The bond was one of the most important instruments to underpin the business of international finance. The bond, enshrining the contract between borrower and banker, was a valuable document: its holders were entitled to present attached coupons at prescribed intervals to receive interest on their investment, and present the bond itself for return of the principal on maturity.
The Rothschild Archive has significant holdings which document the Rothschild banks' involvement in bond issues. These include contracts, correspondence, ledgers recording purchases of bonds and the accounts for their repayment; and the prospectuses, scrip and bonds themselves.
The Archive has begun a programme to digitise key documents concerning the loans business, beginning with all surviving prospectuses and most bond certificates. During the course of 2017, these will be made available on the Rothschild Bonds microsite. A Rothschild Research Forum account is required to access this site. Apply for membership of the Rothschild Research Forum here.
Posted on the 3rd February 2017
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