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ALPHA BANK LONDON LIMITED

The history of the Bank dates from October 1922 when it was first incorporated and offices were set up in the City of London at 1 Broad Street Place.

Following the Great War of 1914-18, new states emerged in the Eastern Mediterranean and, with the return of peace, international trade began to flourish. The Commercial Bank of the Near East, as it was known then, was established by Commercial Bank of Greece to provide a full range of banking services particularly to companies and individuals with trade and business in Greece, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, and North Africa. The Bank continued to expand its range of services and opened branches in Constantinople, Alexandria, and Cairo.

When in the mid-1950s, for political reasons, all banking institutions in Egypt were nationalised, all the overseas branches were sold to Commercial Bank of Greece leaving only the London Operation.

The ever-widening business philosophy of the Bank and the growing importance of its operations resulted in the decision in 1990 to change its name to Commercial Bank of London.

In November 1994, Alpha Bank AE (formerly Alpha Credit Bank), acquired Commercial Bank of London. Subsequently, on 1 February 1995, in order to re-confirm its historical links with Greece and to demonstrate its connection with the Alpha Group, the name was changed to Alpha Bank London Limited.

Alpha Bank London Limited maintains a strong balance sheet and we operate on a stand-alone basis with independent systems and infrastructure.  

Alpha Bank S.A.

The Bank was originally established in 1879 as the banking branch of J.F. Costopoulos & Company. In 1924 the Bank moved its headquarters to Athens and its shares were listed on the Athens Stock Exchange in 1925. In 1994 the Bank changed its name from Credit Bank to Alpha Credit Bank, to incorporate the Alpha brand name used extensively for its subsidiaries and services. Following the merger of Alpha Credit Bank and Ionian Bank in 1999, the Bank’s name changed to Alpha Bank S.A. Today, Alpha Bank S.A. is the largest privately owned and operated commercial bank in Greece, and is one of the most dynamic and progressive banking institutions in the country.

In London, the Bank established a Representative Office in 1989, and upgraded this to full branch status in 1994. At the end of 1994, we acquired the Commercial Bank of London Plc, a UK licensed bank with three branches in London primarily serving the retail banking requirements of Greek and Cypriot customers in London. CBL was re-named Alpha Bank London Limited, and services the retail and private banking requirements of our group in the UK. Alpha Bank London Branch undertakes the group’s wholesale activities in the UK.

We believe that we have the right philosophy, experience and support, to build on the Bank’s earlier success. It is only with the right staff, hard work and the best use of opportunities, that we will prosper in this extremely competitive market.

Our mission is to provide a first rate International Banking service to our clients worldwide and in the UK domestic market, by employing first rate professional bankers who, with determination, innovation and flexibility can maintain and improve on the competitive edge we believe we have over our rivals.