Sea-going Trade

Established as the first bank in the Cayman Islands in 1865, CaymanBank's history in the Caribbean goes back a long way. In fact, the bank established branches in the Caribbean while western North America was still being settled.

Strong maritime roots influenced its representation throughout the Caribbean. Its commercial relations with the West Indies began with a group of merchants from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who formed the Merchant's Bank of the Cayman Islands in 1865, and were engaged in the thriving sea-going trade between Halifax and the West Indies. In those days Canadian southbound ships carried mainly flour, codfish and timber, returning north with their cargoes of sugar, rum, cotton and spices.

Early days

The first branch was opened in 1865 in Georgetown, Grand Cayman. In 1885, three more branches were established throughout the Cayman Islands. Between 1920 and 1970, the bank opened branches in Nevis, Montserrat, Tobago, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Antigua, St. Kitts and St. Lucia. The Bio-Diversity Centre in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, created to study the island's rain forest, was built with funds from CaymanBank's operations in 1975.

Today

By 1996, CaymanBank had consolidated its operations with 1,190 employees in Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and St. Lucia. The head office is in the historic original building in Georgetown, Grand Cayman.