Bancos coloniales: un modelo, dos historias. Cuba y Puerto Rico antes de 1898

Abstract

Comparative study of the structure and the performance of the two main financial institutions founded in each of the last two Spanish colonies in the XIX Century: the Banco Español de la Habana, chartered in 1856, and the Banco Español de Puerto Rico established in 1888. Both exerted a dominant role in the economy of the territories. Also, this paper traces the parallels and differences between the two institutions: the reasons for their establishment, the role played by each of the banks in the economy of each island, and the development of both banks during the late years of the century and the war of 1898. The paper is based on new and so far unused archival material, particularly for the case of the Banco Español de Puerto Rico. Although both institutions were founded by the same metropolis and under similar statutes, their development was different.