Difference between revisions of "Old Coaster's List of Bank Regulators around the World"

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Most Countries have web-sites set up by their regulators that can be searched to find any regulated financial entity. If it is missing from the regulator's list , it is a fake and this information is not open to any doubt at all. However, please be careful, since it is easy to get a false negative.
 
Most Countries have web-sites set up by their regulators that can be searched to find any regulated financial entity. If it is missing from the regulator's list , it is a fake and this information is not open to any doubt at all. However, please be careful, since it is easy to get a false negative.
  
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<font color="red"><font size="5">'''Algeria'''</font></font>
 
<font color="red"><font size="5">'''Algeria'''</font></font>
Regulated by the Banque d'Algrie, a full list of authorised banks and financial institutions is to be found here. http://bank-of-algeria.dz/banque.htm It is in French, but fairly easy to follow. <font color="green"><font size="2">information provided by Baitonastick</font></font>
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Regulated by the Banque d'Algrie, a full list of authorised banks and financial institutions is to be found here. [http://bank-of-algeria.dz/banque.htm http://bank-of-algeria.dz/banque.htm]. It is in French, but fairly easy to follow. <font color="green"><font size="2">information provided by Baitonastick</font></font>
  
 
<font color="red"><font size="5">'''Andorra'''</font></font>
 
<font color="red"><font size="5">'''Andorra'''</font></font>

Revision as of 22:59, 24 March 2006

Most Countries have web-sites set up by their regulators that can be searched to find any regulated financial entity. If it is missing from the regulator's list , it is a fake and this information is not open to any doubt at all. However, please be careful, since it is easy to get a false negative.

Here is a list of the various regulators we have found so far. If a Regulator is not on the list, please either pm me or post it in the thread. I will check it out and add it as soon as possible.

Albania Regulated by the Bank of Albania, a full list of authorised banks is to be found here. http://www.bankofalbania.org/ Click on "English" and then "Banks in Albania" under "Banking Supervision". information provided by Baitonastick

Algeria Regulated by the Banque d'Algrie, a full list of authorised banks and financial institutions is to be found here. http://bank-of-algeria.dz/banque.htm. It is in French, but fairly easy to follow. information provided by Baitonastick

Andorra The Andorran financial system is, contrary to appearances, highly regulated. Several laws have been introduced to provide a solid legal framework for the system. A list of regulated banks can be found on the pages of the Institut Nacional Andorra de Finances at http://www.inaf.ad/angles/index.php (only works on IE, go to Bodies, Banks, Authorized Banks)

The same list can be found here: http://www.andorra.be/en/3.5.htm information provided by Captain Igloo

Anguilla
The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here http://www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

Antigua & Barbuda The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here http://www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

Armenia
Regulated by the Central Bank of Armenia, the full registry can be found here http://www.cba.am/bankmenu.asp?bankleft information provided by Rage

Australia
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) oversees banks, credit unions, building societies, general insurance and reinsurance companies, life insurance, friendly societies, and most members of the superannuation industry. Their searchable website is http://www.apra.gov.au/adi/ADIList.cfm and lists out all banks

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is responsible for consumer protection laws in financial services and products covering investments, superannuation, life insurance, general insurance and bank deposit-taking (but not lending). Its website covering investment institutions is here http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf

Australian Business Registration
http://www.abr.business.gov.au/(4zdd3255jlvfu555sc3efnvs)/main.aspx contains the publicly available information provided by businesses when they register for an ABN" (Australia Business Number). information provided by Capt Ahab

Austria The Financial Market Authority produces regular downloadable pdf files of approved banks, insurance companies and stockbrokers which can be obained from their website here. http://www.fma.gv.at/en/fma.htm Unless an institution is brand new it should be there.

Azerbaijan
Regulated by the national Bank of Azerbaijan, a full list of authorised banks in Word can be downloaded from here http://www.nba.az/eng/analitic/. information provided by Baitonastick

The Bahamas
The Central Bank of The Bahamas produces regular downloadable pdf files which can be obained from their website here http://www.centralbankbahamas.com Unless an institution is brand new it should be there.

However this unofficial site lists on-line all the banks operating in the Bahamas http://www.geographia.com/bahamas/investment/bankng01.htm and is easier to use.
information provided by Swamismurf

Bahrain
Regulated by the Bahrain Monetary Authority, a full list of authorised banks is to be found here. http://www.bma.gov.bh/ . information provided by Baitonastick

Bangladesh The central bank is Bangladesh Bank, which supervises and regulates all other banks in the country (a detailed description of their activities and responsibilities is here: http://www.bangladesh-bank.org/fnansys/fnansys.html ). The list of legal banks is here: http://www.bangladesh-bank.org/other/bank-finan.html
information provided by Pfiesty

Barbados The Central Bank of Barbados produces regular downloadable pdf files which can be obained from their website here. http://www.centralbank.org.bb/Financial/finance.shtml Unless an institution is brand new it should be there.

Belgium The Banking Finance and Insurance Commission regulates banks. It has a website inEnglish, but the List of banks here http://www.cbfa.be/fr/ki/ki.asp is in French. Unless an institution is brand new it should be there.

