Citibank: A Century In Asia
Summary
The reference has not verified this book in detail; the summary states only what the title, author and subject establish.
Starr wrote this as a commissioned history marking Citibank's hundred years of operation in Asia, from the opening of the International Banking Corporation's Shanghai branch in 1902 through the early 2000s.
The reference has not verified the specific contents of this volume, which was produced for the bank's centenary and is not widely available. What the occasion and subject establish is a corporate history covering the bank's entry into Asian markets, its operations through the Chinese revolution, the Second World War, decolonisation, the Japanese and Korean industrialisations, the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and the expansion of consumer banking across the region.
Citibank's Asian history is genuinely significant: it was among the first American banks to build a substantial international branch network, it pioneered consumer banking products in several Asian markets, and its presence through a century of political upheaval means the institutional history intersects with most of the region's major events.
Commissioned corporate histories are promotional documents and should be read as such. Readers wanting an independent account of Citibank should use Phillip Zweig's biography of Walter Wriston or the critical literature on the bank's periodic crises. This volume's interest is as a company-produced record of a long international presence, and its claims should be verified against independent sources before being relied on.
Key takeaways 7
- Citibank's Asian presence began with the International Banking Corporation's Shanghai branch in 1902 and continued through a century of political upheaval.
- The bank was among the first American institutions to build a substantial international branch network rather than serving foreign markets through correspondents.
- A branch network operating through revolutions, wars and decolonisation requires the institution to survive the loss of assets and staff repeatedly.
- Citibank introduced consumer banking products in several Asian markets before local institutions offered them.
- This is a commissioned centenary history and should be read as a company-produced document.
- The reference has not verified the specific contents or claims of this volume.
- Independent accounts of Citibank, including biographies of Walter Wriston and the critical literature on the bank's crises, should be consulted alongside it.
Who should read it
Readers with a specific interest in Citibank's Asian operations, treated as a commissioned corporate history requiring independent verification.
Where it sits in the reference 2
Who recommended it 1 · 1 direct
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