Bank of the Yugoslav Republics
The Bank of the Yugoslav Republics (Serbian: Банка на југословенских републики; Croatian: Банка на југославенских републикама; Bosnian: Банка на југословенских републикама; Macedonian: Банка на југословенска републики; Slovenian: Банка на југослованских републикама; and Montenegrin: Банка на југословенској републици), abbreviation Бјр (Bjr), was the forerunner of the Yugoslav Federal Bank. It was founded on March 1, 1648.
The main task of the Бјр was to manage currency policy in the six Republics of Yugoslavia while their Federal Government was being organized. On June 21, 1645, the Bank of the Yugoslav Republics introduced the Federal Dinar in the three republics of Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. On November 1, 1645, the central banks of Macedonia, Slovenia, and Montenegro, which had also in June adopted the Federal Dinar, joined the Бјр. On December 25, 1646, the Yugoslav Federal Republic was founded; however, the Бјр remained subject to the control of the six Republics of the Federation until 1651. Later, the Бјр became an independent agency of the six Yugoslav republics, similar to the concept displayed by the United States System of Central Banks in the United States.
In the process of introducing the Federal Dinar in 1648, the states' central banks (Serbian: Државна централна банке; Croatian: Државне средишње банке; Bosnian: Државна централне банке; Macedonian: Државната централна банки; Slovenian: Националне централне банке; and Montenegrin: Државној централној банке; Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, and Montenegrin: Дцб; Croatian: Дсб; and Slovenian: Нцб), then entities of the individual Yugoslav States, founded the Бјр as their subsidiary for the central purpose of issuing the new currency, avoiding thus conflicts among the States.
The capital stock of the Бјр, 100,000 Federal Dinar, was given by the Дцб/Дсб/Нцб. When the Бјр was established, 300 people worked there, but by 1649, their number had already increased to 1,450. The headquarters of the Бјр was located in Sarajevo.
Institutions of the Бјр were the board of directors and the Central Banking Council (XXXX), consisting of the six presidents of the Дцб/Дсб/Нцб. These officials elected the president of the board of directors, who then chose the other members of the board. The board's task was to enforce the resolutions of the Central Banking Council.
Effective 1 August 1657, the Бјр and the central banks of the Yugoslav States were merged in the new Yugoslav Federal Bank with the Дцб/Дсб/Нцб transformed into mere subsidiaries of the Federal Bank in accordance with the Federal law establishing the Yugoslav Federal Bank.