Belize Lists and warning notices are provided by the Central bank of Belize here http://www.centralbank.org.bz/ information provided by aarrdvark

Benin In the countries comprising the old French West Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Their website (in English) is here http://www.bceao.int/internet/bcweb.nsf/pages/usys3

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (FSC) is responsible for the regulation, supervision and inspection of all financial services in and from within the BVI. Such services include insurance, banking, trustee business, company management, mutual funds business as well as the registration of companies, limited partnerships, intellectual property and ships. (So you can spot fake boats in addition to fake banks!)

Their site can be found here: http://www.bvifsc.vg/
and their bank directory specifically: http://www.bvifsc.vg/findir_banksdir.php information provided by Pfiesty

Burkina Faso In the countries comprising the old French West Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Their website (in English) is here http://www.bceao.int/internet/bcweb.nsf/pages/usys3

Cameroun In the countries comprising the old French Central Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque des Etats de l'Afrique Centale. The website of BEAC is not as advanced as that of BCEAO and is only in French http://www.beac.int . However, http://www.izf.net/izf/FicheIdentite/BEAC.htm is a pretty good substitue and gives details of the nations comprising the francophone zone in Africa. For a complete list of banks in Cameroun go to http://www.beac.int/cobac/cblexique.html Scroll down the page and click on Cameroun. with thanks to SolidJoe

Canada Regulated by the Office of the Superintendant of Financial Institutions and they are listed on this website. http://www.osfi-bsif.gc.ca/osfi/index_e.aspx?DetailID=568

Cayman Islands In the Cayman Islands all financial institutions should be registered with the Monetary Authority which puts out regular bulletins on known fake bank websites. Their website is here http://www.cimoney.com.ky/

Swamismurf adds http://www.offshore-bank-list.com/offshore_banks_cayman_islands.html gives the street addresses of most Cayman Islands banks, and therefore is much more helpful than the regulator's site which does not. However, do not rely on this latter site, as it may not be updated regularly.

Centrafrique In the countries comprising the old French Central Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque des Etats de l'Afrique Centale. The website of BEAC is not as advanced as that of BCEAO and is only in French http://www.beac.int . However, http://www.izf.net/izf/FicheIdentite/BEAC.htm is a pretty good substitue and gives details of the nations comprising the francophone zone in Africa. For a complete list of banks in Camaroun go to http://www.beac.int/cobac/cblexique.html Scroll down the page and click on Centafrique. with thanks to SolidJoe

Channel Islands
Any banks operating out of the Channel Islands are either regulated by the Guernsey or the Jersey Authorities. See under these 2 countries.

China (Peoples Republic of) Be aware that the central bank of the Peoples Republic is The Peoples Bank of China. The Central Bank of China is the central bank of Taiwan

The People's Bank of China is responsible for the implementation of numerous regulations concerning the operation and risk-management of banking institutions. They are also responsible for supervising and monitoring the operations and balance sheets of all financial institutions in China. Their main website is http://www.pbc.gov.cn/english/

Here is a list of banks a) The "Big Four" commercial banks

          Bank of China (BOC) http://www.bank-of-china.com
          Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) www.abchina.com
           Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)  http://www.icbc.com.cn
          China Construction Bank (CCB) http://www.ccb.com.cn

b) Joint Stock Commercial Banks (14)

  The 5 largest
          Bank of Communications (BOCom) http://www.bankcomm.com
          CITIC Industrial Bank (www.citicib.com.cn)
China Everbright Bank (www.cebbank.com)
Hua Xia Bank (www.hxb.com.cn)
China Investment Bank (CIB)

c) Policy Banks
The establishment of the three policy banks was intended to relieve the Big Four of many of their social lending obligations, and to channel government financing to priority sectors irrespective of the projects' commercial viability. These are:
China Development Bank (CDB)
Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank) www.eximbank.gov.cn
Agricultural Development Bank of China (ADBC).

d)Regional Banks
Regional banks, which can provide financial services within the borders of their respective regions, bear some policy-lending responsibilities but are becoming increasingly commercialized.
Shenzhen Development Bank,
Pudong Development Bank,
Fujian Development Bank, and
Guangdong Development Bank
China Merchants Bank, owned by the China Merchants Group, has a sister bank in Hong Kong and offers mainly trade finance services.

e) Savings Banks
China has only two major savings banks--Yantai Housing Savings Bank and Bengbu Housing Savings Bank--both of which focus specifically on facilitating the ongoing reforms in the housing market. The principal business activities of the banks include raising funds for home construction and promoting housing reform by providing low-interest mortgage financing for individuals in their respective cities. They bear some resemblance to Western-style building societies, though China still lacks a formal or legal structure for such organizations.

f) Joint-venture Banks
As of early 1995, about 30 joint-venture banks were operating in China. These banks are principally involved in providing merchant and investment banking services and trade finance for the non-State sector. Joint-venture banks--which include Xiamen International Bank, established in 1985; Tai Hwa International Bank, a Sino-Thai venture; and China International Capital Corp. (CICC), a joint venture between Morgan Stanley Group Inc. and the China Construction Bank--help transfer international banking practices to China.

g) Foreign Banks
24 cities in China are open to foreign banks and their branches, though the vast majority of these banks are concentrated in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. As of year-end 1995, there were more than 100 foreign bank branches operating in China, including Citibank Corp., Bank of America, Bank of Tokyo, Sanwa Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp.

