Anatole Defoe and Mathis Fournier establish Defoe Fournier & Cie., a gold bullion trading house in Paris.
In addition to gold
trading, Defoe Fournier & Cie. establishes itself as a prominent
gold custodian and transfer agent. Its sophistication in this
particular business sector is recognized by various French and Belgium
colony rulers and viceroys who appoint Defoe Fournier as their wealth
custodians.
In this period, much of the character of Defoe Fournier & Cie. can be attributed to its junior co-founding partner Mathis Fourier. He came to maturity during the turbulent times of French Revolution followed by Napoleonic Wars and The Empire, a period when the atmosphere was of rebirth, innovation and tradition. When he co-founded Defoe Fournier & Co., his partner Anatole Defoe had been in banking for more than 20 years, however it was Fournier's avant-garde approach to banking, a profession of utmost conservatism, was the reason of strong foothold the partnership gained within the establishment. Serving the needs of clients in remote areas and specialty situations, exemplified by colonial assets and major projects, the younger partner was the most celebrated traveling banker in Paris, mostly serving Defoe Fournier & Cie. needs by traveling were business required, and referring to his occupation as "merchant". The ability of Defoe Fournier & Cie. and the willingness of one of its senior partners to travel to any length and provide the highest level of support to clients has earned the company its respectable rank, result oriented reputation and high levels of profitability for many years to come.
1857 - 1882: Building an Institution
With second generations of Defoes and Fourniers entering into scene, Defoe Fournier & Cie. becomes an active financier in financing and underwriting bonds, trade bills and acceptance notes. Most of its activities were related to French and Belgium colonies in Africa and West Indies. Global span is evidenced by bond underwritings for banana plantation in Nicaragua, railroad company in Ethiopia and agricultural produce processing factory in Senegal.
As
time progresses, Defoe Fournier & Cie. establishes its financial
footprint in Europe, aided by its underwriting participation of Kingdom
of Serbia bonds and Austrian Red Cross bonds.
Defoe Fournier &
Cie. expands further into banking activities and adds more partners
arriving from various European nations, including Germany, England,
Austria, Italy and Spain. It provides tailor-made and upscale banking
services to a very select group of clients throughout Europe.
1883 - 1972: Achieving Long Term Objectives
1973 - 2002: Age of Modern Finance
Defoe Fournier & Cie. moves to Luxembourg and progresses further by adding asset management and corporate banking to its private banking operations. Its participation in large industrial and infrastructure project loan syndications seals its position in high-end corporate and project finance.
Defoe
Fournier & Cie. consolidates its interests in all related groups
and affiliates, unifying itself under a single global firm. The
underlying belief is that this combination enables Defoe Fournier &
Cie. to possess the benefits of a more unified global firm while
preserving the advantages of old and local roots.
The organization establishes its presence in the United States
through alliance with CS Defoe Partners, an entity formed by CS
Opportunity Fund Group in coordination with Defoe Fournier & Cie.
Defoe
Fournier & Cie. reverts back from banking activities, becoming a
merchant banking and private investment company. Partners ranks are
reduced from 32 to 12 in total.
2002 - Present: Refocusing on Core Business
- NOTICE -
Defoe Fournier & Cie., Defoe Fournier & Co. and their related entities (collectively Defoe Fournier) only offer services and products where it is allowed to do so: therefore, not all of our products or services may be available to you. In addition, Defoe Fournier when acting as investor, does so as a private investment group. It does not solicit funds for management or co-investment from unrelated parties. All investment activities are conducted exclusively for the benefits of shareholders/partners/owners of Defoe Fournier who also bear all risks related to all investment activities.
