Interactions and the Relationships of British Imperial Bank of Persia with the Social Classes of Iran

Imperial Bank of Persia which had been founded under concession of Reuter in Iran had established numerous branches in various cities. Form the establishment of the British Imperial Bank in different cities of Iran, there were some relationships between the bank and various social classes in a different status according to the rank of the class and the situation of the peoples. Birjand Royal Bank is amongst of these branches. This branch of the bank in Birjand performed commercial-mercantile, financial and credit matters of this region. Therefore, it formed the relationship of this branch with three social classes of local governors, merchants and ordinary people. This bank had a friendly relationship with governors and agents of this region and assumed the financial and credit matters of these persons and provided their custom-made goods, while local governors supplied the security of guard, employees and caravans of the bank. The bank also operated the cash and illiquid transitions of the merchants and ordinary people with other branches. Apart from these credit relations, sometimes bank interfered as a mediator in the personal, proprietary and financial conflicts between people and the governors. This article will study and analyze the relationship of the bank with local governors, merchants and ordinary people and evaluate the essential factors in these interactions.