Japanese banks have been especially aggressive in China, and have established more financial institutions in China than have Hong Kong and US banks combined. Many of these banks, however, are now facing serious loan repayment problems.

Representative Offices are restricted to non-profit activities such as providing financial advice, consultancy and negotiating services, as well as market research for foreign companies. They are forbidden to discount commercial bills or confirm letters of credit. Representative offices cannot initiate business, but can follow up on loans and L/Cs issued at licensed branches.

SUMMARY OF CHINAS BANKING SYSTEM
(Data reference by the year end of 2000)
1 Central Bank
3 Policy Banks to channel long-term funds to target area
4 State Owned Commercial Banks
14 joint-stock commercial banks
2 Housing and Savings Bank
100 city commercial banks (the city government usually the single biggest owner)
1,268 urban credit co-operatives
3,900 agricultural credit co-operatives
168 trust and investment corporations
71 corporate group finance corporations
12 finance lease companies
191 foreign banks

China Banking Regulatory Commission
This website is apparently belongs to the regulator, but I cannot find a list of regulated entities there. http://www.cbrc.gov.cn/english/index.htm

IMPORTANT: You should report your fake bank to CBRC first
For details of how to do this refer to Wilson 888's post below

China Securities Regulatory Commission http://www.csrc.gov.cn/en/homepage/index_en.jsp. Has impressive links to many other securities regulators. information provided by aarrdvark and Wilson 888

Comment by malleus
English version seems to be major banks only. Main list is in Chinese version of website. There are 1000s of local banks and co-operatives listed.

Comores Islands (Comores Union)
Lists their banks (3) as well as apparently all companies on the island- a very small handful, on the Government page here:
http://www.presidence-uniondescomores.com/v3/us/ Site is available in French and English. information provided by aarrdvark

Congo (Brazzaville)

Do not confuse this country with the Republique Democratique du Congo below which was originally a Belgian Colony!!
In the countries comprising the old French Central Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque des Etats de l'Afrique Centale. The website of BEAC is not as advanced as that of BCEAO and is only in French www.beac.int . However, www.izf.net/izf/FicheIdentite/BEAC.htm is a pretty good substitue and gives details of the nations comprising the francophone zone in Africa. For a complete list of banks in Congo go to www.beac.int/cobac/cblexique.html Scroll down the page and click on Congo. with thanks to SolidJoe

Republique Democratique du Congo
Do not confuse this country which is the old Belgian Congo with the old French Colony above. This country is not part of BEAC
Regulated by the Banque Centrale du Congo ( www.bcc.cd ). The website is in french, however they have a list of licensed banks available at http://www.bcc.cd/banqueagree.htm . It is also a good idea to cc any abuse to cabgouv@bcc.cd (the governor of the BCC) information provided bymafrazou

Costa Rica
The Superentendencia General de Entidades Financiera is the prime regulator of Financial entities in Costa Rica and has a searchable website here. http://www.sugef.fi.cr/index.asp The website is mainly in English, but point at the Entidades Financieras icon and click on Grupos Financieras and slide the left hand menu bar. All Costa Rican Banks are listed there.

Cote d'Ivoire
In the countries comprising the old French West Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Their website (in English) is here http://www.bceao.int/internet/bcweb.nsf/pages/usys3

Cyprus
Regulated by the Central Bank of Cyprus and a full list of authorised banks is to be found here. http://www.centralbank.gov.cy/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=31

Cyprus, Northern
Northern Cyprus is under the control of Turkey and the bank regulator is to be found here http://www.kktcmb.trnc.net
www.kktcmb.trnc.net/ENGLISH/defaultENG.htm

Bank list is here www.kktcmb.trnc.net/ENGLISH/banks/banks-eng.html
http://www.kktcmb.trnc.net/ENGLISH/banks/offshore-banks-eng.html
.information provided by Sandy Beach

Czech Republic
Regulated by the Czech Securities Commission, the full list of authorised institutions is found here http://www.sec.cz/script/web/SubjectCategory.asp?Lang=EN

Denmark
Regulated by the the Danish FSA, the full list of authorised institutions is found here http://ft-files.webhotel.net/ft/vut/default.asp?lan=2

Dominica
The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

Dominican Republic
This site ( http://www.supbanco.gov.do/entidades/datos/index.html ) lists all the financial institutions in the country, but regretably, it is only in Spanish. Nevertheless it is easy to find your way around.information provided by ferret

Estonia
Regulated by the the Estonian FSA, the full list of authorised institutions is found here http://www.fi.ee/?id=593

Finland
Regulated by the the Finnish FSA, the full list of authorised institutions is found here http://www.rata.bof.fi/Eng/About_us/List_of_supervised_entities_and_notifications/

France
Regulated by the Banque de France, the full list of authorised institutions can be downloaded in pdf format from here http://www.banque-france.fr/gb/supervi/agrement/agrement.htm The list is updated quarterly.

