication is The BCCI Saga, with the other three books (The Bank that Buried - The Visionary and the Vault - Verdict Deferred) addressing different aspects of the history and legacy of BCCI.
While the website will provide an accessible and continually developing digital resource, books offer a more permanent record that can be preserved, catalogued and made available through major libraries and research institutions for generations to come.
The objective is to ensure that the substantial body of documentary evidence, research and recollections being assembled today is ultimately preserved not only online, but also in permanent published form.
Why this work matters
Many of the people who experienced BCCI are now in later life or have passed away.
Documents can be lost. Private collections can be dispersed. Memories inevitably fade.
There is therefore a limited opportunity to preserve the evidence and recollections that remain.
The purpose of BCCI Insights is not simply to preserve nostalgia. It is to create a resource that can be examined by students, researchers, historians, banking professionals, former employees, former customers and anyone seeking to understand BCCI and its place in international financial history.
Our aim is to ensure that future generations - including researchers, historians, journalists and documentary film producers - can access the material, examine the evidence for themselves, revisit the allegations made against BCCI and its founder, and consider alternative perspectives and interpretations of its history and legacy..
How you can help
The project depends upon contributions of both material and financial support.
Former employees
Please consider contributing your recollections, photographs, correspondence, internal publications and other surviving BCCI material.
If you have material that may be of historical value, please contact us before disposing of it.
Former customers
Your experiences and records can help document the relationship between BCCI and the communities and businesses it served.
We welcome recollections, correspondence, publications and other material that can contribute to the historical record.
Libraries, universities and researchers
We welcome collaboration with libraries, archives, universities and research institutions interested in preserving, cataloguing or studying BCCI-related material.
Institutional and corporate supporters
Foundations, companies and institutions can help fund specific parts of the project, including:
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digitisation;
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archival preservation;
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research;
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website development;
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publication;
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acquisition of historical material;
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preservation of oral histories and personal recollections.
A permanent record
BCCI Insights is intended to become more than a website.
It is an attempt to create a living historical archive - bringing together documents, memories, publications and research so that the story of BCCI can continue to be examined long after those who experienced it are no longer here.
Help us preserve the record.
[DONATE TO THE PROJECT] link to donate
[CONTRIBUTE DOCUMENTS OR MEMORIES] link to contact