Our History
A Family Legacy of Private Financiers
Masari Credit Banc traces its origin to centuries of financial heritage and distinction. With roots extending over 500 years, the institution long operated privately within trusted circles before formally establishing its presence for a broader global clientele.
Receipt of Payment for a Debt Owed by the King of Aragon to the Benveniste Family (Spain, February 17, 1402)
The family’s origins date back to the Benveniste banking dynasty, one of the most influential financial families since the 13th and 14th centuries, entrusted with financing royal courts and global trade.
By the 16th century, its forebears helped establish one of the most powerful private banks of the era, funding international commerce, maritime expeditions, and trade routes that shaped the global economy. Doña Gracia Nasi, a visionary leader in the lineage, expanded the family’s banking and trading empire, becoming one of history’s wealthiest women and most influential financiers.
From financing royal courts in medieval Castile to facilitating gold-backed trade across the Mediterranean and Ottoman worlds, the family behind Masari played a defining role in the early architecture of global finance. A significant chapter of this heritage unfolded in Aleppo, Syria, once among the world’s most important commercial crossroads. Positioned along the Silk Road, Aleppo served for centuries as a nexus of merchants, currencies, and ideas, sustained by trade, credit, and trust across continents.
Within this vibrant marketplace, our ancestors, alongside other discreet and influential banking families — served as financiers, money changers, and custodians of wealth across borders and empires. Tradition holds that King David passed through the region and established Aleppo as a vassal, a reflection of the city’s early prominence and enduring stature.
From this environment emerged a culture of financial stewardship, continuity, and discretion that continues to inform our approach today.
They transacted in currencies like the Venetian zecchini, Ottoman para, and Austrian thaler, guided by a philosophy not only in finance but in relationships. Transactions were anchored in trust, tangible value, and reputation; principles that continue to guide our approach today.
Masari Credit Banc combines centuries-old values with forward-thinking strategies to serve a new era of global clients, by bridging markets, safeguarding capital, and stewarding opportunity across generations.
