Home>Citi 200 Years>Introduction Celebrating the Past    Defining the Future This year is special for Citi as we celebrate our 200th anniversary. Our history can be traced back to 1812 when a state banking charter was granted to a dozen New York merchants for the establishment of the City Bank of New York. Since then, through good times and challenging times, Citi has been working side by side with our clients on their journey from ambition to achievement. Over the span of 200 years, Citi has supported some of the biggest ideas and joined many clients in enabling economic progress around the world – from funding the first transatlantic cable and the construction of the Panama Canal to backing the commercial jetliner and the United States' Space Shuttle program. Throughout our history, innovation has been embedded in our culture. Citi has been at the forefront of providing new financial products and services to make our clients' lives better and simpler. We pioneered the world's first automated teller machine (ATM), credit card, global systems for foreign exchange and transaction services and, most recently, Smart Banking. While Citi has grown into one of the world's largest banking institutions, connecting the lives of millions of people in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions, we remain guided by what we have learned, our values of common purpose, responsible finance, ingenuity and leadership. We celebrate our past and what we have achieved over the past 200 years. Our heritage also inspires us to define the future to make it better for our clients, who have put their trust in us. So in this special year, we want to thank you, our clients, our employees, the communities and governments that have made it possible for our institution to enable progress for 200 years. Stephen Bird Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific   200 years of global perspective   Over 100 years of local market insights From a small bank in New York, Citi has grown to become an international bank with a far-reaching global presence. With international ambitions, Citi first established a branch in Hong Kong in 1902 as the city's first US bank.   Since then, Citi has partnered Hong Kong enterprises and consumers through prosperous and challenging economic cycles. And amongst these enterprises are Hopewell Holdings and Li & Fung Limited, with which Citi has worked closely in their growth from entrepreneurships to multi-million-dollar conglomerates with regional and global presence. Citi has grown globally and in Hong Kong by always focusing on the needs of our clients. From SMEs to multinational corporations, Citi has supported businesses and helped them expand regionally and globally with our innovative financial solutions and global network. For consumers, Citi has endeavored to make retail banking faster, more convenient and provide a full suite of products and services. In the early 1980s, Citi introduced Hong Kong's first touch-screen ATMs and 24-hour phone banking service. In the 1990s we launched the industry's first priority banking service – Citigold, an innovative fund investment service with internet banking and photo credit cards. More recently, we introduced Class-B mutual funds, online foreign exchange margin trading and US security trading service, and the Octopus Citibank Credit Card as well as Smart Banking. Hong Kong's retail banking customers are always provided with the latest innovative financial services. Underlying Citi's achievements are our people. Known for our focus on developing talent, Citi has distinguished alumni, people who have developed with Citi and gone on to become Hong Kong's respected leaders in financial and public service. Citi Hong Kong is also proud of our support of local communities. We are committed to providing financial education to our city's next generation and to contribute to community development as a whole. We hope you will enjoy this special supplement, which highlights Citi's heritage and innovation and how our history is informing our future. Shengman Zhang Citi Country Officer, Hong Kong