{{short description|Former bank in Belgrade}} [[File:Palace Albania.jpg|thumb|Palace Albanija on Terazije in Belgrade, former head office of Beogradska Banka]] thumb|Former Beobanka building, abandoned after the bank's demise in 2002 and photographed in 2014
'''Beogradska Banka''' ({{langx|sh|Београдска Банка}}, {{lit|Bank of Belgrade}}) was a bank in Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade. It was established in 1971 by merger of two pre-existing credit institutions, the '''Belgrade United Bank''' ({{langx|sh|Beogradska udružena banka}}) and '''Economic Bank in Belgrade''' ({{lang|sh|Privredna banka u Beogradu}}).<ref>{{citation |url=https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/596801468914381440/pdf/932180WP0EDI019680Box114004B00OUO090.pdf |title=The Economic Development Institute 1968-69 |date=1968 |publisher=International Bank for Reconstruction and Development}}</ref>{{rp|22}}
A restructuring in 1978 led the bank to rename itself as '''United Belgrade Bank''' ({{lang|sh|Udružena beogradska banka}}, UBB), while also using the brand '''Beobanka'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.icty.org/x/cases/slobodan_milosevic/ind/en/mil-ai010629e.htm |website=International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia |date={{date|2001-6-29}} |title=Case No. IT-99-37-I: The Prosecutor of the Tribunal against Slobodan MILOŠEVIĆ, Milan MILUTINOVIĆ, Nikola. ŠAINOVIĆ, Dragoljub OJDANIĆ and Vlajko STOJILJKOVIĆ - Ameended Indictment}}</ref> In later years, two differentially branded entities, Beobanka and Beogradska Banka, were developed in parallel and partly autonomously from each other. They both became unviable following the breakup of Yugoslavia and were placed into liquidation in 2002, together with two other major Belgrade-based commercial banks.
==History==
The Belgrade United Bank was established in 1965.<ref name=WIIW>{{citation |title=The Role of Banks in Economic Development in the Former SFR Yugoslavia |author=Predrag Četković |publisher=Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche |location=Vienna |url=https://wiiw.ac.at/the-role-of-banks-in-economic-development-in-the-former-sfr-yugoslavia-p-3896.html |date=September 2015}}</ref>{{rp|55}} It merged with the Economic Bank in Belgrade, with effect on {{date|1971-1-1}}, with the merged entity being named Beogradska banka. The bank opened branches in Vienna, Düsseldorf, Hannover, Stuttgart, Munich, Frankfurt, and East Berlin.
In 1978, Beogradska Banka was restructured together with Yugoslav Investment Bank (YIB). A successor entity for both, branded Investbanka, was established on {{date|1978-1-1}},<ref name=WB1981>{{cite web |website=World Bank |url=https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/959321468330299069/pdf/multi-page.pdf |date={{date|1981-1-30}} |title=Staff Appraisal Report - Morava Regional Development II Project, Yugoslavia}}</ref>{{rp|17}} affiliated with a new so-called associated bank branded UBB.<ref name=ECHR>{{cite web |date={{date|2010-3-2}} |website=Strada Lex Europe |url=https://www.stradalex.eu/en/se_src_publ_jur_eur_cedh/document/echr_60642-08_001-113039 |title=European Court of Human Rights - Application no. 60642/08 by Emina ALIŠIĆ and Others against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Serbia and Slovenia lodged on 30 July 2005}}</ref> UBB was one of nine associated banks that together formed the backbone of the commercial banking sector in Yugoslavia, together with Jugobanka in Belgrade, Vojvođanska Banka in Novi Sad, Kosovska Banka in Pristina, United Bank of Croatia in Zagreb, Ljubljanska Banka, Privredna Banka Sarajevo, Stopanska Banka in Skopje, and Investment Bank Titograd.<ref>{{citation |publisher=European Court of Human Rights |url=https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-114243%22]} |date={{date|2012-11-6}} |title=Case of Ališić and Others v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Judgment}}</ref> Slobodan Milošević was the president of UBB from 1978 to 1983,<ref>{{cite web |website=The Guardian |date={{date|2001-6-29}} |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/jun/29/warcrimes1 |title=The Milosevic indictment Part 2 - the accused}}</ref> giving him the opportunity to travel internationally.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Judah |first1=Tim |title=Kosovo: War and Revenge |date=2002 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=9780300097252 |page=51 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVf1na3FN_UC&pg=PA51}}</ref>
In the 1990s, Beobanka and Beogradska Banka became separate brands, while the respective entities as well as UBB remained linked together, for example for the purposes of international sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro,<ref>{{citation |publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of New York |date={{date|1992-7-8}} |url=https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/historical/ny%20circulars/nycirc_1992_10551.pdf |title=Partial List of Blocked Yugoslav Entities}}</ref><ref>{{citation |date={{date|1995-4-18}} |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-04-18/html/95-9464.htm |publisher=Federal Register Volume 60, Number 74 |title=U.S. Department of the Treasury - Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) Sanctions - Notice of blocking}}</ref><ref name=EC1999>{{citation |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/1999/1294/pdfs/eur_19991294_1999-09-19_en.pdf |title=Council Regulation (EC) No 1294/1999 of 15 June 1999 concerning a freeze of funds and a ban on investment in relation to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1295/98 and (EC)No 1607/98}}</ref> for the evasion of which Beogradska Banka became a vehicle as it managed Beobanka's offshore operations.<ref>{{cite web |website=The New York Times |title=Cyprus Shores Wash Dirty Money |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/15/world/cyprus-shores-wash-dirty-money.html |date={{date|1995-6-15}} |author=Chris Hedges}}</ref> Several senior executives and staff, including Beogradska Banka's managing director Zoran Marković, were designated by the EU as supporters of the Milošević regime.<ref name=EC1999/>