Reunion, Mayotte, Guadelope are also regulated by Banque de France. This is also true for some of the other obscure, tiny ex coloniess (and offshore centres) that dot the pacific that seem to be missing links to central banks. They are usually regulated by the central bank of its particular colonial power with thanks to malleus

Forbodia
Has no regulator at all and should be used by all mugus. With thanks to Lady Felicity Volestrangler

Gabon
In the countries comprising the old French Central Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque des Etats de l'Afrique Centale. The website of BEAC is not as advanced as that of BCEAO and is only in French www.beac.int . However, www.izf.net/izf/FicheIdentite/BEAC.htm is a pretty good substitue and gives details of the nations comprising the francophone zone in Africa. For a complete list of banks in Gabon go to www.beac.int/cobac/cblexique.html Scroll down the page and click on Gabon. with thanks to SolidJoe

Gambia
Gambian banks are regulated by the Central Bank of Gambia. However, they do not have a Web site. The Gambian government's site (http://www.gambia.gm) has a list of banks and other companies on it (http://www.gambia.gm/Directory/Page_1/page_1.html)
information provided by Pfiesty

Germany
Regulated by the the Deutsche Bundesbank, the full list of authorised institutions can be downloaded in pdf format from here http://www.bundesbank.de/bankenaufsicht/bankenaufsicht.en.php The list is in German only.

Ghana
The Bank of Ghana regulates all banks operating in the country which are split into National banks like SSB and also community banks which are much smaller. This website gives the full list http://www.bog.gov.gh/supervision/liistbanks.htm

I found this list, which unlike the main list, provides addresses and phone numbers:
http://www.bog.gov.gh/notices/notice03/banksaddress.htm 9> information provided by aarrdvark

Here's another more complete list of banks in ghana for downloading in pdf format:
http://www.bog.gov.gh/supervision/LicensedBanksaddresses.pdf 9> information provided by Captain Igloo

Gibralter
Regulated by the the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission the list of regulated banks and institutions. Looks like the government website is very good- may well be able to find other businesses as well...
The site is here: http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/external_website_link/financial_comm.htm 9> information provided by aarrdvark

Greece
Regulated by the the Bank of Greece, the full list of authorised institutions can be downloaded in pdf format from here http://www.bankofgreece.gr/en/epopteia/Epopteia-D.asp

Grenada
The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

Guernsey
The Financial Services Commission is responsible for regulating banks, Insurance and Investment Companies which are listed on this website
http://www.gfsc.gg/

If a financial institution is not on the list, it is either very recent (in which case e-mail the commission for confirmation) or it is a fake. NB branches also have to be regulated, so if the bank purports to have a Guernsey Office, it should be on the list.

Guine Bissau
In the countries comprising the old French West Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Their website (in English) is here http://www.bceao.int/internet/bcweb.nsf/pages/usys3

Guine Equitoriale
In the countries comprising the old French Central Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque des Etats de l'Afrique Centale. The website of BEAC is not as advanced as that of BCEAO and is only in French www.beac.int . However, www.izf.net/izf/FicheIdentite/BEAC.htm is a pretty good substitue and gives details of the nations comprising the francophone zone in Africa. For a complete list of banks in Guine Equitoriale go to www.beac.int/cobac/cblexique.html Scroll down the page and click on Guinea Equitoriale. with thanks to SolidJoe

Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is responsible for regulation and all authorized institutions are to be found on their website: http://www.info.gov.hk/hkma/index.htm
You can also check the status of any entity in Hong Kong which solicits deposits from the public by calling its public enquiry hotline +852 2878 8222.

Hungary
Regulated by the the Hungarian FSA, the full list of authorised institutions is found here http://english.pszaf.hu/engine.aspx?page=pszafen_supinst

Iceland
Regulated by the the Icelandic FSA, the full list of authorised institutions is found here http://www.fme.is/fme-eng.nsf/form/eftirlitsskyldiradilar.html?open&market=Credit%20Market

India
Regulated by the the Reserve Bank of India, the full list of authorised institutions is found here
http://www.rbi.org.in/personalised/personalisation.asp?filename=rbiaboutuslat.html&secid=10#

Indonesia
Regulated by the the Central Bank of Indonesia, the full list of authorised institutions is found here http://www.bi.go.id/web/id/Links/daftarbank.aspx.htm 9> information provided by Sandy Beech

Ireland (Eire)
Regulated by the the Irish FSA, the full list of authorised institutions will shortly be found here http://www.ifsra.ie In the meantime, the site gives a phone number where the bona fides of any bank can be checked. NB Eire (Southern Ireland) is an independent country whereas Northern Ireland (Ulster) is part of the UK and so governed by the UK FSA see under United Kingdom.

Companies
All Eire companies have to be registered at the Companies Registration Office and whilst consulting the details of each company requires a payment, certain information such as the company name, registered address, activities, date of incorporation and accounting dates are available on line for free at this website. http://www.cro.ie/search/
information provided by Bog

Isle of Man
The Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission is responsible for regulating Banking, Investment and other Corporate Service Providers Business on the Isle of Man. They also administer the Isle of Man Companies Registry. Genuine licensed banks are listed on their website http://www.fsc.gov.im/licence/ .

They also publish Public Warnings and Lists regarding bogus institutions of which they are aware. If your bank appears on the list of known fakes, this can be used as extra ammunition when notifying hosters.

