Republic New York Corporation - Vignette of Edmond J. Safra - Specimen Stock Certificate

Specimen Stock printed by Security-Columbian Banknote Company. Available in Blue, Green, Red or Aqua. Please specify color.

Republic New York Corporation, a holding company, owned Republic National Bank of New York, Safra Republic Holdings, and Safra Republic Bank. The company was controlled by billionaire Edmond Safra, who tragically passed away in a fire in his Monte Carlo penthouse apartment due to the negligence of his nurse, Ted Maher. Following his death, Republic New York Corporation was sold to HSBC Bank USA, the US subsidiary of HSBC, the UK-based bank. Joseph Safra, Edmond Safra’s brother, independently controlled and owned the Safra Group of banks and financial institutions.

Edmond J. Safra, a Lebanese-Brazilian billionaire banker and philanthropist of Syrian descent, continued his family’s banking legacy in Brazil and Switzerland. He was married to Lily Watkins from 1976 until his untimely demise. Safra’s death was a subject of widespread media attention and was later determined to be an act of arson.

In 1956, Edmond Safra relocated to Geneva to establish a private bank, the Trade Development Bank. This bank experienced remarkable growth, expanding from an initial US$1 million to a substantial US$5 billion during the 1980s. Safra’s financial empire extended beyond Geneva, catering to his affluent clients from around the globe. He also played a pivotal role in founding the Republic National Bank of New York in 1966 and later established Republic National Bank of New York (Suisse) in Geneva. The Republic Bank operated an impressive 80 branches in the New York area, solidifying its position as the third-largest branch network in the metropolitan region, trailing only Citigroup and Chase Manhattan.