Editing BCCI (section)

==Overview of BCCI’s Operations==
	•	Founding and Growth: BCCI was established with capital from Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi (75%) and the Bank of America (25%), registered in Luxembourg, and headquartered in Karachi and London. It grew from 19 branches in 1973 to over 400 in 78 countries by the 1980s, with assets of $20 billion, making it the seventh-largest private bank globally.

	•	Criminal Activities: Investigations revealed BCCI’s involvement in money laundering for drug cartels (e.g., [[Pablo Escobar]]), terrorist financing (e.g., [[Abu Nidal]]), arms deals for Iraq and Iran, and secret control of U.S. banks like First American Bankshares.

	•	Collapse: On July 5, 1991, regulators in seven countries, led by the Bank of England, shut down BCCI during Operation C-Chase after a Price Waterhouse report exposed widespread fraud. The collapse, costing $9.5–15 billion, was the largest bank fraud in history, with liquidators recovering ~75% of losses by 2013.