Israel
Banks in Israel are under the control of the Bank of Israel. There is a good summary of the Israeli banking law (in English) at: http://www.bankisrael.gov.il/abeng/abeng.htm

There is also an online list of banks here http://www.bankisrael.gov.il/deptdata/pikuah/snifim/snifhane.htm 9> information provided by M_Saeed_Al_Sahhaf

Italy
The Bank of Italy website is often restricted in the mornings. The part of the site responsible for regulating banks is here www.bancaditalia.it/vigilanza_tutela/vig_ban/int_vig;internal&action=middleFrame.action
Click on the text box on top right reading "Albo delle Banche" which throws up the regions of Italy and then search by region. 9> information provided by malleus

Every legitimate Italian Bank should be a member of the Associazione Bancaria Italiana, http://www.abi.it/jhtml/home/aboutABI/englishVersion/englishVersion.jhtml), in fact the ABI code is something that shows up on every document for every financial institution here. At the moment there are 1026 members, that should cover a wide range of legal activities.

You can easily search for members here:
www.abi.it/jhtml/home/conoscereBanche/sistemaItaliano/datoQuantitativo/datoQuantitativo.jhtml

Ricerca azienda -> look for single institute Ricerca gruppo -> look for a group. If your bank doesn't show up it's not a member of the ABI and therefore cannot be considered a legitimate bank
information provided by Swamismurf

Japan
Regulated by the the Japanese FSA, the full list of authorised institutions can be downloaded in pdf format from here http://www.fsa.go.jp/indexe.html
comment by malleus The english section of the JFSA lists the main banks only. Smaller local banks and co-ops in japanese only. Theres a pdf in the japanese section.

Jersey
The Financial Services Commission is responsible for regulating banks which are listed under Regulated Entities on this website
http://www.jerseyfsc.org/ If a bank is not on it it is a fake. NB branches also have to be regulated, so if the bank purports to have a Jersey Office, it should be on the list.

aarrdvark adds "I ran across this site for the Jersey Bankers Association. http://jerseybankersassociation.com. This is a membership organisation, but the site gives useful e-mail addresses for senior bankers on the Island."

Korea (South)
The Korean Financial Supervisory Service regulates banks and Other Financial Institutions. Their website is in English and Korean and is to be found here.
http://english.fss.or.kr/en/abou/fin/finsrh_intro.jsp


Kyrgyzstan
Banks are regulated by The National Bank. The list of regulated banks is to be found here www.nbkr.kg/web/interfeis.outmenu?id=35<=ENG
under "Banking System"
information provided by malleus
Latvia
Regulated by the the Latvian Securities Market Commission, the full list of authorised institutions can be found here http://www.fktk.lv/en/

Lithuania
Regulated by the the Bank of Lithuania, the full list of authorised banks is to be found here http://www.lb.lt/eng/institutions/index.html

Luxembourg
In common with most European Banking Centres, Luxembourg has tight financial regulations which are administered by theCommission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. A list of currently registered Banks and Financial Institutions in English may be downloaded in PDF format from here http://www.cssf.lu/fr/entites/index.html

Macau
All banks operating here must be registered with the Monetry authority of Macau. Their website is here: http://www.amcm.gov.mo/
information provided by Wilson888

Malaysia
Malaysia has a central Bank (The Bank Negara) which is responsible for supervising all the Malaysian banks, Their website is to be found here www.bnm.gov.my/index.php?ch=13&cat=banking
information provided by malleus


Mali
In the countries comprising the old French West Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Their website (in English) is here http://www.bceao.int/internet/bcweb.nsf/pages/usys3

Malta
In common with most Offshore Banking Centres, Malta has tight financial regulations which are administered by the Maltese Financial Services Authority. A list of currently registered Banks and Financial Institutions may be downloaded in PDF format from here http://www.mfsa.com.mt/mfsa/ 9> information provided by MaxModality

If a bank is not on it it is a fake. NB branches also have to be regulated, so if the bank purports to have a Maltese Office, it should be on the list.

Mauritius (and Rodrigues)
Banks, money changers and currency dealers in Mauritius are regulated by the Bank of Mauritius. Their list of authorised bodies is at http://bom.intnet.mu/banksup_Communique.pdf

Lots of other financial institutions - stock brokers, insurance companies, investment companies etc. etc. are regulated by the Mauritius Financial Services Commission. Their registers are at http://www.fscmauritius.org/registry.html

The most useful one is probably the "Entities Licensed under Section 14 of FSDA 2001" - http://www.fscmauritius.org/reg.html . These are NON-BANK Financial Institutions - i.e. investment companies that don't hold your money on deposit but invest it (and banks that offer investment services - although they are in the Bank of Mauritius list too).9> information provided by Bog

Monaco
It might be small, but it has a modern computer based system which lists all the banks allowed to operate in the country here.
www.gouv.mc/Dataweb/GouvMc.nsf/ All unlisted banks are fake. Click on La Place Financiere and then scroll down the page to the piece headed Banques and click on tablissements de crdit. This no longer works, so see the direct link to the registered banks below.

