National Bank of Ukraine
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The National Bank of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національний банк України) is the central bank of Ukraine.
The bank was founded in early 1992, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union and, like institutions of many newly independent nations, it faced dire financial straits during the 1990s, leading to a decade-long period of hyperinflation.
Viktor Yushchenko, the country's President, worked there from January 1993 to December 1999, before becoming Prime Minister.
History of the bank's main building
Office of the (Russian) State Commerce Bank opened in Kiev in 1839. The building where the NBU is located to this day was purchased several years later. In 1860, the State Bank of Russia liquidated the Posikov (Credit) and Commerce banks.
The bank's daily operations steadily incresed over the coming years, and a new building for the bank was needed. At this time, an argument arose over relocating the bank closer to Khreschatyk and the city center. After several years of searching for a better location, in 1902 the Petersburg State Bank (which controlled the Kiev branch) and Mr. Vitte (the Minister of Finance at the time) agreed to constructing a new building instead of the old one. Architect O. Kobolyev won the competition for the design of the new structure, and work began several years later. The main facade was designed by O. Verbitskyi, who joined the project shortly after construction started.
On August 1, 1905, the building was completed and the day-to-day business was transferred to it. The new building featured electrical lighting and ventilation and a central heating system. In 1933, when the capital of Ukraine was transferred from Kharkiv to Kiev, two more stories were added to the building to handle the growth. The Italian sculptor E. Sala was invited to create the decorations for the new building.
External link
- () [National Bank of Ukraine] - official site
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