Tercümanlıktan Bankerliğe: Pisani Ailesinin Darütterhin Bankası Açma Teşebbüsü
From Translator to Banker: Pisani Family's Attempt to Open a Darutterhin Bank

Summary/Abstract: The modern banking system, whose foundations were laid in Europe in the Middle Ages and developed rapidly in the early modern era, came to the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century. Although there were attempts to establish a national bank for a long time, the foundations of the Ottoman Bank, which had the status of a state bank, were laid in 1856. In the second half of the 19th century, there were many attempts to open official and private banks in the Ottoman Empire. One of these was the Darütterhin bank. This proposal, submitted in 1877 by Etienne Pisani, who had retired as chief interpreter at the British Embassy, was welcomed by the Porte. Etienne was a member of the Pisani family, one of the Levantine families who had worked as interpreters in foreign embassies, especially the British embassy, for a long time. His proposal to open a Darutterhin bank was initially approved by the Porte. However, the dispute between the parties, especially over the interest rate, prevented the opening of the bank. This study will examine the negotiations between the government and the Pisani family between 1877 and 1900 for the opening of the bank.

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