For those who do not speak French, the English version is HERE 9> information provided by Daneel_Oliwav

A direct link to a list of the 40 authorized bansk is HERE (Full URL is http://www.gouv.mc/devwww/wwwnew.nsf/c3241c4782f528bdc1256d52004f970b/
efe1f11e99350cb0c1256f8f00393dff!OpenDocument -- with no line break.) 9> information provided by MaxModality

Montenegro
It might be small, but it has a modern computer based system which lists all the banks allowed to operate in the country here. http://www.cb-mn.org/Linkovi_E/Linkovi_e.htm#Banks%20in%20Montenegro.
All other banks are fake according to a law passed in 2002.


Montserrat
The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

The Netherlands
The Dutch Central Bank (De Nederlandsche Bank) www.dnb.nl/dnb/pagina.jsp?pid=tcm:13-45525-64 has a section in English and downloadable pdf-files listing all licensed banks and other financial institutes in The Netherlands. Go to the page and download the ASCS register. All banks are listed alphabetically.

Any Corporate Entity
The Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel, KvK) lists all Dutch companies in its trade register and gives their addresses and their KvK-number. Their website has a section in English, explaining how to access the trade register. The problem is that the web-site does not work with all browsers and it is in Dutch. Go to this page http://www.kvk.nl/handelsregister/zoekenframeset.asp?register=1 and type in the first 2 0r 3 words of the company name in the Handelsnaam field. Hit "Start Zoeken" and a list of companies with similar names will appear. From this list, you can get the full address, telephone numbers etc. ( If anyone uses this resource, please pm me with comments)

Netherlands Antilles
The central bank is responsible for regulation; its website is here www.centralbank.an/financial/
information provided by malleus

Nevis
The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

New Zealand
All banks operating here must be registered with the Reserve Bank and are required by law to disclose their financial condition each quarter.
Here's a list of these banks: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/nzbanks/index.html
information provided by Captain Igloo

Niger
In the countries comprising the old French West Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Their website (in English) is here http://www.bceao.int/internet/bcweb.nsf/pages/usys3

Nigeria
Nigerian Banks are regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria and all approved banks are listed on ther website here. http://www.cenbank.org/supervision/bank_search.asp
If the bank for which you are searching does not appear, scroll down to the bottom and use the arrows to move between pages and search alphabetically.

Stock Exchanges
The Nigerian Stock Exchange is quite large with some 260 listed companies. Its website is here http://www.nigerianstockexchange.com and can be used to check information given out by mugus.

Norway
Regulated by the Kredittilsynet, the full list of authorised banks is to be found here http://www.kredittilsynet.no/wbch3.exe?p=2110

Northern Cyprus
See under Cyprus, Northern

Pakistan
The State Bank of Pakistan regulates and supervises all banks and other financial companies in the country. A list of licensed banks and their correct web sites (if any) is at http://www.sbp.org.pk/about/banks_nbfis/index.htm
information provided by Pfiesty

Panama
The Panama banking regulators are here : http://www.superbancos.gob.pa/english/index.html . The financial and securities regulators are here: http://conaval.gob.pa/ -not sure if there iss an english version. information provided by aarrdvark

The Phillipines
Regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Their directory "contains the directory of banks and quasi-banks and the listings of financial institutions a with special authorities/authorized to engage in specialized functions." http://www.bsp.gov.ph/resources/bankdir/default.htm
information provided by Pfiesty

Poland
Regulated by the National Bank of Poland, the full list of authorised banks is to be found here http://www.nbp.pl/Homen.aspx?f=en/onbp/informacje/nadzor_bankowy.html

Portugal
Regulated by the National Bank of Portugal, the full list of authorised banks is to be found here http://www.bportugal.pt/servs/fininst/scripts/fstpage_e.asp

Russia
The central bank is responsible for regulating Russian banks; its website is here http://www.cbr.ru/credit/ You need to enter searches in cyrillic! Not that easy to find anything. 9> information provided by malleus

St Kitts & Nevis
The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

St Lucia
The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

St Vincent & The Grenadines
The countries comprising the old British West Indies have a joint central bank - The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which links with the local regulators in the various countries of this community. Its website is here www.eccb-centralbank.org/Financial/index.asp The easiest way to find the regulated institution is to use the scrollable menu in the middle of the page and select the appropriate area. Once there look under each country.

Sao Tome and Principe
The Central Bank of Sao Tome and Principe maintains a register of banks and other financial institutions here, http://www.bcstp.st/inst_financ/inst_financ1.htm

Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority maintains a list of banks operating iin the Kingdom here www.sama.gov.sa/en/link/ I am not certain whether this is all the banks. I have sent an enquiry to SAMA and will post the information as soon as I get it. 9> information provided by w3jn


Sngal
In the countries comprising the old French West Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Their website (in English) is here http://www.bceao.int/internet/bcweb.nsf/pages/usys3

Serbia and Montenegro (Former Yugoslavia)
See also separate entry for Montenegro
The Central Bank list is to be found here. Narodna Banka Srbije www.nbs.yu
information provided by Master Yoda

Singapore
The Central Bank list is to be found here.
http://www.mas.gov.sg/masmcm/bin/pt1Bank_and_Other_Deposit_Taking_Institutions.htm 9> information provided by aarrdvark

Slovenia
Regulated by the National Bank of Slovenia, the full list of authorised banks is to be found at the bottom right of this page. http://www.bsi.si/html/eng/index.asp

South Africa
Banks
All banks operating in South Africa whether local or foreign are regulated by The Reserve Bank of South Africa. website www.resbank.co.za/banks/banks.htm

Company Registration
The Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office register can be searched on line and gives details of all companies registered in SA Its website is http://www.cipro.co.za/Home/. The search facility is bottom left.

