Sustainability - bicbanco

8
History
1938 – 1947
BICBANCO’s story begins in 1938, in the city of
Juazeiro do Norte, with the founding of the Cooperativa
de Crédito de Joazeiro by José Bezerra de Menezes,
along with local leaders. From early on, the recently
created Bank made it clear that it was prepared
to finance productive activity, granting its first loans to
producers in southern Ceará; six years later, it changed
its name to Banco do Juazeiro.
1948 – 1957
Grupo Bezerra de Menezes increases its cotton exports,
fostered by the progress of the new Brazilian industrial
model. With expanded business, it decides to
become a majority shareholder of Banco do Juazeiro,
which makes Mrs. Maria Amélia Bezerra de Menezes,
the family’s matriarch, the first woman in Brazil to serve
as the president of a bank.
1958 – 1967
Advances in management and changes implemented
with Brazilian banking reforms allow for a new phase
of growth in business. The Bank begins to work as a
development agent for trade and industry throughout
the Cariri region, which provides the strength for its
expansion.
1968 – 1977
Regionally fortified, Banco do Juazeiro merges
with Banco do Cariri in 1972, creating Banco
Industrial do Cariri (BIC). In 1974, the Institution
once again diversifies and expands its operations by
incorporating Banco dos Proprietários. The next step
in the cycle of growth was to transfer its headquarters
to Fortaleza, the state capital, and change the
company’s name to Banco Industrial do Ceará (BIC).