Ottoman Empire Banque Imperiale Ottoman Smyrne Bill of Exchange for 91 Florins 1869 PMG 50 About UNC

The Ottoman Bank, known until 1924 as the Imperial Ottoman Bank, was established on 4 February 1863 in Istanbul by the Turkish government in partnership with French and British financiers. The objective was to put an end to the financial crisis which had raged across the Empire in the aftermath of the Crimean War and, more generally, to implement a set of major reforms. Bills of exchange issued by the Bank branches in its first years are extremely rare