Financial Services Board
This regulates financial advisers in SA and its website http://www.fsb.co.za/ is a useful jumping off place to check many things. For example for Stockbrokers operating in South Africa whether local or foreign, click on Useful Links. Click on Securities Exchange South Africa. Finally Click on "Find a Broker" and if it is not there its a fake. You can also check on Insurance Brokers and Financial Advisers in the same way!

Spain
In Spain these are regulated by the Banco de Espaa. You can download Word or PDF files listing all banks etc from here http://www.bde.es/servicio/regis/regente.htm Also. if you are using windows, you can download software allowing you to search their database (in Spanish).

If the company is not on the list it is a fake and that includes branches of overseas institutions.

Sweden
Regulated by the Swedish FSA. The whole website is not yet in English, but this page lists all Swedish Banks www.fi.se/Templates/InstitutcategoriesPage____2466.aspx. Foreign banks are listed under Bank, utlndska, However for non Swedish Speakers, it is probably easier to do a search.

To search for a bank or oher financial institution = enter it here. www.fi.se/Templates/Page____2631.aspx. Regretably, it is still in Swedish, but you should be able to work it out. 9> information updated by Ljugtomten and Daneel_Oliwav

Switzerland
These are regulated by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission. Lists of authorised institutions are downloadable in Excel and PDF format and are updated regularly. They can be found here http://www.ebk.admin.ch/e/institute/index.html As with all lists, the latest additions and deletions may not show; in such cases, a phone number is provided to check with the Commission.
information updated by Pilgrim

IMPORTANT NOTE Some Swiss banks have an online form for APPLYING for an account, and then the customer receives a "welcome package" in the mail, with documents that have to be signed and notarized etc. before the account is OPENED. NO SWISS BANK OPENS ACCOUNTS ONLINE. They can't.

So when you see a website that says it opens a Swiss Bank Account Online Instantly all they are doing is collecting information from you that is confidential (who knows why they want it) and then they collect a fee. This legitimate site has some interesting info- http://offshoretrustsbankingassetprotection.com
information provided by Murdockh & aarrdvark

Taiwan
For Taiwan the Financial Authority is the Central Bank of China (Do not confuse with the Peoples Bank of China which is the Central Bank of Mainland China). The website is here http://www.cbc.gov.tw/EngHome/default.asp and the list of financial institutions is found here: http://www.cbc.gov.tw/EngHome/Ebankexam/List.asp
information provided by aarrdvark and Wilson888

ThailandThai Banks are regulated by the Bank of Thailand and this web-page sets out the search pages. 9> www.bot.or.th/bothomepage/BankAtWork/Financial_Supervision/FinInThailand/FinInThailandE.htm
9>information provided by Noxy

Togo
In the countries comprising the old French West Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Their website (in English) is here http://www.bceao.int/internet/bcweb.nsf/pages/usys3

Trinidad and Tobago
The Central Bank list is to be found here. http://www.central-bank.org.tt/financialsystem/licensed_institutions.html 9> information provided by aarrdvark

Tschad
In the countries comprising the old French Central Africa, all financial institutions should be registered with the Banque des Etats de l'Afrique Centale. The website of BEAC is not as advanced as that of BCEAO and is only in French www.beac.int . However, www.izf.net/izf/FicheIdentite/BEAC.htm is a pretty good substitue and gives details of the nations comprising the francophone zone in Africa. For a complete list of banks in Tschad go to www.beac.int/cobac/cblexique.html Scroll down the page and click on Tschad. with thanks to SolidJoe

Turkey
The Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency is to be found here www.bddk.org.tr/english/mainpage/default.asp and this appears to be their list: www.bddk.org.tr/english/links/bankalarveofklar_eng.htm
with thanks to Sandy Beach

Turks & Caicos Islands
There is a problem in that there appears to be no searchable list or Database for these Islands and the local government will not reply to e-mails. We would suggest that anyone searching for banks on this Island should take extreme care and preferably use another Off-Shore base for their banking operations.

The only database we can find is that provided by the local Business directory and we know that this is far from complete. It's website is here. http://www.tcimall.tc/BanksTrusts/index.htm

The Ukraine
The National Bank of Ukraine serves as the Ukrainian banking regulator - http://www.bank.gov.ua/Engl/Bank_supervision. Choose "Banks licensed for performing bank transactions". Each month they add a zipped Excel file to this page - open the latest file for the list of currently registered banks 9> information provided by Zen

United Arab Emirates
In the countries comprising the United Arab Emirates, all financial institutions should be registered with the Central Bank of the UAE. Their website (in English) is here www.cbuae.gov.ae/banks&Oth.htm This site listing the central banks of the individual emirates is also useful. http://www.cbuae.gov.ae/central_banks_links.htm.