By 1998, Beobanka and Beogradska Banka were operating autonomously from each other; Beobanka had around 120 retail branches in Serbia and Montenegro, whereas Beogradska Banka was focused on wholesale and international activities in Belgrade.<ref>{{cite web |website=Naša Borba |author=M.Vukovic |url=http://www.yurope.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/nasa-borba/arhiva/Jun98/1106/1106_30.HTM |title=Osniva se Beogradska banka - Beobanka}}</ref> In 2001, Beobanka was described as an offshoot of Beogradska Banka.<ref>{{cite web |website=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/mar/29/balkans.warcrimes |title=Search for the missing millions |date={{date|2001-3-29}} |author=Ian Traynor}}</ref>
Both Beobanka and Beogradska Banka were placed into liquidation in 2002, together with Investbanka and Jugobanka,<ref>{{cite web |website=AG Friedensforschung an der Uni Kassel/Friedenspolitischer Ratschlag |url=https://www.ag-friedensforschung.de/regionen/Serbien-Montenegro/hofbauer.html |date=2004 |title=Serbien – zerbricht das Land? Neuordnung am Rande Europas}}</ref> as public confidence in those banks had effectively evaporated.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297678862_Banking_Development_In_The_Former_Yugoslavian_Republics |title=Banking Development In The Former Yugoslavian Republics |date=February 2011 |journal=International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER) |issue=7(9) |author=Jelena Radzic & Ayse Yuce}}</ref>{{rp|38}} The liquidation proceedings were still ongoing by 2015.<ref>{{cite web |website=Novosti |url=https://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/ekonomija/aktuelno.239.html:572427-Zasto-su-zaista-ugasene-Beobanka-Investbanka |title=Zašto su zaista ugašene Beobanka, Investbanka... |date={{date|2015-10-18}} |author=Slavica Moravčević}}</ref>
==Branding and marketing==
In the 1990s, Beobanka and Beogradska Banka adopted different but related logos.<ref>{{cite web |website=Sigedon Books and Antiques |url=https://sigedon.com/memorabilia/other-memorabilia-and-ephemera/paper-bond-beobanka/ |accessdate={{date|2026-4-26}} |title=Vintage Paper Bond Beobanka Share Stock 1992 Bank Yugoslavia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=Kupindo |accessdate={{date|2026-4-26}} |url=https://www.kupindo.com/Kompanije/55763119_Udruzena-Beogradska-banka/PredmetArhiviran |title=Ponuda "Udruzena Beogradska banka" je arhivirana}}</ref>
From 1994 to 1998, Beobanka was the main sponsor of the Red Star Belgrade football club.<ref>{{cite web |website=Football Kit Archive |url=https://www.footballkitarchive.com/red-star-belgrade-sponsor-history/ |accessdate={{date|2026-4-19}} |title=Red Star Belgrade Sponsor History}}</ref> It also sponsored a basketball club, {{ill|KK Beobanka|sr}} (later KK Vojvodina Srbijagas), between 1995 and 2000.
==Buildings==
Beogradska Banka had its head office in the Palace Albanija, an iconic interwar building on Terazije in downtown Belgrade.<ref>{{cite web |website=Company Wall |url=https://www.companywall.rs/firma/beogradska-banka-ad-beograd-stari-grad---u-stecaju/MMo0VIrC |accessdate={{date|2026-4-26}} |title=BEOGRADSKA BANKA AD, BEOGRAD (STARI GRAD) - U STEČAJU}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=eKapija |url=https://www.ekapija.com/en/news/5289811/office-space-in-palata-albanija-building-up-for-sale-price-10-million |date={{date|2025-9-14}} |title=Office space in “Palata Albanija” building up for sale, price 10 million – Attractive real estate of Beogradska banka on offer}}</ref>
In the 1990s Beobanka located its head office into a building on the Zeleni Venac thoroughfare of Belgrade, originally erected in 1960 for Energoprojekt. In 2007 the building was stripped of its external cladding,<ref>{{cite web |website=eKapija |date={{date|2017-8-27}} |url=https://www.ekapija.com/en/real-estate/1860743/KZIN-PR/belgrade-gets-the-first-green-facade-building-stattwerk-is-preparing-beobanka-building |title=Belgrade gets the first green facade building - Stattwerk is preparing Beobanka building rehabilitation}}</ref> and became an iconic ruin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://emerging-europe.com/alternative-belgrade-five-lesser-known-but-essential-landmarks/ |website=Beyond Emerging Europe |date={{date|2021-7-10}} |author=Nikola Đorđević |title=Alternative Belgrade: Five lesser-known but essential landmarks}}</ref> Its renovation as a business center was announced in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |website=Real Estate Magazine |url=https://realestate-magazin.rs/en/nekretnine/projekti/the-beobanka-building-on-zeleni-venac-becomes-branko-aposs-business-center/84541 |date={{date|2023-1-22}} |title=The Beobanka building on Zeleni Venac becomes Branko's Business Center}}</ref>
==See also== * List of banks in Yugoslavia
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Defunct banks of Yugoslavia Category:Banks established in 1971
{{yugoslavia-stub}}