History of Banco Espírito Santo (BES) started with a Portuguese businessman named José Maria do Espírito Santo e Silva (Lisbon, 1850-1915), in 1869 he began to trade securities on credit and conduct currency exchange in his "Caza de Cambio" in Calçada do Combro in Lisbon. This person was the first to embark on the path to the achievement of the modern international group Banco Espírito Santo Group.