Be aware of false negatives, since there are 2 separate lists and the lists are updated infrequently. If a bank claims to have been set up after the date of the list one can e-mail the Bank Supervision Dept here uaecbbsd@cbuae.gov.ae 9> information updated by Daneel_Oliwav

United Kingdom
In the UK these are regulated by the Financial Services Authority and can be searched for on this web-site
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/register/

This site lists known fakes http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Law/Alerts/internet.shtml

Companies
In the UK all companies have to be registered at Companies House and whilst consulting the details of each company requires a payment, certain information such as the company name, registered address, activities, date of incorporation and accounting dates are available on line for free at this website. http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/info/

United States
Bank Regulators
Banks in the US can have either a Federal charter, or a State Charter (or both?) This applies to foreign banks as well. So in the US, one must first look at the Federal regulator and then look at the particualr state regulator.

The Office of the Comptroller of Currency is the federal regulator and its website is here http://www.occ.treas.gov/ This might be a better entry point: http://www.occ.treas.gov/customer.htm

Regional OCC Offices (found on a commercial site)
Central District
Responsible for national banks headquartered in Illinois, Indiana, Eastern and Northwestern Iowa, Northern Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Eastern Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Southwestern Virginia, Southwestern West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Central District Office
One Financial Place -- Suite 2700
440 South LaSalle St. -- Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 360-8800 -- TDD (312) 360-8827

Northeastern District
Responsible for national banks headquartered in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Eastern Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, Northern Virginia, and Northern West Virginia.
Northeastern District Office
1114 Avenue of the Americas -- Suite 3900
New York, NY 10036
(212) 819-9860 -- TDD (212) 790-4084

Southern District
Responsible for national banks headquartered in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Southern Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Southern West Virginia.
Southern District Office
500 North Akard Street -- Suite 1600
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 720-0656 -- TDD (214)720-7086

Western District
Responsible for national banks headquartered in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Western Iowa, Kansas, Western Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Guam.
Western District Office
1225 17th Street -- Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202
(720) 475-7600 -- TDD (720) 475-7697

Specialty OCC Offices
Large Banks
Responsible for the largest national banks including Bank of America Corporation, Countrywide Financial Corporation, Bank One Corporation, Banknorth Group, Inc., Barclays Global Investors, Charter One Financial Inc., Citigroup, Inc., Countrywide Financial Corporation, First Tennessee National Corporation, FleetBoston Financial Corporation, Hibernia Corporation, Huntington Bancshares, Inc., J.P. Morgan Chase & Company, KeyCorp, LaSalle Bank Corporation, MBNA Corporation, Mellon Financial Corporation, National City Corporation, National Commerce Financial Corporation, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., U.S. Bancorp, Union Planters Corporation, UnionBanCal Corporation, Wachovia Corporation, Wells Fargo & Company, and Zions Bancorporation.
Large Banks Office
250 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20219-0001
(202) 874-4890

Mid-size/Credit Card BanksResponsible for banks that present unique supervisory challenges based on size, complexity and/or product line, but which are not part of the OCC's large bank program.
Mid-size/Credit Card Banks Office
250 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20219-0001
(202) 874-4420

Below are listed the websites of the Individual States we have found and additional sites will be added as found
California http://www.dfi.ca.gov/about/financial.asp
Washington http://www.dfi.wa.gov/banks/list.htm
information provided by aarrdvark and Swamismurf

Centralised reporting of Internet Fraud
This website run by the FBI collects information on US based Internet Fraud (both victims and perpetrators and disseminates it to the appropriate law enforcement body.
http://www.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp

Company Registrars
Florida Registry of Corporations.
http://www.sunbiz.org/corpweb/inquiry/cormenu.html A nearly complete list of Florida based LLC, etc, can be found here. 9> information provided by Swamismurf

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Insures all genuine US banks which display its very distinctive logo. Some fake banks have stolen this logo claiming to be insured by the FDIC. However, if you search the FDIC website http://www.fdic.gov only the genuine banks will be revealed. Report any case of abuse to the FDIC fraud department!

National Information Centre of the Federal Reserve System
The National Information Center (NIC) provides comprehensive information on banks and other institutions for which the Federal Reserve has a supervisory, regulatory, or research interest including both domestic and foreign banking organizations operating in the U.S. The NIC includes the organizational structure of financial institutions and financial information for some of those institutions. Historical information is available on the structure of all the institutions. Financial information is available for selected time periods. The website is difficult to use. Go to Institution Search and use the Branch Locator Facility as it is less likely to give a false negative. http://www.ffiec.gov/nic/


Yemen
The Central Bank of Yemen supervises the banking system. Its website is here http://www.centralbank.gov.ye/.
There are seventeen commercial banks in the country, four of which are Islamic. These seventeen are all on this list here:
http://www.centralbank.gov.ye/combanks.htm
Eleven are more detailed here:
http://www.centralbank.gov.ye/com_bank.htm
information provided by loPloP

Zambia
All banks should be registered with the Bank of Zambia. They are listed here http://www.boz.zm/Supervision/Reg_comm_banks.htm
information provided by Zen

Web Searches
Bank for International Settlements Website
In many countries, the organisation responsible for regulating banks is the local Central Bank. This BIS website lists the individual central bank websites which can be used to check out the banks in the countries concerned. http://www.bis.org/cbanks.htm

AAA World Banks Directory
Lists most banks around the world. Its website is http://www.aaadir.com/banks/