Glossary:Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
The Bank for International Settlements, abbreviated as BIS, is the oldest international financial institution and was established on 17 May 1930 in the context of the Young Plan (which dealt with the issue of the reparation payments imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles following the First World War). The head office is in Basel, Switzerland and there are two representative offices: in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and in Mexico City.
BIS serves central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability, to foster international cooperation in those areas and to act as a bank for central banks. As its customers are central banks and international organisations, BIS does not accept deposits from, or provide financial services to, private individuals or corporate entities.